After two outings under his own name and an indie-supergroup side project (Monsters of Folk), Conor Oberst ducks back under the umbrella he’s best known for—Bright Eyes. Though most of the ramshackle alt-country has been obliterated, Oberst’s piercing lyrics and strained vocals remain, entrenched in big-picture songs about spirituality and philosophy, themes explored last on 2007’s Cassadaga. The People’s Key rocks more, a welcome change that goes as far to include a call and response (“Everyone, on the count of—” “Three!” from “Shell Game”). The high point is “Ladder Song,” a piano ballad in the vein of “Lua,” about a friend who committed suicide: “If I gotta go first/I’ll do it on my terms,” sings Oberst, and he always has.
This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2011.