The People’s Key by Bright Eyes
LABEL: Saddle Creek

Say it ain’t so, Conor. Say it ain’t so.

The said-to-be final album of Bright Eyes has finally knocked on the door, and if you’re a devoted follower of the band like I am, you are probably sitting in the corner of your room shaking in denial.

This can’t be the last one, can it?

All signs point to yes, but you must be grateful, fans: The People’s Key may be one of the best records that Bright Eyes has ever conceived. Not since the grandeur that was I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning has Conor Oberst been involved in something so majestic.

The People’s Key steps away from the rustic Americana of earlier Bright Eyes records, and chooses instead to become a muscular, contemporary piece. Slide guitars are all but gone, and the melancholic horns are no longer there; instead, there’s an abundance of thunderous percussion, weighty riffs, and some delicate electronic melodies akin to those heard in Digital Ash In A Digital Urn.

The album excels in its diversity; The People’s Key shows an Oberst who’s matured greatly since we last saw him. His song development has grown to a point where he’s adopted details from dissimilar genres, as is the case of “Approximate Sunlight” where the lush R&B sound is enhanced by the slow, echoing drum beat and wailing guitar lead. Many sounds in The People’s Key truly have the ability to make even the most stubborn of minds fall prey to its rich tone and clarity.

Arguably the only hold over from previous Bright Eyes albums is Oberst’s often-dejected and profound lyricism. In album standout “Approximate Sunlight”, Oberst admits the mistake of naively complying with voids, “All I do is follow, just follow this hollow you around.”

The People’s Key is the final breath of an oft-engaging band known as Bright Eyes. The band had a lot of ups and downs, but the ups always outweighed the downs. The album isn’t meant to be an obituary; it’s rebellious in comparison to other Bright Eyes’ records. The band makes like a supernova, and goes off with a bang.

Though Bright Eyes’ latest begins oddly, it evokes a feeling of searching for veracity. The album opens with Danny Brewer—a friend of Oberst and Refried Ice Cream guitarist—telling an account of UFOs in ancient times, reptilian extraterrestrials breeding with humans, and tales of other universes. Through various stories told by Brewer throughout the album (topics that include the unknown, the known, the beginning and end of humanity, and being compassionate), a common motif is presented: The People’s Key is a narrative about uncertainty; it’s a narrative about unfamiliarity; and it’s a narrative about finding meaning and truth through empathy and, “What do you call it? ‘Mercy?’ …Mercy.”


REVIEWED BY ADRIAN ROJAS
ADRIAN’S FAVES: “Approximate Sunlight” • “One For You” • “One For Me” • “Shell Games”
Read more from Adrian on hid blog, On the Importance of Being Rash


FREE MP3: “Shell Games” (right-click & save)