Conor Oberst
"Ruminations"
(Merge (ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK){)
Conor Oberst is 36 now, and the former wunderkind singer-songwriter once celebrated for the precocity of his work as Bright Eyes has been making records for so long he's easily taken for granted. But this true solo project _ recorded in 48 hours with only the backing of his own acoustic guitar, piano, and harmonica, after he moved from New York back home to Omaha, Neb. _ demands attention. It benefits both from dark-night-of-the-soul musings that come with a brush with mortality (he canceled tour dates last year after a cyst was discovered on his brain) and the bitterness that beckons with youth slipping away. "Closing my eyes, counting sheep," he sings. "Gun in my mouth, trying to sleep."
Oberst has said he penned "You All Loved Him Once" about the burdens placed on pop-star oracles such as John Lennon, but he could have written it about his own once-worshipful audience. Also sharp and winningly cynical is the awkwardly titled "Mamah Borthwick (A Sketch)," named after Frank Lloyd Wright's lover and muse, which wrestles with the challenges of trying to create art that will stand the test of time.
_ Dan DeLuca
