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{ True Madness Magazine }
Music Reviews
Bright Eyes & Neva Dinova-One Jar Of Wine, Two Vessels EP
Crank, 2004
By James Tyler
Conor Oberst is nothing if not prolific. This being his second split EP this year (the first was with Britt Daniels of Spoon, closure akin to the Oh Holy Fools! EP than an actual collaboration,) the understated genius of the Omaha music scene seems to be gearing up perhaps for his next album. That’s part of why this album will be fascinating listen to fans of Bright Eyes; it’s a brief glimpse into what he’s been developing since the terribly personal, spiritual, and often political Lifted, the undisputed triumph of his career so far. But that is focusing on only one side of the coin, which is easy to do when your other act on the split is the relatively unknown Neva Dinova. Apparently one of Oberst’s own favorites of the Omaha scene, the album is a bit of blessing for the group whom get to work on material under someone who is undoubtedly a mentor to them. The first thing we hear on the album is the somewhat heavy handed production moment of Conor Oberst telling singer/songwriter Bellows to sing the first song on his own. (Similar to the end of the Bens album in a lot of ways; see that review for more understanding on what I mean.)
So the real surprise of One Jar of Wine? First off, the album comes off as being Neva Dinova heavy. While it’s supposed to be split down the middle as to whose song it really is, the last song, which is supposedly a Bright Eyes song, is actually sung by Bellows (telling the two apart is like telling a tuba from a xylophone.) Not that that changes much; the two bands have a very similar sound, so much that it’s hard to hear where Neva Dinova ends and Bright Eyes begins. Oberst’s trademark ear for multiple instrumentation and expert feel for often subtle accompaniment bleeds throughout the whole album, as well as his quirky sense of folk and indie pop sensibilities (the subtle mandolin on Dinova’s best tune, Poison, is a perfect example, and what sounds like a duck call at the end.) While on the whole this works without a problem, the sax solo on the Bright Eyes track “I’ll Be Your Friend” seems a little too adventurous for someone who is always wanting to push people’s buttons. In fact, it sounds downright cheesy and nearly ruins an otherwise magnificent tune. All of this leads into the final track of the album, “Spring Cleaning,” which feels like the most collaborative of the works on the album and really makes this album worth buying. Beautifully cryptic, the title is actually a rather disturbing description of the songs topic choice-abortion. It’s the sort of songwriting that really has made Oberst something of a critic’s darling, as well as fast fan favorite. And just to make sure there is a bit of a wink, the end of the album is actually played in loop at the beginning. How is that for clever?
Rating: 4 out of 5
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