2019 studio album by Better Oblivion Community Center
Better Oblivion Community Center
Released January 24, 2019 Recorded 2018 Studio Fivestar (Los Angeles, California)
Genre Length 37 :18
Label
Dead Oceans
Producer
Salutations (2017)
Better Oblivion Community Center (2019)
Better Oblivion Community Center is the only studio album by American indie rock duo
Better Oblivion Community Center , composed of
Conor Oberst and
Phoebe Bridgers . The album was released on January 24, 2019, through
Dead Oceans .
[1]
[2]
[3]
Background and recording
Bridgers and Oberst wrote and recorded the album in secret in Los Angeles in mid- to late 2018.
[4]
Music and themes
Writing for
Rolling Stone ,
Will Hermes called its music "
soft rock for hard times",
[5] while
Pitchfork ' s Sam Sodomsky called it a "tight-knit
folk-rock album".
[6]
The album is a loose
concept album about the Better Oblivion Community Center, a fictional dystopian wellness facility.
[6]
Release and promotion
The album had an elaborate rollout featuring cryptic brochures and a telephone hotline.
[6] They performed "Dylan Thomas" on
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on January 23, 2019.
[7] The album was released the next day.
On January 29, 2019, the band announced their initial concert tour of the United States and Europe along with releasing a music video for their initial single, "Dylan Thomas", directed by
Michelle Zauner of the band
Japanese Breakfast .
[8]
Critical reception
Better Oblivion Community Center has received generally positive reviews from critics. At
Metacritic , which assigns a
normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average score of 78, based on 24 reviews.
[10]
Writing for
Rolling Stone , Will Hermes said, "The duo harmonize beautifully, Oberst's voice often just a brooding floorboard creak behind Bridgers' brightly bloodshot confidences".
[5] David Sackllah of
Under the Radar said, "This is a cohesive, creative, and multi-faceted record that will over-joy fans of both artists while offering the spark of magic that so rarely comes with these kinds of collaborations."
[19] Sam Walker-Smart of
Clash praised the album, stating "its depth, brave sonic choices and chemistry make for a near perfect record. Rather than sticking purely with the sad acoustic vibes, the album effortlessly blends country, electro elements and alt-rock with ease. It's as if the LP was simultaneously recorded in 2018, 2007, and 1993, a tonal greatest hits of hard-hitting emotion and fist-pumping fun."
[12] Sarah Murphy of
Exclaim! gave the album 8/10, stating "The best parts of the album... are the moments where it doesn't sound exactly like anything either artist has released before."
[15]
Accolades
Publication
Accolade
Rank
Ref.
Exclaim!
Top 29 Albums of 2019 (Mid-Year)
9
Stereogum
Top 50 Albums of 2019 (Mid-Year)
14
Track listing
Title Writer(s) 1. "Didn't Know What I Was in For" 4:03 2. "Sleepwalkin'" 3:12 3. "Dylan Thomas" 3:36 4. "Service Road" 3:44 5. "Exception to the Rule" 2:51 6. "Chesapeake" 4:04 7. "My City" 4:04 8. "Forest Lawn" 3:46 9. "Big Black Heart" 3:26 10. "Dominos"
Taylor Hollingsworth 4:32 Total length: 37:18
Personnel
Phoebe Bridgers – vocals (1–10), guitar (1–4, 6–8), electric piano (2),
baritone guitar (9, 10); production, photography
Conor Oberst – vocals (1–10), guitar (1, 2, 4, 7–9), baritone guitar (3), piano (4, 10), keyboards (5),
Whirly tube (7); production, photography
Christian Lee Hutson –
EBow (1), tambourine (3), guitar (6, 8), pocket piano (6)
Carla Azar – drums (1, 3, 5, 10), percussion (1,10)
Andy LeMaster – bass guitar (1), synthesizer (1, 5, 6), programming (5), pocket piano (5),
Mellotron (5), samples (10); production, engineering
Griffin Goldsmith – drums (2, 4, 7, 8, 9), percussion (2, 4, 7, 8, 9)
Wylie Gelber – bass guitar (2, 4, 7, 8, 9)
Nick White – keyboard (2)
Nick Zinner – guitar (3, 10)
Anna Butterss – bass guitar (3, 5), upright bass (10)
John Congleton – synthesizer (3); mixing
Nathaniel Walcott – synthesizer (6)
Marshall Vore – percussion (9)
Taylor Hollingsworth – sampled voice (10)
Bob Ludwig – mastering
Nik Freitas – photography
Nathaniel David Utesch – design, layout
Charts
References
^ DeVille, Chris (January 24, 2019).
