I could go on and on about my love affair with nearly everything Nebraska-born Conor Oberst has ever created, but I don’t want to waste your time with a cryfest.
Created over the past few years with singles released intermittently, “Payola” is a perfect blend of thoughtful politics, yelling and emotional storytelling that all Desaparecidos and Oberst fans would come to expect. And, to tighten up his carefully orchestrated rock mold, Oberst has brought along a new cast of characters to the brash journey that is “Payola.”
Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, Cursive’s Tim Kasher and the So So Glos all make appearances on the record, giving the listener a break from the glorious political whine-scream Oberst delivers. The album was produced by Mike Mogus of Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk fame (he also had a part in “The Fault in Our Stars” soundtrack last year), giving it that trusted Midwest twist.
Overall, the album listens like an old Bright Eyes record (“Lifted”-era, but louder), but it also shows the progression Oberst and company have made since the last Desaparecidos album, “Read Music/Speak Spanish,” in 2002.
Lyrically, Desaparecidos doesn’t let up on the political content the group wants to address. Throughout the album, criticism of today’s worst problems plays over and over. “They say ‘It’s time we had some justice for the white race on this earth / This place is strange and getting stranger,’” is just one example of the commentary the band gives “Payola.”
But all of the screams and headbanging don’t outweigh the melodic value some songs possess. “Te Amo Camila Vallejo,” is equal parts protest and intimacy as it chronicles the story of a woman named Camila who is gravely misunderstood. Right after, “Ralphy’s Cut” tells the tale of a dying man coming to terms with his own mortality.
Altogether, the album is everything I would expect from Desaparecidos–I’ve appreciated the material created by everyone who had a part in making the album, so I never expected anything different. Though it wasn’t something that shocked me out of my seat, anything made by Oberst and company would make me stop what I’m doing to listen. So I’ll add “Payola” to my queue and wait for the next album.