VIMTV Episode #284: Bright Eyes – The People’s Key

Jake: Not Recommended, 66/100

Tom: Not Recommended, 61/100

Overview: The People’s Key is going to be a very polarizing album for Bright Eyes fans. Some are definitely going to be turned off by the more rocking, less folky sound on this record, while some will accept it gladly. For us, we were on the more turned away side of things, but it wasn’t because of the slight style switch– that was a fine move. We thought that the songwriting just wasn’t strong enough for a 10-track album. That, along with the really obnoxious monologues in a few of the tracks, make The People’s Key not a very enjoyable album experience. It has its shining moments, but they are usually followed by disappointment.

Recommended Similar Artists: The Arcade Fire, Brendan Benson, Sufjan Stevens

Jake’s Track Picks:

• 4. Approximate Sunlight
• 9. Ladder Song
• 10. One For You, One For Me

Tom’s Track Picks:

• 2. Shell Games
• 9. Ladder Song
• 10. One For You, One For Me

VIMTV Research Links:

• Bright Eyes Band Website
• Wikipedia – Bright Eyes
• Bright Eyes Myspace
• Bright Eyes reviews at Metacritic
• Lyrics – Bright Eyes

“JeJune Stars” on Letterman:

Full Album Stream: