Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was
Conor Oberst and company have not lost their taste for grandiosity on their first album in nearly a decade, setting familiar woes against a dazzling collage of sounds.
Bright Eyes has returned with its first new album in nine years. Down In The Weeds, Where The World Once Was, a collaboration between Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nate Walcott, pairs the drama of the band's early work with a mature sense of reflection.
Bright Eyes' storytelling remains heart-wrenchingly poignant even after a near-decade hiatus
Album 10 sees the alt-folk vanguard explore gut-wrenching heartbreak with their trademark honesty and an increased appetite for eclecticism
So when Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst croons, I screamed when I realized what was happening / That I had good news on Dance and Sing, the second track from the Americana-emo three-pieces long-awaited, decade-in-the-making record, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was, hes crooning about the ultimate fantasy in 2020: The receipt of happy tidings in a decidedly unhappy moment.
The world is a very different place to when Bright Eyes released their last album back in 2011. Now the band are back with a new record that tries to make sense of these bewildering times as much as it gazes inwards.
At once bleak, grey and obsessed with morbidity, and lush, blooming and gorgeous, it’s great to have them back.
We've waited nine years for a new Bright Eyes album and now it's here. Read our review of 'Down In the Weeds, Where The World Once Was'
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Conor Oberst first pitched the idea of reuniting Bright Eyes at multi-instrumentalist Nathaniel Walcott’s 2017 Christmas party. The response was an instant yes, and both, unwilling to wait any longer, huddled in the bathroom to bring Mike Mogis, the ban
Conor Oberst and co re-emerge from their hiatus with a potent mix of fatalism and joy, guitar solos and spoken word, storytelling and cliche
The band continues to be unmatched at tackling the biggest questions with a profound, heart-wrenching intimacy.
In 2004, as I hobbled toward my frumpy 40s, I became enamored of a band that, at the time, appealed primarily to angsty teens: Bright Eyes.
Down In The Weeds, Where The Old World Once Was by Bright Eyes album review by Adam Fink. The full-length comes out on August 21, via Dead Oceans
Bright Eyes - Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was review: I felt lost and found with every step I took.
Conor Oberst's lauded trio make a welcome return after almost a decade's absence. New Music review by Thomas H Green