Better Oblivion Community Center (album)

Better Oblivion Community Center is the debut studio album by American indie rock duo Better Oblivion Community Center, composed of Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers. The album by the duo was released on January 24, 2019, by Dead Oceans.[1][2][3]

Better Oblivion Community Center
Studio album by
Better Oblivion Community Center
ReleasedJanuary 24, 2019
Recorded2018
Length37:18
LabelDead Oceans
Producer
Conor Oberst chronology
Salutations
(2017)		 Better Oblivion Community Center
(2019)
Phoebe Bridgers chronology
Stranger in the Alps
(2017)		 Better Oblivion Community Center
(2019)

Background and recording

Bridgers and Oberst wrote and recorded the album in secret in Los Angeles in mid- to late 2018.[4]

Music and themes

The album is a loose concept album about the Better Oblivion Community Center, a fictional dystopian wellness facility.[5]

Release and promotion

The album had an elaborate rollout featuring cryptic brochures and a telephone hotline.[5] They performed "Dylan Thomas" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on January 23, 2019.[6] The album was surprise 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 a.k.a. Japanese Breakfast.[7]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[8]
Metacritic78/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
The 4057.5/10[10]
Clash8/10[11]
Consequence of SoundB[12]
DIY[13]
Exclaim!8/10[14]
The Guardian[15]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[16]
NME[17]
Pitchfork7.7/10[5]
Rolling Stone[18]

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.[9]

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".[18] 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."[11] 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."[14]

Accolades
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Exclaim! Top 29 Albums of 2019 (Mid-Year)
9
[20]
Stereogum Top 50 Albums of 2019 (Mid-Year)
14
[21]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Didn't Know What I Was in For"
4:03
2."Sleepwalkin'"
  • Oberst
  • Bridgers
3:12
3."Dylan Thomas"
  • Oberst
  • Bridgers
3:36
4."Service Road"
  • Oberst
  • Bridgers
3:44
5."Exception to the Rule"
  • Oberst
  • Bridgers
2:51
6."Chesapeake"
4:04
7."My City"
  • Oberst
  • Bridgers
4:04
8."Forest Lawn"
3:46
9."Big Black Heart"
  • Oberst
  • Bridgers
  • Ben Walsh
  • Adam McIlwee
3:26
10."Dominos"Taylor Hollingsworth4:32
Total length:37:18


Personnel
  • Phoebe Bridgers - Vocals (1-10), Guitar (1,2,3,4,6,7,8), Baritone Guitar (9,10), Electric Piano (2)
  • Conor Oberst - Vocals (1-10), Guitar (1,2,4,7,8,9), Baritone Guitar (3), Piano (4,10), Keyboards (5), Whirly Tube (7)
  • Carla Azar - Drums (1,3,5,10), Percussion (1,10)
  • Anna Butterss - Bass (3,5), Upright Bass (10)
  • John Congleton - Synthesizer (3)
  • Wylie Gelber - Bass (2,4,7,8,9)
  • Griffin Goldsmith - Drums (2,4,7,8,9), Percussion (2,4,7,8,9)
  • Taylor Hollingsworth - Sampled Voice (10)
  • Christian Lee Hutson - Guitar (6,8), EBow (1), Pocket Piano (6), Tambourine (3)
  • Andy LeMaster - Bass (1), Pocket Piano (5), Mellotron (5), Synthesizer (1,5,6), Samples (10), Programming (5)
  • Marshall Vore - Percussion (9)
  • Nathaniel Walcott - Synthesizer (6)
  • Nick White - Keyboards (2)
  • Nick Zinner - Guitar (3,10)

Charts
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
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[26]
49
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[27]
18
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[28]
20
gollark: ”I have to agree“
gollark: I just get a "404 not found" page but I suspect it's some sort of weird local ipv6 address.
gollark: I need to test this. Please visit the following URL and tell me what it says: http://[fdaa:bbcc:ddee:0:a2b3:ccff:feea:e38b]/
gollark: Anyway, skynet *can* "send files and receive" if you write code to do so.
gollark: I don't currently have one. If there's demand I'll make Chorus City Storage Units.

References
  1. DeVille, Chris (January 24, 2019). "Conor Oberst & Phoebe Bridgers Release Surprise Album As Better Oblivion Community Center". Stereogum. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  2. Schatz, Lake (January 24, 2019). "Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers release surprise collaborative album Better Oblivion Community Center: Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  3. Colburn, Randall (January 24, 2019). "Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers just dropped an album as Better Oblivion Community Center". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  4. Manno, Lizzie (January 24, 2019). "Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst Surprise-Drop New Collaboration Album, Better Oblivion Community Center". Paste. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  5. Sodomsky, Sam (January 25, 2019). "Better Oblivion Community Center: Better Oblivion Community Center Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  6. Serota, Maggie (January 24, 2019). "Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers Perform as Better Oblivion Community Center on Colbert". Spin. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  7. Trendell, Andrew (January 29, 2019). "Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst share 'Dylan Thomas' video and announce Better Oblivion Community Center UK and world tour". NME. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  8. "Better Oblivion Community Center by Better Oblivion Community Center reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  9. "Better Oblivion Community Center by Better Oblivion Community Center Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  10. Hakimian, Rob (January 29, 2019). "Review: With Better Oblivion Community Center, Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers have found a fertile middle ground for simple rock delights". The 405. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  11. Walker-Smart, Sam (January 24, 2019). "Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center". Clash. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  12. Sackllah, David (January 27, 2019). "Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst Prove a Natural Fit on Better Oblivion Community Center". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  13. Finn, Rachel (January 24, 2019). "Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center". DIY. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  14. Murphy, Sarah (January 24, 2019). "Better Oblivion Community Center Better Oblivion Community Center". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  15. Snapes, Laura (January 25, 2019). "Better Oblivion Community Center: Better Oblivion Community Center review – indie power combo". The Guardian. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  16. Lynch, Ben (January 24, 2019). "Behind the smoke and mirrors, Better Oblivion Community Center is a melancholic delight". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  17. Trendell, Andrew (January 27, 2019). "Phoebe Bridgers & Conor Oberst – 'Better Oblivion Community Center' review". NME. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  18. Hermes, Will (January 24, 2019). "Review: Better Oblivion Community Center Make Soft Rock For Hard Times". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  19. Hall, Michael James (January 28, 2019). "Better Oblivion Community Center: Better Oblivion Community Center (Dead Oceans) Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  20. {{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/exclaim_s_top_29_albums_of_2019_so_far/page/3%7Ctitle=Exclaim!'s Top 29 Albums of 2019 So Far|website=Exclaim!|date=June 12, 2019|accessdate=June 25, 2019}]
  21. "Best 2019 Albums So Far". Stereogum. June 11, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  22. "Ultratop.be – Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  23. "Dutchcharts.nl – Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  24. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  25. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  26. "Billboard Independent Albums". Billboard. March 23, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  27. "Top Alternative Albums Chart". Billboard. March 9, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  28. "Tastemaker Albums". Billboard. April 6, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
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