Bright Eyes

"One for You, One for Me" / "A Machine Spiritual"

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Dec 27, 2010

If you've been getting pumped up for the new Bright Eyes album, The People's Key, you probably already know that main man Conor Oberst is "over the Americana, rootsy" sound of their older albums. The first leaked single "Shell Games" hinted at some synth-wave tendencies, but despite the electronic touches, the piano ballad still kind of sounded like it came out of a turn-of-the-century saloon. Two more songs can now be previewed online and it seems as though the more we hear from The People's Key, the more we can tell that Oberst wasn't bluffing.

The two songs previewed during an interview with Oberst on Fairfield, Iowa radio station KRUU-FM, "One for You, One for Me" and "A Machine Spiritual", find the outfit experimenting with ethereal white noise and electronic programming. The former manages to conjure up Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia", between its low key drum machine beat and it's warm washes of synthesizers.

"A Machine Spiritual" plays more like a 1950s sock hop number run through an echo chamber. Plinking guitar lines sidle up to Oberst's warm, cracked tenor on the tender number.

You can check out both songs below. Thanks to Consequence of Sound for the tip.



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