Grade: C
In true Conor Oberst spirit, with absolutely no warning, the legendary songwriter has released a track from his (apparently) upcoming release “Upside Down Mountain.” This time around, the king of sad has bestowed upon waiting fans “Hundreds of Ways,” a song so country-esque that it could have been pulled straight from a Woody Guthrie catalog. Similarly, the track also holds the essence of Bob Dylan, something Oberst has experimented with countless times, though this time, it’s to a much higher degree. Lyrically, the song is fine — nothing less should be expected from Oberst — but what’s surprising is the upbeat quality of the recording. In the past, Oberst has only recorded upbeat music ironically. See: “At The Bottom of Everything”. But this time it seems almost genuine. This break from traditional Oberst style is intriguing, and it should be interesting to see if the upcoming record follows the single’s same vein.