I’ve never considered any commonalities between Conor “Bright Eyes” Oberst and Christian “Bishop Allen” Rudder, but now, after growns-up Conor has cultivated a striking resemblance to Rudder (in his new video for “Souled Out” (<– clever spelling!), I may have to re-think things. A quick breakdown:
Name:
- CR: Christian Rudder
- CO: Conor Oberst
Hails From:
- CR: Little Rock, Arkansas
- CO: Omaha, Nebraska
Current Location:
- CR: Brooklyn, New York
- CO: Brooklyn, New York
Occupation:
- CR: Guitarist / songwriter for Bishop Allen
- CO: Singer/songwriter who collaborates often, most recently with the Mystic Valley Band but notably with his collective, Bright Eyes, among many other projects.
Bands played in during adolescence:
- CR: The Pissed Officers
- CO: Commander Venus
Secondary Education:
- CR: Bachelor of Arts, Harvard
- CO: English Major, University of Nebraska (left to tour with Bright Eyes)
Current Label:
- CR: Charm School (co-owns)
- CO: Merge
Former Label(s):
- CR: Polyvinyl
- CO: Team Love (owns), Saddle Creek, Barsuk, among others
Indie Film Connections
- CR: Starred in Andrew Bujalski‘s 2002 film, Funny Ha Ha and Bishop Allen will appear in Peter Sollett‘s upcoming film, Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist.
- CO: Slept with Winonna Rider
Did you know…:
- CR: Writer for now-defunct comedy site TheSpark.com, co-creator of dating site OKCupid.com
- CO: Sorta smiled in his Jr. High School yearbook picture
Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band – “Souled Out”
Bishop Allen – “Click, Click, Click, Click”
Posted by BDazzle 
Best album Anthony Gonzalez has put out BY FAR. The rolling sonic washout of “shoegaze” is still in the mix here, but the vocals, dreamy as they are, are put to the forefront. The thick electro dissipates a bit to make these gorgeous songs shimmer without overwhelming you. m83 was never “inaccessible”, but this one hits the pop palate a lot more than his previous work. A few reviews point out this could be the background synth soundtrack to a never-made Brat Pack movie… sounds crazy, but totally true, and it totally works.
A well-paced strummy summer winner. Definite Rilo Kiley L.A. sound going on here with deliberate midwesterness with some top-of-the-line west coast production values. It’s an exercise that’s pop one minute but often wanders into Ballad Country. Wistful guys and girls swap songs and versus, while songs build and fade tastefully. “Catherine Avenue” is the single they’re pushing (on the website), but the real winner is the cover of “Who Were You Thinkin’ Of” where charmingly hilarious lyrics are underlayed by a jaunty organ wheeled into the studio straight from Haight and Ashbury.
