- Record Label: Merge
- Release Date: May 5, 2009
- Critic score
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The band's contributions are low points on this 16-track epic, but Oberst proves as iconoclastic as ever.
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It mostly works: Shave a couple of the non-Conor tracks and it'd sit comfortably with his best.
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Oberst's contributions are superior, though only the stark, haunting 'White Shoes' and darkly beautiful 'I Got the Reason #2' are from anywhere near his top drawer.
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Under The RadarThe good news for Bright Eyes fans who found the first Mystic Valley Band album to mannered: The new one restores some fire to Oberst's belly. The bad news: There's less Oberst this time around. [Spring 2009, p.67]
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Outer South is a decently stocked serving of rambling, saloon-joint alt-country, but one that finds the freewheeling Oberst and band in need of a little focus.
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UncutThe resulting LP is a shambling, intermittently engaging sprawl, the songs jammed with verbiage, the lead vocals spread among the principals, most of whom make Oberst's frayed, wobbly singing seem Bono-esque by comparison. The LP's saving grace is the dexterous playing of the ensemble. [Jun 2009, p.95]
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While many of the tracks on Outer South have potential, nearly all of these songs sound like they could have benefited from a bit more time in the oven.
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It feels a little too soon for this overstuffed, 16-song collection where Oberst's cutting social commentary is dropped into a maelstrom of charging guitars and barroom backing vocals.
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The 16 songs vary in tone, from grease-and-nicotine-stained jams to spit-shined ballads, but too little of it is adroit enough in construction or execution to stick in the craw.
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The result is an album that's unfortunately baggy and sodden with filler, which could have benefited from a little less camaraderie and a little more revision.
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While Outer South may represent a step back from last year’s work, it is perhaps another step forward for Oberst in terms of his evolution as an artist.
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Perhaps it's partly a factor of Oberst's essential attention-grabbing nature, but none of these gentlemen offers up a composition that snags the ear better than the most mundane effort from their fearless leader.
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Outer South is too long, too uninteresting, and too uninspired to be anything better than not good at all.
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Too often it feels as if they’re all going through the motions, opting to play it safe, while Oberst himself seems bored and uninterested.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 12
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Mixed: 3 out of 12
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Negative: 0 out of 12
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SAmMay 12, 2009Boring!