Bright Eyes- Cassadaga

The past few months, some great albums have come out from some very established and hott new artists: Of Montreal's "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?", The Shins' "Wincing the Night Away", Arcade Fire's "Neon Bible", and of course, the highly anticipated release from Modest Mouse, featuring Johnny Marr of the Smiths on guitar, "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Yes, 2007 has been a great year for indie music lovers, and we're not even five months into it yet. However, I believe the best album of 2007 to date is Bright Eyes' "Cassadaga".I may be biased-- I am quite partial to Conor Oberst's honest, and often off-key croon-- yet this album is unlike anything Bright Eyes fans have heard before. Surprisingly, he is rarely if ever off-key in this album. It is without a doubt the most cleanly produced album he has released to date, leaning far away from his lo-fi origins, and travelling deep into folk rock territory. Not to give Oberst credit for everything however; longtime Bright Eyes producer/multi-intstrumentalist Mike Mogis and composer/multi-instrumentalist Nate Walcott, the two other permanent members of the band, certainly leave their mark on "Cassadaga" as well. Not to mention, there are guest appearances by drummer Janet Weiss of the late indie rock female trio Sleater-Kinney (R.I.P. 1995-2006), Jason Boesel of L.A. based Rilo Kiley, and fellow indie folk singer M. Ward. If that's not enough to convince you, read on.As in just about all of his albums to date, the album's opening track, "Clairaudients (To Kill or Be Killed)" begins with a voice recording. According to Oberst, this device is used to "set the tone" of the album and make sure that the listener knows that listening to his music isn't always "instant gratification". This time, it is the voice of a psychic, or shall I say a "clairaudient". Nothing she has to say particularly sticks with me, except for one thing: "Cassadaga may just be a premonition of a place you are going to visit". I feel that this really sets the tone for the album, as it is in no way about the town of Cassadaga-- a community of psychics, clairaudients, and mediums in central Florida-- but about the feelings that Oberst had upon visiting. If the album has a central theme at all, it is an honest exploration of America, not in a patriotic sense, or even a liberal elitist sense (a sense all-too typical of Oberst) but in a surprisingly impartial sense. Oberst's personal politics and even (unfortunately) his personal feelings seem to come up relatively little throughout the album. Lyrically, the album is no where near as impressive as my personal Bright Eyes favorites, "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" and "Lifted", but it has its fair share of great lyrical moments. However, the album is made great by its musical arrangements, and the sheer experimentalism that Oberst displays in writing it. Fuck anyone who calls him emo after this.Highlights of the album include the first single, "Four Winds", a honky-tonk 'fuck-you' to organized religion, "If the Brakeman Turns My Way", a look at Oberst's belief in pre-determined destiny through an allegory about train-hopping hobos, "Hot Knives", "Soul Singer in a Session Band", "Classic Cars", the Appocolyptic "No One Would Riot For Less", my personal favorite, "I Must Belong Somewhere", and the most personal song on the album, its closing track, "Lime Tree". The greatness of these songs make its two weaker tracks, "Make a Plan to Love Me" and "Coat Check Dream Song" mute points. I give the album 4 and 1/2 stars out of 5. 5 is reserved for albums as personal and flawless as "I'm Wide Awake". I can't help but think, however, that with this album, the longtime troubled Oberst, who celebrated his 27th birthday on February 15, has finally found himself. As he sings towards the end of the album, "Everything, it must belong somewhere/I know that now, that's why I'm stayin' here". Dylan should be proud.