REVIEW: Conor Oberst – ‘Upside Down Mountain’

Artist: Conor Oberst
Album: Upside Down Mountain
Genre: Folk / Indie Rock

Conor Oberst has been many things over the years, from the soundtrack to every teenager’s late night AIM conversations to political activist to folk singer, but his ability to craft moving songs that cut to the listener’s emotional core has remained true throughout his prolific career. Although the last half decade has seen releases from most of his bands (Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk, the Mystic Valley Band, and Desaparecidos), Upside Down Mountain finds Oberst once again shedding the monikers of his numerous projects and stepping out on his own.

The instrumentation on Upside Down Mountain is noticeably dialed back in comparison to other Oberst releases, putting the focus directly on the core of the songs. Tracks like “You Are Your Mother’s Child,” for instance, revolve around soft guitar chords and Oberst’s aching vocals and poignant storytelling. The bells and whistles that are present, like the horns in the climax of “Hundreds of Ways” and the slide guitar that pops up at various times, always serve the songs well. Perhaps the most important of these additions comes courtesy of Swedish duo First Aid Kit, who provide harmonies and backing vocals on much of Upside Down Mountain. Their contributions give the songs a depth and softness that they otherwise might not have had.

With the renewed focus on simplicity in the arrangements comes a similar trend in Oberst’s lyrics. There is very little fancy wordplay or dense, obscure imagery. Instead, Oberst offers simple, descriptive snippets of his characters’ lives, much like John K. Samson of The Weakerthans or vintage Bruce Springsteen. He paints vivid pictures – just try not to get sucked into the world of the surprisingly catchy “Enola Gay” – but the songs ultimately lack the gripping catharsis that Oberst has excelled at in the past. There is no rage, so there can be no release, making for a collection of solid but not necessarily memorable tracks.

To its credit, Upside Down Mountain has none of the aimless wandering that plagued most Bright Eyes albums. While it is lengthy, clocking in at just under fifty-five minutes, it never loses focus and even manages to feel concise. It’s no surprise that a little age and a lot of records have gotten Oberst to a place where he sounds comfortable in his songwriting, composition, and ability to self-edit, but it’s hard not to miss his moments of undeniable genius, even when they were accompanied by occasional missteps.

SCORE: 7.5/10
Review written by Troy Sennett (Follow him on Twitter)

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