| Better Oblivion Community Center | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 24, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Studio | Fivestar (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:18 | |||
| Label | Dead Oceans | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Conor Oberst chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Phoebe Bridgers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Better Oblivion Community Center is the only studio album by American indie rock duo Better Oblivion Community Center,composed of Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers. The album was released on January 24,2019,through Dead Oceans. [1] [2] [3]
Bridgers and Oberst wrote and recorded the album in secret in Los Angeles in mid- to late 2018. [4]
Writing for Rolling Stone ,Will Hermes called its music "soft rock for hard times", [5] while Pitchfork's Sam Sodomsky called it a "tight-knit folk-rock album". [6]
The album is a loose concept album about the Better Oblivion Community Center,a fictional dystopian wellness facility. [6]
The album had an elaborate rollout featuring cryptic brochures and a telephone hotline. [6] They performed "Dylan Thomas" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on January 23,2019. [7] The album was released the next day.
On January 29,2019,the band announced their initial concert tour of the United States and Europe along with releasing a music video for their initial single,"Dylan Thomas",directed by Michelle Zauner of the band Japanese Breakfast. [8]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10 [9] |
| Metacritic | 78/100 [10] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The 405 | 7.5/10 [11] |
| Clash | 8/10 [12] |
| Consequence of Sound | B [13] |
| DIY |   [14] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 [15] |
| The Guardian | [16] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10 [17] |
| NME | [18] |
| Pitchfork | 7.7/10 [6] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
Better Oblivion Community Center has received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications,the album received an average score of 78,based on 24 reviews. [10]
Writing for Rolling Stone ,Will Hermes said,"The duo harmonize beautifully,Oberst's voice often just a brooding floorboard creak behind Bridgers' brightly bloodshot confidences". [5] David Sackllah of Under the Radar said,"This is a cohesive,creative,and multi-faceted record that will over-joy fans of both artists while offering the spark of magic that so rarely comes with these kinds of collaborations." [19] Sam Walker-Smart of Clash praised the album,stating "its depth,brave sonic choices and chemistry make for a near perfect record. Rather than sticking purely with the sad acoustic vibes,the album effortlessly blends country,electro elements and alt-rock with ease. It's as if the LP was simultaneously recorded in 2018,2007,and 1993,a tonal greatest hits of hard-hitting emotion and fist-pumping fun." [12] Sarah Murphy of Exclaim! gave the album 8/10,stating "The best parts of the album... are the moments where it doesn't sound exactly like anything either artist has released before." [15]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exclaim! | Top 29 Albums of 2019 (Mid-Year) | 9 | |
| Stereogum | Top 50 Albums of 2019 (Mid-Year) | 14 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Didn't Know What I Was in For" | 4:03 | |
| 2. | "Sleepwalkin'" |
| 3:12 |
| 3. | "Dylan Thomas" |
| 3:36 |
| 4. | "Service Road" |
| 3:44 |
| 5. | "Exception to the Rule" |
| 2:51 |
| 6. | "Chesapeake" |
| 4:04 |
| 7. | "My City" |
| 4:04 |
| 8. | "Forest Lawn" |
| 3:46 |
| 9. | "Big Black Heart" |
| 3:26 |
| 10. | "Dominos" | Taylor Hollingsworth | 4:32 |
| Total length: | 37:18 | ||
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [22] | 20 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [23] | 117 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [24] | 35 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [25] | 76 |
| UK Americana Albums (OCC) [26] | 2 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [27] | 4 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [28] | 23 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [29] | 18 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard) [30] | 7 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [31] | 2 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) [32] | 4 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [33] | 41 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) [34] | 5 |
| US Vinyl Albums (Billboard) [35] | 3 |
Conor Mullen Oberst is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, the Faint, Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Monsters of Folk, and Better Oblivion Community Center. Oberst was named the Best Songwriter of 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine.
Conor Oberst is the fourth solo studio album by Conor Oberst, of the band Bright Eyes, which was released on August 4, 2008 by Merge Records. The album debuted on the UK Albums Chart at #37 and reached #15 on the Billboard Top 200. It sold 98,000 copies in the US as of August 2009.
Taylor Hollingsworth is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and artist from Birmingham, Alabama. Hollingsworth is also member of Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band and Dead Fingers, and has toured with Conor Oberst, Maria Taylor, The Dexateens, Monsieur Jeffrey Evans and his Southern Ace's and Verbena.
Monsters of Folk was an American supergroup, consisting of Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, Will Johnson from Centro-matic and M. Ward, solo artist and half of She & Him. The band was formed in 2004 when the members were on tour with their respective bands and solo projects. After playing together both on-stage and backstage, they started working together on various material. Due to the members' main projects, Monsters of Folk did not finish their first album until 2009, and the self-titled album was released on September 22 on Rough Trade. It debuted at No. 143 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at 15. It also reached No. 3 on Top Independent Albums, No. 8 on Top Rock Albums, No. 7 on Top Digital Albums, and No. 6 on Top Alternative Albums.
