I don't like holding heroes or idols but I have grown up with this Nebraskan musician. Discovering him as a teen, his music has evolved with age too and with him being just a few years older than me I feel that I can relate to his stories. I can't imagine I time when I can't turn to his music for guidance and I'm hoping this relationship will go on for forever.
Upside Down Mountain has Conor's distinct feel to it, personal, intimate tales of sadness and general troubles but there is something free about the sound this time around, like the shackles have been cut off, he's let himself go and experiments with new ways to express himself. Always the collaborator Conor handpicked a couple of gems to work with and for the first time he recorded it in Nashville, the home of country music, seems ridiculous that an artist linked so heavily in the genre hasn't done this before! Californian folk rockers Dawes are his backing band who are more than just the background of this multi-layered album, then there are long-time friends First Aid Kit who lend their delicate vocals which go hand-in-hand with Conor's simple-yet-enchanting tone.
This is a record that feels grown up, well thought out, diverse and full of subtle surprises delivered with a sense of maturity. His words are as clever, confessional, honest and captivating as ever, it is remarkable that he has never really made it out of cult status, but i'm cool with that. He hasn't just put his life experiences in Upside Down Mountain but moments from his lengthy musical career continually creep in.
Even though he is thirty four lyrics still focus on the same subjects as they did on his early records, love, heartbreak, self-doubt but this time they are covered with reflection. He has moved out of his comfort zone, not just Nebraska but also away from Saddle Creek and long term bandmate and producer Mike Moggis, turning to legendary knob-twiddler Jonathan Wilson in the studio.
Kicking off with Time Forgot, a tale of new adventures, it is spacious, bleak but powerful, a great introduction to an experimental album. Zigzagging Toward The Light and Hundreds Of Ways are so uplifting, with pop structures so strong and concise that you begin to question is this really Oberst? Where's the morbid kid gone? Artifact #1 and Lonely At The Top slows everything down a notch or two bringing back tokens of early Bright Eyes.
The First Aid Kit duo place their vocals beautifully on the bare and atmospheric Double Life which borrows influences from Digital Ash In A Digital Urn followed by the contrasting Kick, a real toe tapper full of positivity and energy. Night At The Lake Unknown is dreamy yet You Are Your Mother's Child is so pure that you feel that this story is being told to you by a friend you have known for years, I guess Conor is the musically equivalent of that.
Governor's Ball is folk rock at its most puerile, bold and soulful as it twists and turns, explodes and expands when brass is thrown in the mix, along with the First Aid Kit sisters giving that extra dimension.
Maybe it is his age, being a married man, settled or just the fresh vibe that have given this an unlikely upbeat tone throughout. Positivity and Conor Oberst have never featured in the same sentence prior to this, is this the future for the former misery-bum? Upside Down Mountain might fail to win over a new audience but it will please the fans immensely.
