Glad to see that Conor Oberst and the Bright Eyes gang opted to record a new ep of their
depressed, confessional artsy-folk, rather than taking the ol’ razor to those wrists. It’s obvious that these kids have some weight on their shoulders. Lines like “You stand near the sink while you’re mixing a drink/You don’t want to pass out where you roommates will find you again” and “But as for me I’m coming to my final failure/I’ve killed myself with changes trying to make it better”certainly grab your attention...and that’s just the first two songs. No shiny happy people, this bunch. On Every Day And Every Night, Bright Eyes have focused more closely on strummy, gloomy sadcore, with less of the oddball instrumentation and Elephant 6-esque psychedelic touches of their previous effort, Letting Off The Happiness. And I believe this is a step in the right direction, given that as enthralling as that record was at times, the ill-fitting abstract moments often distracted from what was a hauntingly tragic and starkly beautiful album. Plenty of found-sounds, bent samples, and amusing instrumental additions pop up here, but they’re blended into the songs in such a way that they only enhance the unnerving, eerie vibe of Conor’s tales of frustration, in a manner not entirely unlike the one Joan of Arc has employed lately. Let’s hope they don’t discover the effects of Prozac anytime soon... (erika)
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