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9.0
21322
9.0 |
Drowned In Sound
A master-class in sonic splendour; a bold, beautiful and brilliant reinvention that should surprise as many as it will enthrall
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9.0
22074
9.0 |
God Is In The TV
They might well have saved their best album until last
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8.3
21984
8.3 |
A.V. Club
Most tracks further his evolution from wordy bedroom savant to straight-up rock singer
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8.0
22126
8.0 |
Entertainment.ie
Oberst has re-awoken his more experimental side
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8.0
22155
8.0 |
State
The People’s Key is not a simple album by any means and it will continue to shed tiny secrets over hundreds of listens
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8.0
21940
8.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
Oberst’s most fluently arranged, lyrically graceful, and consistently quality batch of songs to date
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8.0
21948
8.0 |
Independent on Sunday
Where he goes next is anyone's guess: but at 30, he has finally caught up with the wisdom he had beyond his years
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8.0
21735
8.0 |
NME
It boldly goes where no wobble-voiced, therapy-scarred Nebraskan psych-poet has gone before. Print edition only
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8.0
21325
8.0 |
Q
They're going out with an apocalyptic bang. Print edition only
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8.0
21779
8.0 |
Eye Weekly
Rumour has it that this will be the final Bright Eyes album—if that’s the case, they’re definitely going out on top
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8.0
21833
8.0 |
The Guardian
This is practically a pop album – albeit a pop album about time, the universe, life as a hallucination and spiritual redemption
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8.0
21865
8.0 |
Evening Standard
The tunes are more hummable, especially on Haile Selassie, and his voice is less wobbly and tortured than it once was
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8.0
21921
8.0 |
The Observer
Some of the subject matter may be far out but sonically the record couldn't be more immediate
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7.0
21384
7.0 |
Spin
The People's Key proves Oberst has learned to balance a cutting perspective with a bleeding heart
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7.0
21895
7.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
While some of the tracks don’t exactly have the staying power of the record’s haunting opener, this is a solid collection of songs
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7.0
21323
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
[Oberst] manages to be everything at once: folkie and punk, old soul and eternal boy, high-plains drifter and hipster heartthrob
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7.0
21324
7.0 |
Rave Magazine
Has the right mix of new and old influences
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7.0
21939
7.0 |
Beats Per Minute
Unlike the infection acquired from the best of Bright Eyes’ albums, this one is only short-term
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7.0
22600
7.0 |
A.V. Club
Oberst has made an engaging but not exactly welcoming album to close out his Bright Eyes days
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6.5
21740
6.5 |
Bowlegs
The songs are pretty good, the words are better, the voice is great but the music and production is far too warm and rounded to provide an edge
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6.0
21326
6.0 |
Uncut
Conor Oberst's latest is anxious to engage with as many musical styles as possible. Print edition only
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6.0
21327
6.0 |
Mojo
There's a great beauty here, but it's a dark beauty wrapped in conspiracy theories and dense lyrical imagery. Print edition only
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6.0
21361
6.0 |
BBC
Aside from a few moments of clarity the songs don’t really communicate much, other than some unspecified transition to a different place: physical, artistic or mental
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6.0
21824
6.0 |
The Independent
The arrangements are pleasurable enough, less rootsy than before, with some skilled use of orchestration; but it's a shame to find such a gifted songwriter sounding so gullible
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6.0
22336
6.0 |
No Ripcord
With the exception of a handful of standout tracks, much of the album simply fades into the background
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6.0
21972
6.0 |
The Scotsman
Veritably frothy at times
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6.0
21934
6.0 |
PopMatters
A fairly tidy conclusion to a band that was anything but
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6.0
22161
6.0 |
Blurt
While it's undeniably professional, there's some heart missing
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5.5
22299
5.5 |
Prefix
The sheer volume of vocals and drums, combined with airy keys makes for too many moments here that feel crowded and confused
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5.0
22275
5.0 |
Under The Radar
It’s kind of like a boxer who hesitates to take a fight towards the end of his career, then steps into the ring, and it immediately becomes apparent why he hesitated
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5.0
21965
5.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Ultimately the lack of feeling on The People’s Key suggests Oberst et al don’t care what they sing about anymore
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5.0
21932
5.0 |
Pitchfork
A wildly spiritual record without any spirit
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4.0
21886
4.0 |
Daily Telegraph
It amounts to two decent tunes in the singer-songwriter pop idiom, padded out with angsty filler and hot air
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4.0
21935
4.0 |
Slant Magazine
Differing permutations of his past mistakes
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4.0
22170
4.0 |
The Skinny
Along with some grating production, part of the problem is Oberst’s unusual lack of overwrought conviction
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