Conor Oberst (album)

Conor Oberst
Studio album by
Conor Oberst
ReleasedAugust 4, 2008
RecordedJanuary–February 2008 at Valle Mistico
GenreFolk rock, indie folk, country rock
Length42:00
LabelMerge Records
ProducerConor Oberst
Conor Oberst chronology
The Soundtrack to My Movie
(1996) 		Conor Oberst
(2008) 		Gentleman's Pact
(2008)

Conor Oberst is the fourth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Conor Oberst, best known as the frontman of the band Bright Eyes. It was released on August 4, 2008, by Merge Records.[1]

The album debuted at number 37 on the UK Albums Chart[2] and reached number 15 on the Billboard 200. It sold approximately 98,000 copies in the United States as of August 2009.[3]

Production

The album was recorded in Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico, between January and February 2008. A temporary studio was set up in a mountain villa called Valle Místico on the outskirts of the town. Conor Oberst was produced by Conor Oberst and engineered by long-time collaborator Andy LeMaster.

A new band was assembled for the recording sessions, which came to be known as the Mystic Valley Band. The album marked Oberst’s fourth solo release and his first in twelve years, following Water (1993), Here's to Special Treatment (1994), and The Soundtrack to My Movie (1996).

In the years between solo albums, Oberst recorded and performed with several bands and musical projects, including Commander Venus, Park Ave., Desaparecidos, and most notably Bright Eyes.

The song "Moab" was ranked number 31 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.[4]

Track listing

ll songs written by Conor Oberst, except where noted.

  1. "Cape Canaveral" – 4:04
  2. "Sausalito" – 3:10
  3. "Get-Well-Cards" – 3:33
  4. "Lenders in the Temple" – 4:35
  5. "Danny Callahan" – 3:58
  6. "I Don’t Want to Die (In the Hospital)" – 3:32
  7. "Eagle on a Pole" – 4:42
  8. "NYC – Gone, Gone" – 1:11
  9. "Moab" – 3:36
  10. "Valle Místico (Ruben’s Song)" (Ruben Mendez Hernandez) – 0:49
  11. "Souled Out!!!" (Oberst, Jason Boesel) – 3:32
  12. "Milk Thistle" – 5:21

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Billboard(not rated)[6]
Crawdaddy!(favorable)[7]
Drowned in Sound8/10[8]
Paste80/100[9]
Pitchfork Media7.3/10[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Spin[12]
The Times[13]
TimeA−[14]

Entertainment Weekly commented that on the album, "Conor sounds like Bright Eyes, only heightened—brighter, if you will: he's an emo balladeer, country rocker, and ferocious folkie rolled into one."[15]

Track information

  • The seventh track, "Eagle on a Pole," was inspired by a comment made by Sean Foley, who said, "I saw an eagle on a pole. I think it was an eagle." Simon Joyner, a friend and mentor of Oberst, remarked that the line would be great for a song, which inspired members of the band to each write their own version. Oberst’s version appears on this album, while Jason Boesel’s version is included on the Mystic Valley Band’s second album, Outer South.

Personnel

  • Conor Oberst – guitar, vocals, electric guitar (5), 12-string guitar (9), stomp (8)
  • Nate Walcott – organ (3, 4), piano (5, 6), electric piano (7, 8, 9)
  • Nik Freitas – electric guitar (2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11), vocals (3, 4, 5, 8, 9)
  • Macey Taylor – bass (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11), vocals (2), stomp (8)
  • Taylor Hollingsworth – guitar (3), electric guitar (6), vocals (8), stomp (8)
  • Jason Boesel – drums (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11), percussion (2, 9), vocals (3, 7, 8, 9, 11), stomp (8)
  • Andy LeMaster – tape echo (11), vocals (3, 4, 8)
  • Phil Schaffart – vocals (8), stomp (8)
  • Janet Weiss – vocals (6)
  • Corina Figueroa-Escamilla – vocals (11)
  • Ruben Mendez Hernandez – conch (10)

Charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 63
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] 52
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 35
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] 73
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 37
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[21] 26
Scottish Albums (OCC)[22] 39
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 40
UK Albums (OCC)[24] 37
US Billboard 200[25] 15
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[26] 3
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[27] 3
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[28] 3
US Indie Store Album Sales (Billboard)[29] 1

References

  1. ^ "Bright Eyes man reveals solo album details". NME. April 22, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
  2. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart for the week ending August 16, 2008". ChartsPlus (364). Milton Keynes: IQ Ware Ltd: 5–8.
  3. ^ "Billboard". August 29, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2009. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  4. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2008". Rolling Stone. December 25, 2008. Retrieved December 25, 2008.
  5. ^ "Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst | Album". AllMusic. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  6. ^ "Conor Oberst". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 13, 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  7. ^ "Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes, Self-Titled, Review: Conor Oberst - Reviews - Crawdaddy!". Crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  8. ^ "Album Review: Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst". Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
  9. ^ "Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst". Pastemagazine.com. August 4, 2008.
  10. ^ "Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst". Pitchfork.
  11. ^ "Conor Oberst : Conor Oberst : Review : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. July 31, 2008. Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Modell, Josh (August 2008). "Hi, My Name Is..." SPIN. p. 114. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  13. ^ Harris, Sophie (August 2, 2008). "Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst; Rock". The Times. p. 22.
  14. ^ "The Short List of Things to Do: Conor Oberst". Time.
  15. ^ Tucker, Ken (August 8, 2008). "Conor Oberst". Entertainment Weekly (Issue 1005).
  16. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 207.
  17. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst" (in German). Hung Medien.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  21. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst". Hung Medien.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 10/8/2008 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  23. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst". Hung Medien.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Chart on 10/8/2008 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Conor Oberst Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  26. ^ "Conor Oberst Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard.
  27. ^ "Conor Oberst Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard.
  28. ^ "Conor Oberst Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  29. ^ "Conor Oberst Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
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