"Conor Oberst & Phoebe Bridgers Release Surprise Album As Better Oblivion Community Center" .
Stereogum . Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
^ Schatz, Lake (January 24, 2019).
"Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers release surprise collaborative album Better Oblivion Community Center: Stream" .
Consequence of Sound . Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
^ Colburn, Randall (January 24, 2019).
"Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers just dropped an album as Better Oblivion Community Center" .
The A.V. Club . Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
^ Manno, Lizzie (January 24, 2019).
"Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst Surprise-Drop New Collaboration Album, Better Oblivion Community Center " .
Paste . Archived from
the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
^
a
b
c
Hermes, Will (January 24, 2019).
"Review: Better Oblivion Community Center Make Soft Rock For Hard Times" .
Rolling Stone . Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
^
a
b
c
d Sodomsky, Sam (January 25, 2019).
"Better Oblivion Community Center: Better Oblivion Community Center Album Review" .
Pitchfork . Retrieved January 25, 2019 .
^ Serota, Maggie (January 24, 2019).
"Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers Perform as Better Oblivion Community Center on Colbert " .
Spin . Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
^ Trendell, Andrew (January 29, 2019).
"Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst share 'Dylan Thomas' video and announce Better Oblivion Community Center UK and world tour" .
NME . Retrieved February 22, 2019 .
^
"Better Oblivion Community Center by Better Oblivion Community Center reviews" . AnyDecentMusic? . Retrieved February 10, 2019 .
^
a
b
"Better Oblivion Community Center by Better Oblivion Community Center Reviews and Tracks" . Metacritic . Retrieved March 10, 2019 .
^ Hakimian, Rob (January 29, 2019).
"Review: With Better Oblivion Community Center, Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers have found a fertile middle ground for simple rock delights" .
The 405 . Archived from
the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019 .
^
a
b Walker-Smart, Sam (January 24, 2019).
"Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center" .
Clash . Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
^ Sackllah, David (January 27, 2019).
"Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst Prove a Natural Fit on Better Oblivion Community Center" .
Consequence of Sound . Retrieved January 27, 2019 .
^ Finn, Rachel (January 24, 2019).
"Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center" .
DIY . Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
^
a
b Murphy, Sarah (January 24, 2019).
"Better Oblivion Community Center Better Oblivion Community Center" .
Exclaim! . Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
^ Snapes, Laura (January 25, 2019).
"Better Oblivion Community Center: Better Oblivion Community Center review – indie power combo" .
The Guardian . Retrieved January 25, 2019 .
^ Lynch, Ben (January 24, 2019).
"Behind the smoke and mirrors, Better Oblivion Community Center is a melancholic delight" .
The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved January 30, 2019 .
^ Trendell, Andrew (January 27, 2019).
"Phoebe Bridgers & Conor Oberst – 'Better Oblivion Community Center' review" .
NME . Retrieved January 27, 2019 .
^ Hall, Michael James (January 28, 2019).
"Better Oblivion Community Center: Better Oblivion Community Center (Dead Oceans) Review" .
Under the Radar . Retrieved January 30, 2019 .
^
"Exclaim!'s Top 29 Albums of 2019 So Far" .
Exclaim! . June 12, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019 .
^
"Best 2019 Albums So Far" .
Stereogum . June 11, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019 .
^
"Ultratop.be – Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
^
"Dutchcharts.nl – Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
^
"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved March 2, 2019.
^
"Official Albums Chart Top 100" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved March 2, 2019.
^
"Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved April 15, 2022.
^
"Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50 - 1 March 2019" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved 15 April 2022 .
^
"Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Top Album Sales)" .
Billboard . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
^
"Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
^
"Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
^
"Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
^
"Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Independent Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
^
"Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Top Rock Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
^
"Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
^
"Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Vinyl Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
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