Before this article begins, I would like to administer a content warning. I will be discussing alcoholism, suicide and depression. If you are uncomfortable reading about these topics, please stop here.
When I was in high school, my mom showed me the band Bright Eyes and I became obsessed. I loved the sound of lead singer Conor Oberst’s voice, especially during his more emotional songs like “Perfect Sonnet.” He has a wail to him that just screams desperation and a fire to speak out against the darkness of the world.
Then Bright Eyes released their newest album “Five Dice, All Threes.” I haven’t kept up with the band and I didn’t know they had released an album in 2020, so I am coming into this as someone who was shocked to see a new album from them.
However, I have been left utterly speechless by the content of the album and reports of Oberst’s behavior at concerts. This album sounds like a cry for help. Oberst seems to have lost that fire and now all that is left is a smoking shell.
The album’s leading track is “Five Dice,” a collection of voices overlapping each other and devolving into a dissonant medley of sounds. It begins clearly enough, with a man explaining the rules of the dice game “threes,” where you roll five dice and try to get all threes. But then warbled piano notes, static, Italian opera and soundbites such as the iconic whistling of Steamboat Mickey take the stage. As the start of this depressing album, it does a good job of putting the listener on edge. I could feel my heart flutter with anxiety as the static cut in repeatedly. I could only compare the feeling to “Sayo-nara” from the “Doki Doki Literature Club” soundtrack.
The album then divides into two themes: songs that critique modern society and songs that account for a loss of hope. With the criticism, I was hoping it would be more tongue-in-cheek, but instead I was met with a dejected man who feels powerless against the forces of our society.
“Bells and Whistles” explores this criticism, as Oberst warns listeners not to fall for the superficial. He sings, “No, you shouldn’t go home / with the SOHO girl / ‘Cause she only wants / materials.” The guitar is heavy in this piece, showing the angst behind the message and contrasting with the joyful whistling that started the song.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the scale “Tiny Suicides” has a way of putting the listener into a funk. With hard hitting lines and an echoing electric guitar in this slower piece, Oberst makes one dwell on death. He notes how many things in the world can devastate someone and asks, “Am I gonna die? / Or beat back all these tiny suicides?”
These songs could potentially come off as a harmless way of relating to those with depression, but it does not help that this album was released after years of fans watching Oberst struggle with alcoholism.
In 2022, fans in Texas were left worried for the singer when Oberst sang a song and a half before exiting the stage, leaving the band apologizing to the crowd. They invited fans onstage to sing the songs karaoke-style before canceling the rest of the performance and refunding everyone who bought tickets.
There is also a clip of a Chicago show in 2023 where Oberst is clearly heard slurring his words. You can also see his body somewhat swaying as if he cannot stand properly.
Both of these sound similar to a recent report made on Sept. 19 about a Bright Eyes concert in Cleveland. Not only was he also slurring his words during this show, but he apologized for the way his voice sounded as he had lost his voice to illness and said he was going to “kill himself” because of it.
While this could be seen as a dark joke, one that is used by plenty of younger people, it isn’t as funny coming from a 44-year-old alcoholic. Especially when his bandmate approaches him after the joke is made and whispers something. Oberst responded to his bandmate and said to the crowd, “Apparently, I’m not supposed to say that on stage…a.k.a I’m not going to kill myself.”
With these instances, which are definitely supported by many more accounts, this new album can really stir concern.
One song that grips the listener is “The Time I Have Left.” It starts with a slow piano in the background, playing a familiar, melancholic tune. His voice pairs perfectly with Matt Berninger, a singer featured on the track. Berninger’s lines strike a chord, singing, “Water keeps running / Asleep in the bathtub / All of these bad dreams / They’re, they’re coming to get me.”
It doesn’t help that right after he finishes singing, the music becomes riddled with vinyl scratches and warbled voices, using deepening filters to add an unhinged undertone. Then, the song ends with the two singing “sha la la la” repeatedly, affected by the audio impairments. Despair truly leaks out from the piece as the two are ready to accept death.
I’m not saying it is a bad album. It is a beautiful album with some dry humor along the way. However, I personally am not going to ignore that Oberst is suffering and it can be felt in his music. Perhaps that’s the sacrifice an artist makes for their art, but I never believed that should be the case in the first place.
3/5 stars
pbortner@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @brighteyesofficial, Instagram
