After a four year hiatus since 2007's "Cassadaga", where Conor Oberst recorded with Monsters of Folk and as a solo artist with the Mystic River Band, he teams back up with Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott for Bright Eyes' eighth studio album, a psychedelic trip through folk rock as good as anything the band have previously recorded.
Opening track "Firewall" begins with the customary spoken word intro, although more akin to Godspeed You! Black Emperor than any previous Bright Eyes work. Through seven minutes of expansive, almost post-rock soundscapes, which continue throughout the set, it sets up the album in a completely unexpected, but magnificent way.
The album is tinged with electronic twists, building on the sound first created on 1997's "Fevers and Mirrors" on "The Calendar Hung Itself" and expanded further on 2005's "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" album. While not quite as pronounced as the latter, it's a further progression of Bright Eyes' sound, a constantly evolving, fluid journey, touching even on dubstep at some junctures.
An album seemingly influenced by Godspeed and dubstep together is a surreal thought and would be a completely perplexing idea if Conor Oberst wasn't such a gung-ho visionary. He makes it work, through the music and his always fascinating lyrics.
"The People's Key" will be a challenging listen to many, flipping between styles and genres on a song by song basis, but it's truly worth the challenge. Once again, Conor Oberst has broken down preconceptions and musical barriers to create a flowing, eclectic album, and a startling early contender for album of the year.
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