Review: Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

The oversized black hat worn by Conor Oberst Sunday at the Beaumont Club made it extremely difficult to take him seriously.  The odd sartorial selection was typical of the frustratingly inscrutable artist.

True believers hail Oberst, 29, as the voice of his generation.  Cynics deride him as an insufferable dilettante who dabbles in various styles for ironic value.  Oberst's often satisfying but inconsistent performance offered evidence to support both perspectives.

Oberst is currently working as the leader of the Mystic Valley Band.  The group is squarely in the literate American roots music tradition forged by Bob Dylan and since explored by the likes of Gram Parsons and the Band.  Oberst's most self-consciously trendy fans in the audience of approximately 700 would have been absolutely horrified if they had realized that songs like "Sausalito" and "I Got a Reason #2" sounded remarkably like vintage Grateful Dead.  As if deliberately trying to avoid becoming completely immersed in the realm of tie-dye and ponytails, the band also tossed off a handful of BIg Star-inspired power pop numbers like "Air Mattress." 

It's not a good sign that the Mystic Valley Band's derivative approach compels the listener to play a game of spot-the-influences.  Their efforts inevitably suffer in comparison.  Still, a handful of convincing rockers were so compelling that their warmed-over origins didn't matter.  "I Don't Want To Die (In the Hospital)" was a delightful romp and "Slowly (oh so slowly)" came across as the best song Wilco never recorded.  The one-two punch of "NYC- Gone, Gone" and "Souled Out!!!" was similarly stirring.

Conversely, a couple songs were so unbearably awful that Oberst's intentions simply have to be called into question.  "Lenders In the Temple" is profoundly pretentiousness. Surely it and the ponderous "White Shoes" are deliberate parodies of Dylan's long-winded poetry.  Yet Oberst played the deplorably self-indulgent material with a straight face.

Those two unaccountably bizarre missteps aside, the retro-styled ninety-minute set was entirely agreeable.  The five-piece band, particularly Nate Wolcott's effort on keyboards, was excellent.  And even Oberst's quavering voice, which  often sounds whiny on his recordings, was transformed into a compelling asset.

Even so, the night was undoubtedly a disappointment for many of Oberst's fans.  They politely waited for a memorable moment that never came.  And while the concert was clearly billed as a Mystic Valley Band show, fans who were hoping to hear material from Oberst's aliases such as Bright Eyes were simply out of luck.

The night's two opening acts were less perplexing. 

Michael Runion began the show with a solid set of indie pop.   The bluesy drone of Deep Sea Diver located the sweet spot between Neko Case and P.J. Harvey.  They were hypnotic.

| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

Comments

[Eric]

Filling in the setlist
18. Danny Callahan
19. I Don't Want to Die in the Hospital

[Tom]

Tough review for what I thought was a good show. Oberst's intensity is genuine, and isn't all music somehow derivative...?

[The Teacher]

"...and isn't all music somehow derivative...?"

yes, and so are the criticisms of the music.

[byebluemonday]

"Even so, the night was undoubtedly a disappointment for many of Oberst's fans."

No, but who asked me?

[Shaun]

I definitely didn't find the show disappointing.

Everything about seeing him live was spectacular.

[jpp]

This reviewer reminds me of a policeman mandated to fill up a quota for issuing traffic tickets...I guess he felt the pressure to write an "unflattering" review. In my opinion, he picked the wrong show to meet the quota. It's not Conor Oberst's goal to be the voice of his generation or to be brilliant, even though both he is. Maybe the expectations were high because of these facts, but the reviewer should know that this is just another group of buddies Conor has made music with, generally each group tweaking the same theme - great melodies, songcrafting and rythyms above great songwriting. The only real complaint was the acoustics of Beaumont, which was poor. Kudos to KC for an enthusiastic crowd!

[neighbor]

jpp - dude saw what he saw. I'm a huge fan - but Conor needs to read some reviews like this.

I think he'll mature into something - but I don't think this period will be looked upon too favorably in the long run. He's got better in him - and he's in no position to parody Dylan or Parsons or The Dead, or anyone else that has established their place in the music world - not at this point in his career anyway, because he really hasn't done that yet himself.

[jlr]

First of all, know the NAME of the band you're reviewing, it's the Mystic Valley Band.

And as far as "White Shoes" being a "deliberate parodie[s] of Dylan's long-winded poetry" ... Are you familiar at all with Conor Oberst's previous work? He almost always uses sprawling, story-like lyrics. I whole heartedly agree with jpp, because he is a voice of our generation and because he is a creative genius, he is expected to live up to a whole other set of social expectations. But he doesn't, nor does he need to. He's not supposed to 'fit in' with your traditional view of musicians.

I thought the show was fantastic, and everything about it was so much more than I was expecting. He has chosen some truly talented musicians to play with him this time around, and their contributions add a great deal to his already excellent song writing and unique vocals.

I think Conor is extremely talented and still has a lot of potential that we haven't seen yet, and the Mystic Valley Band is going to help bring a lot of that out.

[greg]

i wasn't at this show. but i have had a chance to see the mystical valley band. i wasn't that impressed. i have seen bright eyes much more, and usually was happy with the shows.

I don't care for the direction he has taken. This group of random musicians has brought him into some thoughtless simple music. which is not what conor does best. he is one of the best writers of our time, when he tries. he is NOT a fantastic live performer. he can be great at time, but other times less than memorable.

I will continue to follow his music, as I feel is bette than all other current music other than radiohead.

i will always enjoy conor oberst music, but this last album is unbearable. it is light years away from i'm wide awake its morning and lifted.

he will keep writing and will do some amazing things, i just hope sooner than later.