Product Description

Conor Oberst's studio follow up to the two albums that he released simultaneously in January 2005 is steeped in the kind of rolling 70's country rock that graced the critically acclaimed 'I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning'. Long time Saddle Creek cohort Mike Mogus provides glossy production on a record that includes contributions from Ben Kweller, Gillian Welch,David Rawlings, John McEntire and M. Ward. The violin fuelled single, 'Four Winds' is featured.

Track Listing

1. Clairaudients (Kill Or Be Killed)
2. Four Winds
3. If The Brakeman Turns My Way
4. Hot Knives
5. Make A Plan To Love Me
6. Soul Singer In A Session Band
7. Classic Cars
8. Middleman
9. Cleanse Song
10. No One Would Riot For Less
11. Coat Check Dream Song
12. I Must Belong Somewhere
13. Lime Tree

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1211 in Music
• Released on: 2007-04-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 62 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
On their sixth and most straightforwardly clean album, Nebraska's Bright Eyes once again integrate a revolving cast of players to the mix, including Portland tunesmith M. Ward and alt-country queen Gillian Welch. But the band remains at the helm of forever-wunderkind Conor Oberst, and the fruitful songwriter has one-upped 2005's I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning with a proficient and accessible ensemble of expansive pop orchestrations and ornate folk songs that chronicle his traverses across the American panorama. Oberst's voice quakes and wanders through South Dakota lore and Sunshine State chicanery, always the perfect vehicle for his threadbare lyrics. "Take the fruit from the tree/Break the skin with your teeth/Is it bitter or sweet/All depends on your timing," he forewarns in "Cleanse Song," a psychedelic merry-go-round of a soundtrack that joins the Scottish-tinged "Soul Singer in a Session Band" and singalong single "Four Winds" as Cassadaga's finest. The 13-song-record is certain to open more doors for a band whose recognition has soared with every release since Oberst was just 14. --Scott Holter

Customer Reviews

Bright Eyes
Cassadaga took me by surprise upon first listening. The once raw stripped down, almost "unplugged" sound of previous Bright Eyes releases was taken away and replaced with a much cleaner, more produced sound. That's not to say that Conor Oberst has given in to acclaimed mainstream stardom, his style remains, and his ingenious poetry still manages to captivate and touch in ways only previously accomplished by Bob Dylan. A tough analogy indeed, but such is the quality of Bright Eyes lyrics, and a comparison made so quaint and often in todays society where each Bright Eyes album has brought the "wunderkid" more and more critical acclaim upon each release.

The album opens as expected with any Bright Eyes album, a slow building attack on mainstream music - usually including atmospheric noises and speach, as a way of telling everyone that this is something you have not heard before, and you would not expect it on anybody else's CD. The song eventually evolves into a beautiful acoustic Indie Folk track, very similar to work from his previous album "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning".

"Four Winds" is the first single to be released, which showcases Oberst's new polished sound coupled with a "firefly soundtrack"-sounding string quartet so aptly used through the whole album. Soaring acoustic guitars and powerful strung chords coupled with fragile honest lyrics shows one of Oberst's best songs to date. Obviously a God-fearing man, but knowledgable of the increasing problems in todays society, his broad vocabulary tells the lot in an trully extraordinary track.

"If The Brakeman Turns My Way" is another different sounding Bright Eyes track, led by simple piano chords. His strong intuition on using chord progression is brought across wonderfully, and he manages to captivate emotion and setting to perfection on this sombre tune.

"Hot Knives" sounds similar to some of the tracks from 2002 outing "Lifted..." - with a fuzzy effect surrounding the guitar work. Again, Conor Oberst's emotive lyrics and fragile, often narcissistic voice bring out the true beauty of the song, and his poetic writing ceases to astound time and time again. The song eventually fades into the beautiful, soulful "Make a Plan to Love Me", where the full orchestra backs the folk singer to create an atmospheric slice on the album.

