Review: Bright Eyes - Four Winds EP

Let's face it, Bright Eyes - you either love him or you hate him. There are no two ways about this one. At this point in his career, it's rare to hear someone say that they are ambivalent towards Conor and his much-debated songwriting & style of vocal delivery. Pretty fair, right?

I'll be the first to admit that his latest EP, Four Winds, will do little to sway your decision one way or the other. If you're a fan of his acoustic opus, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, then your love will translate quite easily to Four Winds. For those out of the loop, Four Winds is the EP that preludes the release of Bright Eyes upcoming full-length Cassadaga, out in April. In fact, the only track that appears on both the EP and LP is the EP's title track, 'Four Winds'.

The six songs that comprise the EP are very acoustic-centric, country-influenced and dare I say, tender. When listening to Bright Eyes' latest collection of tunes, it'd be nearly impossible not to question the influence that new friend M. Ward has had on the direction of the EP (and probably the full-length as well). In fact, when I first listened to Four Winds, I had forgotten how Conor promised us some special guest duets. When Matt Ward's voice soared through on 'Smoke Without Fire', I was elated. It's easily one of the strongest, if not the most captivating track on the short-player. That and the EP-closing, six-minute long, 'Tourist Trap', are hands down the highlights of Four Winds.

Bright Eyes has never sounded more confident and passionate than Four Winds, in all of his previous efforts. This EP will only enlarge the gap between the Conor loyals and the Conor loathers. I, personally, can't wait to hear what else Conor has up his sleeve for the full-length. Bright Eyes will be at Bowery Ballroom on 3/2 and 3/3 (thanks to the lovely Qbertplaya, I will find out first-hand if Cassadaga can live up to its lofty expectations).

*Read our review/see some photos of Conor's appearance with M. Ward at the latter's Town Hall show last month, here!

MP3: Bright Eyes (feat. M. Ward) - Smoke Without Fire