Oberst & a furry
Eardrum the new Bright Eyes yet?
If the only bright eyes you know are the words to the interpretive dance-worthy pop song, then you haven’t the foggiest what I’m talking about. Bright Eyes is the longtime guise of Omaha-bred songwriter Conor Oberst. Oberst was a bona fide prodigy when he was young, recording with a band called Commander Venus when he was all of fourteen. His lyrical aptitude—paired with the love-it-or-hate-it nature of his vocal timbre—earned him early comparisons to Dylan. Rolling Stone christened him “Best Songwriter” in 2008. Then in February of this year, Bright Eyes put out what is arguably the finest album of its career, The People’s Key. I listened to it on repeat for weeks. While I’ve witnessed Oberst with an Americana backing group called the Mystic Valley Band, I haven’t seen Bright Eyes live yet. My musical bucket list will get a little bit shorter this Sunday at The Fillmore.