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DAILY RECORD: Bright Eyes

Posted by: Necci – Feb 22, 2011

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Bright Eyes - The People's Key (Saddle Creek)

When it was announced that The People’s Key would be the last Bright Eyes album, several questions arose. Besides obvious queries regarding style and lyrical content, would this effort adequately close the book on an independent entity that has spanned its course over a decade? In many ways, The People’s Key accomplishes this. At the same time, it comes up short in a few instances.

The People’s Key begins with a quote that reveals several key ideas pertinent to the record. It touches on the linear modes of space and time, the emotions attached to love that connect everything, and how the loudest voices in a given space are provided with a level of importance. The latter argument is driven by a thought that perhaps Adolf Hitler was given more attention than others because he used louder propulsion of his thoughts. When Conor Oberst arrives to the party, his voice is filtered with reverb and the electric guitars hum their way throughout “Firewall.” This indicates the direction of the record, following trends found on Digital Ash In A Digital Urn. The concise thoughts resemble previous works released by Bright Eyes, but there is a solemn attitude prevailing. The level of despair that was first realized on Fevers and Mirrors is discovered here due to the limitations of religion and the way the excitement has disappeared. This lack of excitement is noted in references to falling asleep on benches beside a rollercoaster, or the ease with which darkness appears and initiates distance between two.

These ideas continue to appear throughout, with considerations of the weight of love in “Shell Games,” and of how much of our higher powers we invent in “Triple Spirals.” One selection on The People’s Key that really strikes a chord is “Ladder Song.” This is where Oberst reflects on a close friend’s suicide, and how the world appears afterwards. He dissects the act by using an object such as a ladder to consider which direction any of our actions lead. Oberst makes a choice to be the one who will decide how he goes out and not let things out of his control be the executioner. He examines many moments where the need to celebrate is much more prevalent than imagining how it will all end. Yet, the song still ends on a note of solace in how much has been lost in his friend’s choice. With all of the things in the world that deserve acclaim, there are still frequent reminders of what no longer remains.

In its consideration of mortality and spirituality, The People’s Key is a prime example of why audiences are drawn to Bright Eyes. The frequently evolving persona of front man Oberst, with his rich use of metaphor, has resulted in quite the journey. In this final jaunt, by removing ideas that may have placated some fans on past releases, there is an unraveling of Bright Eyes’ core that explains quite a bit. In his youth, Oberst discovered identity in Bright Eyes. His unconventional voice was embraced and his retribution was a descent into political and sociological material. With The People’s Key, he leaves us with the note that he still retains every question he had in his youth. Oberst still looks at the skies with empty eyes, and there is no easy way to decipher the meaning, despite all of the travels and experiences since. Everything that has meaning can vanish in the loss of a being or an idea. Bright Eyes realizes that they have accomplished quite a bit. For a finale though, one can only contemplate if that will be everlasting. Will it all have been in vain, or will it live on to be told to new generations?

The only downfall to The People’s Key is in a few entries that feel lacking in comparison to the stronger tracks. These critiques are more based around my personal taste, in what I’ve come to enjoy in Bright Eyes. The closer “One for You, One For Me” leaves me craving more. I wanted there to be a dynamic finale to a record like this, that resonated in the same way that previous closers have. In what it lacks, it makes me crave tunes like “Let’s Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and Be Loved),” “Road to Joy” or “A Song to Pass The Time.” It’s not any fault of the group; it’s a simple inkling that I would have liked more from the song.

If The People’s Key is a farewell, then I imagine the future for Oberst and company should prove to be fruitful. If anything, one line from “Haile Selassie” proves to be telling in what has come and what may come next: “I’ve seen stranger things, man/I’ve seen that tree of smoke/I’ve seen stranger things happen before.”

By Shannon Cleary


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