"Soul Singer In a Session Band" and "Classic Cars" sound like some of Ryan Adams work (not a bad thing at all) - and give the album a sort of Rock 'n' Roll, Bluesy feel, adding another twist to the ever changing Bright Eyes sound. "Middleman" showcases, in my oppinion, one of Oberst's best songs to date. The string quartet slouching along with the finger picking guitar and jungle beat drums adds another turn in the sound of the album, and creates a very quaint, warm feeling to the album.

The sound quickly changes, however, to the melancholy "No One Would Riot For Less" - another politically charged song, deep in emotion and musical depth - not that you would expect anything less from a songwriting genious such as Conor Oberst. "Coat Check Dream Song" sound like some of Bright Eyes more upbeat, electronic stuff, reminiscent of previous album "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" - with heavier, dominating drum beats and more frontal lyrics, rather than his subdued style often portrayed on this outing.

The closing songs "I Must Belong Somewhere" and "Lime Tree" close the album wonderfully, switching back to the acoustic, folkey sound - again very similar to some of Ryan Adams work, and possess powerful, honest lyrics about life, and lonliness and compassion. The album surely closes, and leaves a fulfilled feel in your stomach.

All in all, an absolutely fantastic release in which everybody will gain something from. Oberst's vast knowledge on many a subject; always an oppinion to share, and always a song to sing. His obsessive compulsion to create masterpieces is becoming a formality, and one that his listeners are welcoming with open arms.

The best Bright Eyes album yet?
Conor Oberst's follow-up to 2005's I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning sees him writing and performing what is probably his most clean-sounding, straight forward country/indie/rock album so far. Gone is the ramshackle, home-recording sound of previous efforts, instead he has opted for a solid, well-produced very full sound and it really has paid off - Cassadaga is fantastic. The sprawling Clairaudients (Kill Or Be Kill) opens the album in a typically leftfield manner and, on the first listen, makes you wonder which direction this album is going to take, but the jaunty violin intro of the highly enjoyable Four Winds betrays the opener as a red herring and provides the groundwork by letting the listener know how the rest of the album is going to progress.

If The Brakeman Turns My Way, featuring Jason Boesel from Rilo Kiley, is an early highlight on an album packed full of excellent songs. It's a country-soaked, imagery-laden piece of brilliance, with a timeless, epic feel and is another strong contender for song of the year. The tumbling, rolling Hot Knives follows, another very big song in terms of sound and ambition and, by this time, it's apparent that this album is something very special indeed. Special just about adequately describes the extraordinary Make A Plan To Love Me, a soft, deliacte, sumptuously orchestrated and arranged ballad, which could touch even the hardest heart.

Soul Singer In A Session Band is a trademark, life-affirming Bright Eyes song which could easily have been a standout track on any of his previous releases and would have fit right in on Lifted or Wide Awake and boasts a brilliant country-violin solo. Equally good is Classic Cars, a country-folk stormer which swells and lulls like the ocean. Other highlights include No-one Would Riot For Less and I Must Belong Somewhere, but you would struggle to find a song on this album which could even be described as average - it's all good.

Cassadaga is the sound of an artist fulfilling his potential. An album with a huge heart, songs with strong appeal and yet impeccable artistic integrity. Lyrics with a big heart which paint pictures of characters, landscapes and provide political commentary as well as remaining grounded, connecting with the audience, telling stories of love and life. This is an amazing album, almost certainly the best complete piece of work that Conor Obert has written and released. Highly recommended.

They just keep doing it
Having spent most of last year listening to "I'm wide awake it's morning" I didn;t honestly believe that in Cassadage, Bright Eyes could produce something to the same level. I'm starting to think I was wrong.

At first, the album doesn't appear to have the any of the subtelty, meaning and passion as previous ones but it does just keep getting better everytime I listen to it. The lyrics are, as usual, phenomenal, with less of the politics prevalant in IWAIM, they nevertheless find a way to touch your soul and sometimes even speak on behalf of it. If the brakeman turns my way, hot knives and no-one would riot for less are real highlights for me but every song (except maybe the first) is a winner, a standalone epic. Buy the album and listen to it as much as you can - it's 10.00am and I've already heard it twice today - you won't regret it.