Monsters of Folk is the self-titled first and only studio album by American indie rock band Monsters of Folk, a group that consists of the artists Jim James, Conor Oberst, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis. Originally slated for release in 2010, the album was released through Shangri-La Music and Rough Trade on September 22, 2009. "Dear God " samples Trevor Dandy's 1970 gospel song "Is There Any Love."
Broken Bells is an American indie rock band composed of artist-producer Brian Burton and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band The Shins. Broken Bells compose and create as a duo, but are joined by Dan Elkan and Jon Sortland when performing live. The previous live band included Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band sidemen Nate Walcott and Nik Freitas, and Jonathan Hischke and Dan Elkan, both ex-members of Hella. Following their 2010 self-titled debut album, the duo released an EP, Meyrin Fields, in 2011 and their second studio album, After the Disco, in 2014. In 2022 they released a third studio album titled "Into the Blue".
The Lion's Roar is the second studio album by Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. It was produced by Mike Mogis and features contributions from Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, Nate Walcott, and The Felice Brothers. The album was released on 18 January 2012.
Julien Rose Baker is an American indie rock singer and guitarist. Her music is noted for its moody quality and confessional lyrical style, as well as frank explorations of topics including Christianity, addiction, mental illness, and human nature. She has received six Grammy Award nominations and three wins as a member of Boygenius.
Phoebe Lucille Bridgers is an American singer-songwriter. Her indie folk music typically centers around acoustic guitar and electronic production, with melancholic lyrical themes. She has received four Grammy Awards from eleven nominations.
Stranger in the Alps is the debut studio album by American musician Phoebe Bridgers, released on September 22, 2017 by Dead Oceans.
Boygenius is the debut EP by American indie supergroup Boygenius, composed of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. It was released on October 26, 2018, by Matador Records.
Better Oblivion Community Center was an American indie rock superduo consisting of musicians Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers. They released their self-titled debut album on January 24, 2019, through Dead Oceans.
Revelations of Oblivion is the third studio album by death metal band Possessed. It was released on May 10, 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The album entered the UK Rock & Metal Singles and Albums Charts at #7 and the Billboard Top Current Album Sales chart at #59 in its first week.
Punisher is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, released on June 18, 2020, by Dead Oceans. It is the follow-up to her 2017 debut album, Stranger in the Alps. In the years prior to her sophomore effort, the California native also formed the bands Boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center.
The discography of American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers consists of two studio albums, nine extended plays, 20 singles, six promotional singles, and 12 music videos. She has also released one extended play as part of Sloppy Jane, two extended plays and one studio album as a part of Boygenius, and one studio album as part of Better Oblivion Community Center.
Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was is the tenth studio album by American band Bright Eyes. The album marked the band's first release in nearly a decade, following The People's Key in 2011. It was released by Dead Oceans on August 21, 2020, and it was their first album not released by Saddle Creek Records. The album was recorded at Electro-Vox and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles and ARC Studios in Omaha, Nebraska.
"Kyoto" is a song by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. It was released on April 9, 2020 as the second single from her second studio album, Punisher (2020). Rolling Stone, Billboard, Paste, Variety, Consequence of Sound, and The Line of Best Fit all ranked the song among the best of 2020, the latter placing the song atop its list. At the 2021 Grammy Awards, "Kyoto" was nominated for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.
Little Oblivions is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Julien Baker, released on February 26, 2021. Alongside the album's announcement, Baker released "Faith Healer" as the first single from the album. Little Oblivions is a departure from the acoustic alt folk of her first two albums. It features a full band sound, played almost entirely by Baker herself, with genres encompassing indie rock, alternative rock, emo, soft rock, electronic music, pop punk, post-rock, country, shoegaze, and slowcore. The album received acclaim from critics.
"I Know the End" is a song by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. It was released on July 29, 2020 as the fourth single from her second studio album, Punisher (2020). The song is a "three-part suite" that talks about depression, euphoria, and the apocalypse that culminates in a cathartic scream. It has been described as chamber pop, though Bridgers describes it as a "big metal song". Several of Bridgers' frequent collaborators are featured on the song, including Boygenius bandmates Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, Better Oblivion Community Center bandmate Conor Oberst, and Copycat Killer producer Rob Moose.
Muna is the third studio album by American indie pop band Muna, released on June 24, 2022. It is their first album as an independent artist, after they signed with Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory Records imprint in 2021. It was promoted with the singles "Silk Chiffon", "Anything but Me", "Kind of Girl", "Home by Now" and "What I Want". The album was met with critical acclaim upon release and became the band's first-charting album on the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart.
