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Avg: 3.5 (524 ratings)
- Date Released: May 5, 2009
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock, Singer-Songwriter
- Label: Merge Records
Conor gets free and (relatively) loose
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We Say...
"There's nothing that the road cannot heal," Conor Oberst once insisted. The kid knows what he sings: over his past two albums, he's recorded in Oregon, California, Nebraska, New York, Texas, Illinois, Mexico — hell, chances are he even stopped in your apartment — and it sounds like he's left a whole lot of baggage behind him. On Outer South, he's never been freer, kicking through ramblin'-man country songs ("Big Black Nothing"), jamming on Veterans' Hall folk-rock ("Cabbage Town"), even penning a playfully out-of-character Cars-style ode to sleeping on the floor ("Air Mattress"). Gone is the one-man-band of Bright Eyes, where Oberst labored over every note with blood-from-a-stone intensity: here, guitarist Nik Freitas, guitarist Taylor Hollingsworth and drummer Jason Boesel contribute two songs apiece, and bassist Macey Taylor even sings one track. Maybe Oberst trusts that the best songs still belong only to him. With just his guitar backing him, the raw acoustic ballad "White Shoes" is a moving love song about giving a girl her freedom. As his steady voice quavers on the chorus, it's clear the emotions are real. Even vagabonds have trouble moving on.
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They Say...
Conor Oberst's Mystic Valley Band initially seemed a bit like a busman's holiday, a way for him to throw off whatever expectations he had as Bright Eyes, a way to get a bit loose and rowdy. The Mystic Valley Band is turning into something more -- not quite a full-fledged multi-headed beast the way the Byrds were at their peak, but not Dylan pushing through the Rolling Thunder Revue as its undisputed leader, either. The Mystic River Band turns out to be a bit of an oddity: a group with a clear-cut leader that manages to seem egalitarian, particularly here on Outer South where Oberst recedes from the spotlight on a whopping six of the 16 tracks, letting his bandmates sing their own songs. This behavior is atypical for singer/songwriters, but it fits the spirit of Outer South, an album written, recorded and about the road -- a roadworn cliché that always gets reinvigorated whenever its executed with gusto, as it is here, partially due to Oberst spreading the wealth. Having three other singers here makes Outer South a bit messy, but it speaks to what makes the album work: it's about playing, not the song. Which isn't to say that there aren't good songs here, as there are -- the ratio is as strong as they were on Conor Oberst, testament to Oberst's steady work ethic paying back craftsman dividends -- but what impresses is the spirit and the sound, how the band sounds like it's consistently on the move, not quite caring whether they're taking the direct route, as long as it's scenic. Oberst himself seems swept up in the motion -- he's dropped his vocal affectations, his grandiose couplets, he's happy to be leading a group that feels like a band of brothers -- one that might not always sing in the same voice, but share a sensibility, something that gives Outer South a big human heart.
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| 01. |  |
Slowly (oh so slowly) |
3:34 |
|
| 02. | |
To All The Lights In The Windows |
5:42 |
|
| 03. | |
Big Black Nothing |
3:39 |
|
| 04. | |
Air Mattress |
2:13 |
|
| 05. | |
Cabbage Town |
3:50 |
|
| 06. | |
Ten Women |
3:22 |
|
| 07. | |
Difference Is Time |
5:36 |
|
| 08. | |
Nikorette |
4:11 |
|
| 09. | |
White Shoes |
5:50 |
|
| 10. | |
Bloodline |
4:07 |
|
| 11. | |
Spoiled |
3:16 |
|
| 12. | |
Worldwide |
3:31 |
|
| 13. | |
Roosevelt Room |
5:02 |
|
| 14. | |
Eagle on A Pole |
4:38 |
|
| 15. | |
I Got the Reason |
7:15 |
|
| 16. | |
Snake Hill |
4:15 |
|
16 Total Tracks, 70:01 Total Length
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Credits
- Gabriel el Chino Gonzalez - Logistics // Bob Ludwig - Mastering // Walt Whitman & the Soul Children - Author // Manuel Calderón - Engineer // Juan Luis Carrera - Management // Andy LeMaster - Vocals // Andy LeMaster - Engineer // Andy LeMaster - Mixing // Justin Leeah - Engineer // Pierre de Reeder - Design // Pierre de Reeder - Layout Design // Nik Freitas - Guitar // Nik Freitas - Guitar (Electric) // Nik Freitas - Piano (Electric) // Nik Freitas - Vocals // Nik Freitas - Guitar (12 String Electric) // Jacob Feinberg-Pyne - Photography // Jason Boesel - Percussion // Jason Boesel - Drums // Jason Boesel - Vocals // Jason Boesel - Photography // The Mystic Valley Mountaineers - Producer // Conor Oberst - Guitar // Conor Oberst - Guitar // Conor Oberst - Guitar (Electric) // Conor Oberst - Guitar (Electric) // Conor Oberst - Piano (Electric) // Conor Oberst - Piano (Electric) // Conor Oberst - Vocals // Conor Oberst - Vocals // Conor Oberst - Guitar (12 String) // Conor Oberst - Guitar (12 String) // Conor Oberst - Producer // Conor Oberst - Producer // Nate Walcott - Organ // Nate Walcott - Synthesizer // Nate Walcott - Piano // Nate Walcott - Piano (Electric) // Nate Walcott - Vocals // Butch Hogan - Photography // Butch Hogan - Cover Photo // Taylor Hollingsworth - Guitar // Taylor Hollingsworth - Guitar (Electric) // Taylor Hollingsworth - Vocals // Taylor Hollingsworth - Guitar (12 String) // Macey Taylor Sr. - Bass // Macey Taylor Sr. - Vocals // Nate Krenkel - Management // Corina Figueroa Escamilla - Vocals
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