Bright Eyes Five Dice, All Threes

Five Dice, All Threes is a record of uncommon intensity and tenderness,communal exorcism and personal excavation. These are, of course, qualitiesthat fans have come to expect from Bright Eyes, nearly three decades intotheir career. The tight-knit band of Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and NateWalcott tends to operate in distinct sweeping movements: each unique in it'ssound and story but unified by a sense of ambition and ever-growingemotional stakes. Even with this rich history behind them, these new songsexude a visceral thrill like nothing they have attempted before. Oberst hasalways sung in a voice that conveys a sense of life-or-death gravity. At timesthroughout Five Dice, All Threes, you may feel worried for him; other times, hemay seem like the only one with the clarity to get us out of this mess.On the self-produced album, Bright Eyes embrace the elusive quality thathas made them so enduring and influential across generations and genres,bringing their homespun sound from an Omaha bedroom to devotedaudiences around the world. In Oberst's songwriting lies a promise that ourloneliest thoughts and feelings can take on grander shapes when passedbetween friends, blasted through speakers, or shouted among crowds. Thistime around, the band invites such like-minded voices onto the record withthem, with notable guest appearances from Cat Power ("All Threes"), TheNational's Matt Berninger ("The Time I Have Left"), and Alex Levine, thefrontman of the New York punk band The So So Glos, who co-wrote severalsongs and shares a climactic verse in the surging "Rainbow Overpass."When they hit the studio with Oberst's longtime bandmates-the multiinstrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis, the keyboardist and arranger NateWalcott-they opted for a fast-paced approach that drew inspiration fromformative influences like The Replacements and Frank Black. They soughttextures that burst from the mix like gnarly splashes of paint on a blankcanvas; they opted for first takes and spontaneous decisions. Five Dice, AllThrees thrashes and squirms and resists classification. In the brilliant expanseof "El Capitan," they blend a galloping rhythm you might find in a Johnny Cashstandard with a swell of funereal horns, shouted vocals, and lyrics that readlike a sobering farewell between twin souls. "So they're burning you an effigy,"Oberst sings. "Well, that happens to me all the time!"For every striking turn in his lyrics, the band knows just how tocomplement him. On one level, Five Dice, All Threes may be the most funalbum in the Bright Eyes catalog, filled with singalong hooks and buzzingperformances. And yet, sitting alongside these adrenalized rockers that soundbeamed in directly from the garage, you will find contemplative, psychedelicmaterial like the heartbreaking "Tiny Suicides" and "All Threes," a song whosejazzy piano solo and free-associative lyrics feel totally unprecedented in theBright Eyes catalog.As per usual, the music comes loaded with subtext that invites deeplistening-the signature touch of a band who has always honored the album asit's own exalted work of art. In the game of threes, the titular move wouldindicate a perfect roll. Perfection, however, means something different in theworld of Bright Eyes, where our flaws are what grants us authority and findingmeaning is only possible if we bear witness to the dark, winding journey toget there. On Five Dice, All Threes, Bright Eyes embrace these beliefs withmusic that feels thrillingly alive, as if we were all in the room with them,shouting along and gaining the strength to move forward together. It doesn'tjust sound like classic Bright Eyes. It sounds like their future, too.