Conor Oberst (album)
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| Conor Oberst | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 4, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | January–February 2008 at Valle Mistico | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, indie folk, country rock | |||
| Length | 42:00 | |||
| Label | Merge Records | |||
| Producer | Conor Oberst | |||
| Conor Oberst chronology | ||||
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Conor Oberst is the fourth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Conor Oberst, best known as the frontman of the band Bright Eyes. It was released on August 4, 2008, by Merge Records.[1]
The album debuted at number 37 on the UK Albums Chart[2] and reached number 15 on the Billboard 200. It sold approximately 98,000 copies in the United States as of August 2009.[3]
The album was recorded in Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico, between January and February 2008. A temporary studio was set up in a mountain villa called Valle Místico on the outskirts of the town. Conor Oberst was produced by Conor Oberst and engineered by long-time collaborator Andy LeMaster.
A new band was assembled for the recording sessions, which came to be known as the Mystic Valley Band. The album marked Oberst’s fourth solo release and his first in twelve years, following Water (1993), Here's to Special Treatment (1994), and The Soundtrack to My Movie (1996).
In the years between solo albums, Oberst recorded and performed with several bands and musical projects, including Commander Venus, Park Ave., Desaparecidos, and most notably Bright Eyes.
The song "Moab" was ranked number 31 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.[4]
Track listing
ll songs written by Conor Oberst, except where noted.
- "Cape Canaveral" – 4:04
- "Sausalito" – 3:10
- "Get-Well-Cards" – 3:33
- "Lenders in the Temple" – 4:35
- "Danny Callahan" – 3:58
- "I Don’t Want to Die (In the Hospital)" – 3:32
- "Eagle on a Pole" – 4:42
- "NYC – Gone, Gone" – 1:11
- "Moab" – 3:36
- "Valle Místico (Ruben’s Song)" (Ruben Mendez Hernandez) – 0:49
- "Souled Out!!!" (Oberst, Jason Boesel) – 3:32
- "Milk Thistle" – 5:21
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| Billboard | (not rated)[6] |
| Crawdaddy! | (favorable)[7] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[8] |
| Paste | 80/100[9] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.3/10[10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
| Spin | [12] |
| The Times | [13] |
| Time | A−[14] |
Entertainment Weekly commented that on the album, "Conor sounds like Bright Eyes, only heightened—brighter, if you will: he's an emo balladeer, country rocker, and ferocious folkie rolled into one."[15]
Track information
- The seventh track, "Eagle on a Pole," was inspired by a comment made by Sean Foley, who said, "I saw an eagle on a pole. I think it was an eagle." Simon Joyner, a friend and mentor of Oberst, remarked that the line would be great for a song, which inspired members of the band to each write their own version. Oberst’s version appears on this album, while Jason Boesel’s version is included on the Mystic Valley Band’s second album, Outer South.
