Ruminations

Submitted by nonesuch on
Release Date
DescriptionExcerpt

In the winter of 2016, Conor Oberst found himself hibernating in his hometown of Omaha after living in New York City for more than a decade. He emerged with the unexpectedly raw, unadorned solo album Ruminations. Oberst went to ARC, the studio he built with his Bright Eyes bandmate and friend Mike Mogis, and, with the help of engineer Ben Brodin, recorded all the songs within 48 hours. The results are almost sketch-like in their sparseness: Oberst alone with his guitar, piano, and harmonica; the songs connect with some of the rough magic and anxious poetry that first brought him to the attention of the world, while their lyrical complexity and concerns make it obvious they could only have been written in the present.

Description

In the winter of 2016, Conor Oberst found himself hibernating in his hometown of Omaha after living in New York City for more than a decade. He emerged with the unexpectedly raw, unadorned solo album Ruminations, available October 14, 2016, on Nonesuch Records. "I wasn't expecting to write a record," says Oberst. "I honestly wasn't expecting to do much of anything. Winter in Omaha can have a paralyzing effect on a person but in this case it worked in my favor. I was just staying up late every night playing piano and watching the snow pile up outside the window. Next thing I knew I had burned through all the firewood in the garage and had more than enough songs for a record. I recorded them quick to get them down but then it just felt right to leave them alone." 

Oberst began publicly releasing music in 1994 at the age of 14. Those early recordings, made in Omaha on four-track cassette by Oberst and his friends, were an introduction to the work of a prodigious songwriter whose creative outpouring would soon be widely lauded. Writing and recording prolifically over the next two decades, first with his band Bright Eyes and later under his own name—and at special moments as a member of Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk—Oberst became known, as the Los Angeles Times said, an artist who "sees the world with fresh and fearless eyes." The Times continued, "He weaves his findings into intimate songs whose melodies are as timeless as a hymnal and whose images are hauntingly poetic....He can command your attention with long narratives that have more words than a pocket dictionary, or stop you cold with a single line."

In Nebraska last winter, songs that harked back to that earlier era unexpectedly began to take shape. Oberst went to ARC, the studio he built with his Bright Eyes bandmate and longtime friend Mike Mogis, to record that music. With the help of engineer Ben Brodin, he recorded all the songs in the span of 48 hours. The results are almost sketch-like in their sparseness, and they ultimately became the songs that comprise Ruminations. These tracks do not have the multi-layered instrumentation of the most recent Bright Eyes and solo albums: This is Oberst alone with his guitar, piano, and harmonica; the songs connect with some of the rough magic and anxious poetry that first brought him to the attention of the world, while their lyrical complexity and concerns make it obvious they could only have been written in the present.

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Recorded February 11 & 12, 2016, at ARC in Omaha, NE
Engineered by Ben Brodin
Mixed by Mike Mogis
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering

Art Direction & Design by Gary Burden and Jenice Heo for RTwerk & Co
Cover Photo by Julia Brokaw
Booklet cover image by Jenice Heo based on Julia Brokaw photo

All songs written by Conor Oberst, published by Songs Music Publishing LLC O/B/O Songs MP (BMI), Bedrooms; Bedrooms and Spiders (BMI)

Nonesuch Selection Number

556491

ns_album_releasedate
Album Status
Artist Name
Conor Oberst
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Conor Oberst, guitar, voice, harmonica, piano

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
LP+MP3
UPC
075597944655
Label
CD+MP3
UPC
075597944648
Label
96/24 HD FLAC
Price
14.00
UPC
075597944693
Label
FLAC
Price
10.00
UPC
075597944679
Label
MP3
Price
9.00
UPC
075597944709
  • 556491

News & Reviews

  • About This Album

    In the winter of 2016, Conor Oberst found himself hibernating in his hometown of Omaha after living in New York City for more than a decade. He emerged with the unexpectedly raw, unadorned solo album Ruminations, available October 14, 2016, on Nonesuch Records. "I wasn't expecting to write a record," says Oberst. "I honestly wasn't expecting to do much of anything. Winter in Omaha can have a paralyzing effect on a person but in this case it worked in my favor. I was just staying up late every night playing piano and watching the snow pile up outside the window. Next thing I knew I had burned through all the firewood in the garage and had more than enough songs for a record. I recorded them quick to get them down but then it just felt right to leave them alone." 

    Oberst began publicly releasing music in 1994 at the age of 14. Those early recordings, made in Omaha on four-track cassette by Oberst and his friends, were an introduction to the work of a prodigious songwriter whose creative outpouring would soon be widely lauded. Writing and recording prolifically over the next two decades, first with his band Bright Eyes and later under his own name—and at special moments as a member of Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk—Oberst became known, as the Los Angeles Times said, an artist who "sees the world with fresh and fearless eyes." The Times continued, "He weaves his findings into intimate songs whose melodies are as timeless as a hymnal and whose images are hauntingly poetic....He can command your attention with long narratives that have more words than a pocket dictionary, or stop you cold with a single line."

    In Nebraska last winter, songs that harked back to that earlier era unexpectedly began to take shape. Oberst went to ARC, the studio he built with his Bright Eyes bandmate and longtime friend Mike Mogis, to record that music. With the help of engineer Ben Brodin, he recorded all the songs in the span of 48 hours. The results are almost sketch-like in their sparseness, and they ultimately became the songs that comprise Ruminations. These tracks do not have the multi-layered instrumentation of the most recent Bright Eyes and solo albums: This is Oberst alone with his guitar, piano, and harmonica; the songs connect with some of the rough magic and anxious poetry that first brought him to the attention of the world, while their lyrical complexity and concerns make it obvious they could only have been written in the present.

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Conor Oberst, guitar, voice, harmonica, piano

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Recorded February 11 & 12, 2016, at ARC in Omaha, NE
    Engineered by Ben Brodin
    Mixed by Mike Mogis
    Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering

    Art Direction & Design by Gary Burden and Jenice Heo for RTwerk & Co
    Cover Photo by Julia Brokaw
    Booklet cover image by Jenice Heo based on Julia Brokaw photo

    All songs written by Conor Oberst, published by Songs Music Publishing LLC O/B/O Songs MP (BMI), Bedrooms; Bedrooms and Spiders (BMI)