★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
A very, very strong singer-songwriter album from the Bright Eyes guy. The album opener, "Cape Canaveal," is a veritable cascade of words, images and assonance flowing fast. I love that kind of thing. I like the Dylan-esque yelp on ""Get Well Cards:" "right there, that's the post man sleepin' in the saaand!" The whole album is about escapes: escapes from New York, from the hospital to die at home, from the surly bonds of Earth, from life. "Homesick as an astronaut / Just keep drifting, but still can't explain" comes from a song about a child dying of cancer. Oberst's voice is full of emotion throughout the album, taught with pessimism and urgency to be moving on. Favorite tracks: "Cape Canaveral," "Sausalito," "Moab," "Souled Out!!!"
