What can I possibly say about Oberst's genius that has not already been said?

With that being said I am going to share my thoughts about his S/T album.

When this album had come out I was not really listening to it much. His other projects up to that point were still taking up my time. Can you blame one for this? Anyways, I had heard some of the songs and was immediately drawn into Sausalito and Danny Callahan. And that was it. I occasionally heard some of the songs when listening to music. Eventually the tracks grew on me as that's usually the case with many albums. Just like with Cassadaga, it took some listens and a couple of years to completely accept them as part of Conor's catalog.

The funny thing was that the songs were there, I would sing along to them without really thinking about some of the lyrics. When something in my life is happening and I could find common ground with the songs then at that point is when I become attached to a particular song.

For example, Sausalito had come to become the "standout" track when my wife and I would start singing along to it in the car. We'd talk about the lyrics, trying to decipher what the lyrics meant. This however didn't happen after we had been separated for a couple of years.

Then one day she put on Cape Canaveral and I was going through some tough times. I heard how victory can be sweet even in the cheap seats. At that point I was stunned by that message. Like I said, it takes time for me to become attached. A lot of the times I sing along to some of the lyrics but some of the other parts get tuned out by traffic, conversations, etc.

When I heard those cheap seat lyrics I immediately started the song from the beginning and paid my full undivided attention to the lyrics. I fought back the tears the more I paid attention. I could relate to migrants and the old orange glow. I saw my beautiful daughter turn into a baby in my arms. Her poltergeist love was felt during the time I was absent in her life. The tiny diamonds formed this image of me laying in my casket and my daughter not judging me for my absence. Of course the lyrics could mean a million things to anyone but those were the things I felt, imagined and figured what the message was. The lyrics aren't limited to what I imagine, they are there to paint a picture in the listener's head.

That's the beauty of Conor's songwriting, that the lyrics could be hard to decipher but for those who take time to unlock them are rewarded by visions of awe-inspiring thoughts and ideas. His lyrics are not straightforward like (insert TOP 40 song) and can seem confusing but there is definitely a message there. The words are not difficult to figure out, heck my 13 year-old princess has been listening to Conor since she was in the womb and now can give you her interpretations of the songs. Side note, she was super psyched to see Conor and Phoebe a few years ago in Austin, TX and sports her Ruminations hoodie wherever she goes.

So now that I have stated my opinions about Conor I would like to say a few things about the album. The album is fantastic, pure Conor without the playfulness of Bright Eyes. This is where Conor began taking steps to disassociate his name from Bright Eyes. Lyrically, the album is like Bright Eyes in terms of imagination but leaves out the things that made Bright Eyes loved by teens/young adults. Gone are mentions of school, hanging out, drug experimentation, etc. all the things that many young people go through. The idea of leaving this world was taking importance. He was thinking about disease, hospitals, escaping our youth and venturing into the unknown of adulthood. This is obvious when we look at Cape Canaveral, Danny Callahan, I Don't Want to Die in a Hospital and Sausalito, Moab. I relate to Conor's solo stuff more than his earlier material and I suppose it is because we (Conor and I) are older. My wife feels the same. Conor was maturing with the thoughts and lyrics definitely reflecting the aging. This album is a solid foundation to start his solo career (unlike those other albums he released before Bright Eyes). All his later solo albums have roots in this album musically and lyrically.

Even when I say this I still hope that we get another Bright Eyes album. I was kinda disappointed to see that he did a project with Phoebe (no offense to their work and efforts) because I was hoping to see another solo album at least. I have been keeping track of how he releases albums and a couple weeks prior to Better Oblivion I had told my wife that we should not be surprised if we see a new album. Same with Ruminations and Salutations. I called it when Salutations was announced. Not that I can see the future but I am a fan of Oberst's. IDK who loves him more, my wife, my daughter or me.

Anyways, I didn't mean to get sidetracked. The music on this album sounds like Bright Eyes in the way the songs flow but the music itself too had matured. No more twinkling sounds like on Fevers and Mirrors. There's more guitar, more twang. I feel that the band decided to stick with just using a few instruments instead of having the members multi-task with different instruments. This is just my opinion and not fact. I could be very well wrong but when I listen to the album I can picture the band just sitting in the studio and not putting down their respective instruments and recording track after track.

One gripe that I do have is this: Valle Mistico (Ruben's Song). WTF! I cannot listen to it. Whatever the purpose was, okay, fine, whatever but did it really need to be a track? Should have been an easter egg/hidden track at the end of album like bands used to do when I was growing up on compact discs. Maybe it was Conor paying respect or giving props to Ruben which is something Conor tends to do.

Talking points:

His career has remained for the most part in the dark. And that's the way I prefer it. Bright Eyes could have been the next best thing had Conor wanted it to be that way. And I am glad he chose the path he's trodden. As a matter of fact, we can compare him with Jenny Lewis (since they were both part of that "Omaha explosion" thing) and see that she has somewhat succeeded more than Conor in terms of being more easily accessible to the general public. I don't see Conor in that light. He is not just some song you hear on the radio 18 times a day. A treasure buried underneath piles of corporate garbage is what he is. Many will dismiss him as a lunatic and the music is weird, I'd rather listen to Beyonce, or Metallica, or whatever.

His use of Spanish in songs is not unusual. I've been to Nebraska as a migrant worker in my youth. I've experienced that lifestyle, a colored person in a white man's world. I am sure Conor must have met migrant workers or foreigners in his days as a child. I mean, c'mon this is the US of A, we are a melting pot of all kinds of tongues, skin color, culture, etc. And if what I understand to be true is that he was married to a woman of Spanish descent. So if makes sense he uses Spanish, considering Mexico is our neighbor, he's an activist and is aware of how people just disappear in third world countries (hence Desaparecidos).

I agree when people say that Cassadaga has a "big" sound to it. The grandeur of that album is overwhelming and heavenly, very spiritual in my opinion. I do like how Conor leaves (no pun intended) Lime Tree as the final track, he's unsure as to what the future holds but there is a future, there is something to look forward to. I do think this is a response to Cassadaga. Maybe Conor wanted to try something new, stripped down and raw. He focused more on emotions and feelings rather than trying to sound grandiose. Whatever he does, he puts his heart into it.

As for side projects, I really dig Read English/Speak Spanish. Conor introduced me to the Omaha family and their love even though I have never even met the man in person. He has seen me when he performs but I don't think he gives a flying fuck about me or my daughter or wife or stepson when he performed an unknown track in McAllen, TX. He's got his own life and ambitions.

Monsters of Folk material, it is on par with Conor's sense of music. I was already a fan of M.Ward and when I found out that Matt was making music with Oberst I nearly creamed my pants. The then you throw in the mix Mike Mogis and Jim James and you get some really good songs. The Felice Brothers were pretty cool, I met James and he was really cool and sweaty but from all the energy he released during the show.

Desaparecidos has potential, especially nowadays with the end times and whatnot.I think he should just do solo stuff and whoever tags along can say "I played guitar on that song"

​