In Remembrance: Conor Oberst's Later Works
Following a man who’s been involved with, and deserted so many different bands isn’t an easy job.
Last week we looked at everything Conor Oberst did from the start of his musical career up until the forming of Bright Eyes. This week we’ll finish the trip and cover all the projects from Bright Eyes on through the recent release of the debut album by Monsters of Folk.
Bright Eyes, undoubtedly the most well known of all Oberst’s projects, began while he was still involved with Commander Venus in 1995. Oberst worked alone at first, writing and recording songs himself up until the release of A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997 in early 1998. After this initial release Oberst joined forces with producer/instrumentalist Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott. The trio would be Bright Eyes’ core members throughout its existence, although their albums would include dozens of guest artists and contributors. The group would go on to release 10 full-length album and numerous EPs and singles. Bright Eyes is not officially broken up; however, Oberst has moved on to other projects and has expressed that he has grown tired of making music as Bright Eyes and plans to release a final album in 2010 and retire the band.
Desaparecidos, a side-project of Oberst’s, formed in 2001. Often accredited as being an emo or post-hardcore band, Desaparecidos drew mediocre-poor reviews from most critics and only ended up releasing a single album. However, after a national tour with Jimmy Eat World and their connection to the increasingly popular Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos had started to gain a real following by the time they broke up in 2002.
In 2007, Oberst embarked on a new side-project called Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band. Their First album, Conor Oberst, was recorded in Mexico in early 2008. The group was essentially an outlet for Oberst’s solo work, this first album even being credited solely to Conor. The first album received favorable reviews and was revered by many hardcore fans because it was Oberst’s first solo release in over 10 years. The group’s second album, Outer South, was released in the spring of 2009. Unlike the band’s first album, Outer South featured songs contributed and sung by other members besides Conor. Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band played its last show on August 29, 2009.
Lastly we come upon Oberst’s latest band, and perhaps indie-folk’s most formidable supergroup yet, Monsters of Folk. The group, which consists of Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and M. Ward who is known for his solo work and She & Him, reportedly came up with the idea for a supergroup in 2004. The group’s self-titled debut album was released in late 2009 and scored well among critics.
Conor Oberst also owns and operates Saddle Creek Records in Omaha and Team Love Records in New York City. Additionally, he is an avid contributor to bands affiliated with his labels and has appeared as a guest artist on numerous albums.
Posted by Andrew Scott on Nov 16, 2009 @ 9:00 am
