John Smith Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 I bought this puppy several years ago and gave it a few spins to see if I would like it. I absolutely hated it. I could not stand his voice, his overwrought singing style the structure of the songs, the length of the songs, the length of the disc (73 minutes? Too long) it just grated on my nerves. But I listened to it a few times to come to this conclusion. I recently pulled it out to give it another try. I frequently pull out stuff from the past to see if my attitude towards it has changed one way or another, especially stuff I did not like originally, but for one reason or another feel that I am supposed to like it or that I may not have given it a fair shake or my tastes may have changed. Well, if anything my opinion of Lifted has worsened. I find it hard to believe that this is considered by some to be a great album. For me listening to it is akin to running a marathon with no endorphin high and no time at the end to justify your running and training. It is akin to climbing Mt Everest only to find that you are either on the wrong mountain or that they have closed it for repairs and you need to come back later. It is pure agony to listen to for me with no payoff, and for the life of me I cannot fathom why anyone would or could like Mr. Oberst other than to admit liking him is to gain admittance to some cool club where you get to learn the secret handshake while knowingly nodding to others who feign their acceptance of his music just to be in the club. What is it I am missing here? This is the most punishing music I have listened to in a long long time. I find listening to Metal Machine Music to be a walk in the park in comparison. I can Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Degenerex Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Let's Not Shit Ourselves is one of my top 100 songs of all time Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dondoboy Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I bought it, listened to it once and have never put it on again. I could do without Digital Ash too. He has gotten more consistent and far less annoying in his singing style. I really dig Wide Awake, Cassadaga, and the "solo" record. But Lifted is shit. I won't listen to it again. It'll sit in that "seconds" pile until I take it to the record store with the rest of my records soon to be in a used bin. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HungryHippo Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 You Will? is prolly one of my top 5 favorite songs of his. i also dig A Lover I Don't Have to Love and Waste of Paint. other than that, don't really listen to this album all that much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pmancini100 Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 the solo record is great, but lifted is just too bright-eyes for me. the record reminds me of harry potter for some reason, i dunno why. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 I don't normally get so irritated with music, usually I either like it or I don't and for this album it just rubs me the wrong way. There are a couple songs on the second half of the album that are passable but the rest...arrrrgh. Usually I can hear what makes an album great even when I don't particularly like it, but I can not hear it in this one. So I put it back on the shelf again to try out in five more years or so. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonbama Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 i guess you won't be looking forward to thishttp://www.conoroberst.com/one-of-my-kind-...-nikorette-mp3/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wild Frank Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I'm gonna stick up for this album. It has some great songs on it. 'Bowl of Oranges', 'Method Acting', 'Make War' and 'Nothing Gets Crossed Out' are all top-draw. There are a couple of whiney moments, such as 'Waste of Paint' but overall I think it holds up quite well. Probably would get more love if it was edited down a bit. Sometimes 70 minutes of Conor Oberst is too much to take in any one siting!!. In general he does seem to get a lot of stick but if you look at his whole catalogue there's a lot of really good songs in there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
petemoss Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I'm gonna stick up for this album. It has some great songs on it. 'Bowl of Oranges', 'Method Acting', 'Make War' and 'Nothing Gets Crossed Out' are all top-draw. There are a couple of whiney moments, such as 'Waste of Paint' but overall I think it holds up quite well. Probably would get more love if it was edited down a bit. Sometimes 70 minutes of Conor Oberst is too much to take in any one siting!!. In general he does seem to get a lot of stick but if you look at his whole catalogue there's a lot of really good songs in there. I like lifted as well, sure not every song is top notch, but I prefer it over some of his newer material. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trevor Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 really don't like him at all (Cassadaga is the only disc i can tolerate front to back), but you can't deny the greatness of Lover I Don't Have to Love-->Bowl of Oranges. great combo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bobbob1313 Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I think this album has his strongest songwriting in terms of lyrics and the structure of the verses, but the melodies can be lacking at times. If there's one thing he's gotten better with as time has gone by it is how to make a listenable song. He's really learned to tighten things up. I still think this is a great, raw album that shows his talent with words. So many lines knock me out, including just about all of "Let's Not Shit Ourselves." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Panther Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 This album wasnt trying to be classic in the Srgt Peppers YHF kinda way...... if its to long your not depressed enoughNobody in Indie land has achivied what Conor Oberst has achivied this decade wherther its post 911 paranoi or Spiritual awakening hes been through it allLifted is a classic... I dont care if you think Ironand Wine make better records they arent important.. Conor Oberst will have a fanbase until he dies and Lifted is a classic Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nodep5 Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 This album wasnt trying to be classic in the Srgt Peppers YHF kinda way...... if its to long your not depressed enoughNobody in Indie land has achivied what Conor Oberst has achivied this decade wherther its post 911 paranoi or Spiritual awakening hes been through it allLifted is a classic... I dont care if you think Ironand Wine make better records they arent important.. Conor Oberst will have a fanbase until he dies and Lifted is a classic Iron and Wine does make better records, but I appreciate your sentiment about Conor tackling bigger themes (I guess). As far as fan base, I don't know, it seems that his recent solo album was recieved with a degree of ambivalence or maybe I'm just not connected enough to know. Wide Awake to me is the high water mark. That album just sounds wonderful. Old Soul Song is top notch. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HungryHippo Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Wide Awake to me is the high water mark. That album just sounds wonderful. Old Soul Song is top notch. indeed. that record hit me soo hard when it was released. i could relate to every song on it. i don't listen to it much anymore because of that. it feels like im opening up a time capsule when i put it on. in fact, most of his songs are like that for me. i think that's where the Dylan references stem from. Conor's got that ability to make a tune so ambiguous yet personal, its just amazing. damn, now i have to listen to it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keeprighton2 Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 indeed. that record hit me soo hard when it was released. i could relate to every song on it. i don't listen to it much anymore because of that. it feels like im opening up a time capsule when i put it on. in fact, most of his songs are like that for me. i think that's where the Dylan references stem from. Conor's got that ability to make a tune so ambiguous yet personal, its just amazing. damn, now i have to listen to it. I preferred the albumj that was realsed alongsisde it: 'Digital Ash In A Digital Urn' - kind of a modern,almost electronic take on his musis , loved 'Hit The Switch' and 'I Believe In Symmetry' with its 99 Red Balloons lift for the first part before it breaks off into a glorious crescendo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
explodo Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 I preferred the albumj that was realsed alongsisde it: 'Digital Ash In A Digital Urn' - kind of a modern,almost electronic take on his musis , loved 'Hit The Switch' and 'I Believe In Symmetry' with its 99 Red Balloons lift for the first part before it breaks off into a glorious crescendoI also like this record more by a large margin. It is less consistent, but certainly more interesting as far I'm concerned. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HungryHippo Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Digital Ash is a wonderful album as well. it took me slightly longer to get into it due to a country/ folk phase i was going through at the time. have any of you listened to 'I Will Be Grateful for This Day?' that song shoulda made the cut for Digital Ash just like 'Trees Get Wheeled Away' shoulda been on Wide Awake. those are 2 good tunes for sure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pillowy star Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Lifted is my favorite Bright Eyes album, I just love all the pain that he's transmitting in the songs & lyrics. Absolutely wonderful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmacomber68w Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 The songs Make War, Waste of Paint, and Lets Not Shit Ourselves take the album from being a solid one, to a spectacular one. I got the entire "next Dylan" vibe from those songs Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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