AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
Since he first began attracting attention with the band Bright Eyes in 1998, Conor Oberst has been busy. He's founded two record labels, started several bands and recorded a prolific amount of songs. The Nebraska singer largely avoided releasing albums under his own name, but this week brings a new solo album. It's called "Upside Down Mountain." Reviewer Tom Moon says it's his most intimate and engaging work in years.
TOM MOON, BYLINE: It's a special talent, sounding like damaged goods on demand.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TIME FORGOT")
MOON: Lots of singer/songwriters try it. Some manage a vague sense of hurt and that's about it. They don't have stories to tell. This is not Conor Oberst's problem.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TIME FORGOT")
MOON: Oberst takes advantage of his wounded vocal affectation, uses it to layer meaning into carefully wrought songs. This one begins as a fairly ordinary account of a wandering soul. As we hear about what he longs for, a profile emerges of a person hounded by shadows, trying to escape something.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TIME FORGOT")
MOON: Throughout this album, Oberst's characters struggle with the quagmire of memory. A bunch of the songs explore what it means to hold on to the last glimmer of a very much vanished love.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ARTIFACT #1")
MOON: Alongside those raw moments are more even-tempered examples of storytelling. One of them borrows and then improves upon the theme of Harry Chapin's ode, "Cats in the Cradle."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU ARE YOUR MOTHER'S CHILD")
MOON: That is surprisingly old school songwriting. Turns out Conor Oberst can work at conceit with the best of them. This new collection shows Oberst has grown significantly as a craftsman, but he's held onto the elements that made his earlier writings so compelling, the wordy fever dream verses, that perpetually troubled delivery. He calls this record "Upside Down Mountain," but it sounds like a career peak.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HUNDREDS OF WAYS")
CORNISH: The new album by Conor Oberst is "Upside Down Mountain." Our reviewer is Tom Moon. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.