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Sep 27, 2024 Web Exclusive By Marina Malin

“I hate, the Puritans / I hate, Mary Magdalene / I hate the way she washed his feet, they still called her a whore / Jesus Christ, I hate you now and I hated you before…I hate, Vishnu / I hate, the Hari Krishna / David Koresh, Jim Jones, and Buddha / I hate this twisted logic, this sadistic hallelujah.”

Hate is the air that breathes through Bright Eyes’ Five Dice, All Threes. Though this hate is dressed in fears of growing old, banjo fiddling, imagery of New York and L.A., haunted carnival noises, talented instrumentation, marching band cues, collective sobbing, old wisdom, and the good ol game of threes. Yet despite Conor Oberst’s bitterness, there’s an undeniable quality of sincerity and affection: “I hate the moon, but I’d take it from you / I want anything you have to give / Used to wait, around, for a handout / Pleading in the street / But you’re all that I, beg for now.”

The eerie haze of “Five Dice” opens the album to the echoing cadence of dice rolls, casino sounds, street singing, and transpires into nostalgia of Disney’s Steamboat Willie. Sounds and memories flash like a wet scratched up VHS and before you know it, you’re subjected to an iMovie trailer replica, “Bells and Whistles.” In stark contrast to the intentionally frightening “Five Dice,” “Bells and Whistles” is a cheesy shock to the nervous system and you’re suddenly confused as to where you are, what you are listening to, trying to make sense of Oberst’s mythologically haunted mind. There is a cluttered impression of maximalism, but Oberst proves that’s not necessarily a bad thing: from the folky twang of “El Capitan” to the rock-inspired “Rainbow Overpass” to the jazz piano work of “All Threes,” sentimental “The Time I Have Left,” and the simplicity of “Hate,” Five Dice, All Threes sees Conor Oberst eliciting emotive motivations and ruminations of the world through impressive instrumentation and poetic thought processes.

The record peaks in the two-song run of “Tiny Suicides” followed by “All Threes.” Oberst embellished sobbing, seemingly improvised trumpet/sax, muffled screaming, haunted carnival noises, and samples of Frank Sintara film, representing his endearment towards dark subject matter. The vulnerable nature of “Tiny Suicides” makes us consider “someday we will die, why give into these tiny suicides?”

In collaboration with Cat Power, “All Threes” is the most digestible song on the record with its safely beautiful harmonies, jazz leads, and humorous lyrics: “Jesus died in a cage fight / Elon musk in virgin white.” Cat Power is the guiding light away from Oberst’s desperate and sorrowful sound.

While Five Dices, All Three may not be the easiest, or even casual, listen, the work of Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nate Walcott finds expertise in their play of implicit and explicit storytelling. Though many tracks feature a catchy yet predictable melody, Bright Eyes effectively carried out their creative vision to dispel an everlasting cycle of surprise.
The record solidifies that great music is not so much about the music or the sound, in fact, music is at its best when it does not sound like music at all. Instead, great music like Five Dices, All Three is a storybook that requires a commitment to the curious mind and creative soul to trek until the eventual findings of nuggets of gold. Five Dices, All Three is more than a body of music, it is a declaration of wisdom and creative expression with the type of artistry that leaves the listeners with revelations or suspicions of the world around them. Five Dices, All Three is a mixed media collage offering an invitation to explore moments of reflections, wisdom, and creativity unfolding behind the ominously surrealist brain of Conor Oberst. (www.thisisbrighteyes.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10