Yeah, I read the Interview interview. Seemed a little self-important to me. Look at religion this way: for many, many, many poor people it isn’t the one thing they have, it is the only thing they have. It is cynical to want to take it away from them because the flip side is death by theology. Death is always a game anyway. To dismiss the mental peace and hope people get because of the physical turmoil and war that is a side effect, is, indeed, shell games.
Which happens to be the name of the first song off Bright Eyes sixth album, The People’s Key, to be released by Saddlecreek.
I’m a big fan of Conor but I am not sure about this one. You can’t do much with a Sisyphus metaphor beyond “here it come that heavy love, never gonna move it along” a good hook musically, sorta revving itself over the strings, though overkill lyrically and used too much.
The melody is a beaut, the orchestration a touch overripe, the production a little undercooked, the break a little overwrought. And the concept a little obvious. I am hoping I am missing something metaphor wise, because if the best Conor can do is some sorta life is a shell game and I ain’t playing, we might be waiting on a long long album.