Road trips offer unique perspective on change. As each mile passes, travelers can feel the similarities between each city—usually the dominant fast food enterprises.
However, every stop also yields unique changes from the last—people pronounce words differently and green trees give way to gray concrete jungles. In concert, this web of familiarity and novelty creates the real journey, something that adds richness to every destination that may follow.
Cassadaga, the newest release from Bright Eyes, is a stop on one such road trip. The album weaves the famously poetic lyrics of their previous work with a more relaxed energy that brings the album a complex, rich sound that seems both new and familiar.
The sound of the album is a perfect example of this blending of new and old. The ""country swagger"" and ""bombastic confidence"" that the band says they've borrowed from the southern music scene has been seen before on their last release, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, but here it has been layered on top of the band's already stellar sound to create much more complex tracks.
Where an acoustic guitar was once enough, now violins and string arrangements amplify and augment the simplicity. It makes for a sound that can be epic, particularly on tracks like standout ""If the Brakeman Turns My Way,"" where that country swagger really kicks in to set off the bittersweet lyrics.
From the second the album starts playing, it is clear a deep change has taken place in the energy the band is bringing to their music. Vocals have become more reserved, and the energy and power is conveyed in some excellent instrument work.
On I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, lead singer Conor Oberst screamed into the microphone as the album ended on the track ""Road to Joy,"" a song dripping with rage and frustration at the state of things in this country. This new release has shed all of his rage, trading it for a more muted, almost embittered melancholia palpable in tracks like ""Clairaudients"" and ""Classic Cars.""
At first the change is jarring, but it really allows Oberst's usual beautiful and poignant lyrics to stand out at the forefront of the album. ""Four Winds"" employs a pulse of dueling acoustic guitars and violins to bring energy to the lyrics while Oberst just lays down his poetry: ""Your class, your caste, your country, sect, your name or your tribe / There's people always dying trying to keep them alive."" Oberst is bound to gain some new fans by virtue of the album's tendency to emphasize his best contribution.
Overall, the album is a wonderful blend of old and new, a progression of the journey the band began earlier in their career. As a result, here are some really stellar tracks that serve as a testament to the band's growth.
Of course, not all growth goes exceedingly smoothly. There are definitely some forgettable tracks toward the end, and the finish to the album lacks the resonance that ""Road to Joy"" brought to I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. Regardless, the album is a joy for fans and may win over new ones with its richer, more developed sound.
