The funny thing about Conor is that as he ages, he is emerging more and more like a Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen esque figure. Of course, he's never going to quite have the cultural impact as those two, but he has a devout fan base nonetheless and is getting wiser with age with a collection of songs that people can't get enough of. This album is perhaps his more mature and positive yet, but then maybe why he took a step away from Bright Eyes for this change in sound. But what emerged from that live set was that, this was a man who has had enough of being childish or even drunk like so many infamous stories of his live shows with Bright Eyes, here he has a clear focus, and although may not be massively original or experimental, has been done with such honesty and intensity that it makes for a compelling listen.

This record, much like Dylan's best work, varies from folk ballads to the bluesy, electric guitar led, rock. A simple formula, but it works to great effect regardless. Varying from the all out mainstream rock of 'Souled Out!!!' (arf, arf) to 'Sausalito' or 'I Don't Want to Die (in the Hospital)' are reminiscent of that classic, fun, blues rock sound that acts like Dylan mastered so perfectly. The other half however sees a much more sincere Oberst, but one who it appears is conquering his daemons with age. Songs like 'Cape Canaveral' and 'Lenders in the Temple' and 'Milk Thistle' all beautifully deal with heartbreak, trauma and death in a charming and re-assuring way.

It is a record that mostly, on a track-by-track basis, conjures feelings and emotions, varying from joy, to hope, to loss and is a fantastic ride throughout. It both rises empathy for Conor himself (better than on any Bright Eyes record) and for the listener, through these 12 songs you just feel basic human emotions, being exhaled by Oberst, and breathed in by the audience and those emotions are very much like the music's relatively simple structure, and is, a rare triumph at a genre of music that is almost impossible to get right, particularly in the year 2008.