Bright Eyes – ‘Five Dice, All Threes’ album review: a poetic blur
THE SKINNY: Bright Eyes’ newest endeavour, Five Dice, All Threes, feels less like something that should be listened to and more like something that should be read. It invites deep listening, as various themes are touched upon throughout this record that seems to dance around the lines of real and surreal, being both introspective for the band and a reflection of what’s happening in the world around them. It’s certainly an achievement, but it is often overwhelming.
Trying to extrapolate a specific feeling or meaning from a record that makes such an effort to force one down your throat is borderline impossible. At what point do words stop being poetic and start becoming a burden? When listening, it’s hard taking in a song sentence by sentence, as this doesn’t tend to be how we consume music, and the moment that the word-heavy nature of this album loses appeal, we’re left with a record that sometimes passes you by.
While it’s important to give listeners something of substance, which Bright Eyes certainly do here, it’s a big ask to slap a novel’s worth of lyrics in front of them and expect them to take it in, unphased, when an album offers little else to hook you in alongside it. Music has to be layered, which means instrumentation should be exciting and reflect what’s being said, innovative, and inconsistent.
That isn’t to say there aren’t some stand-out moments on the album. The songs ‘Tiny Suicides’ and ‘All Threes’ are deeply sweet and sad, by far some of the most emotive moments on the record. Not to mention there are some spells of musical excellence, such as the use of turntables in ‘Spun Out’ and ‘The Time I Have Left’, as well as the classical guitar in ‘Real Feel 105’.
Overall, this is a poignant piece of music that feels somewhat let down by how comfortable it becomes within itself. It’s less an album and more of a deep conversation that you zone out of. It’s a good piece of music, for sure, but it could be treated differently to make something that feels academic, or otherwise placated into a more palatable offering. This time, the brilliance of Bright Eyes sits in the middle.
For fans of: The elongated sentences of good old Proust. And guitars.
A concluding comment from a fan of long novels: “Few too many words for me.”
Five Dice, All Threes track by track:
Release date: 20th September | Label: Dead Oceans | Producer: Bright Eyes
‘Five Dice’: The opener isn’t a song worth reviewing but is instead a clip of quotes about dice taken out of context in a bid to build atmosphere. It works. There is certainly tension by the end of this track, and it’s difficult to feel anything other than excitement about what might come next. [n/a]
‘Bells and Whistles’: It’s tough describing the opening to this song as anything other than a bitter disappointment. That seems harsh, but the problem is that ‘Five Dice’ does a good job of building tension, and this track doesn’t capitalise on it. The strummed guitar that welcomes us feels anticlimactic and boring, causing the listener to indirectly zone out before the bulk of the track has even begun. [2/5]
‘El Capitan’: A folk-inspired instrumentation sits underneath poetic ramblings. I think this song is about a breakup, but amongst meaningless metaphors of weather, floods and paying the piper, it’s hard to follow. There are also mentions of the afterlife, though, so maybe it’s deeper than that, but this still highlights a recurring issue with this record. It’s unclear whether we are supposed to be following these words or not a lot of the time; if we are, they’re tough to keep up with; if we’re not, the instrumentation doesn’t offer much. [3/5]
‘Bas Jan Ader’: The title of this song takes its name from a 20th-century Dutch performance artist who ended his career by sailing into the Atlantic Ocean, never to be seen again. That story is much more interesting than anything this song has to offer, which blends into the background of the album slightly. [2.5/5]
‘Tiny Suicides’: This is a much more brooding song that acts as the first stand-out moment on the album. It feels a lot more vulnerable; we are given time to dissect the words being sung, and the instrumentation is stripped-back, made up of just a piano, light drums and an occasional electric guitar. It sounds sweet and sad. The disjointed outro with horns and some beat scratches adds to the uneasiness of the song. It’s a good track. [4/5]
‘All Threes’: Following a similar stripped-back feel to ‘Tiny Suicides’, this song uses harmony incredibly well. Cat Power helps with vocals and adds another layer to the track, which is pretty easy to become obsessed with. When Oberst’s often out-of-pitch vocals are paired with beauty, they can work incredibly well. This track is a testament to that, and it’s something that would have been nice to see a bit more on this record. [3.5/5]
‘Rainbow Overpass’: A complete change of pace as this song is a lot more upbeat and rock-heavy. It’s a shot of adrenaline, which is needed after the first half of the album, which, despite having its ups and downs, has all been relatively slow tempo. Having ‘Rainbow Overpass’ appear when it does was a good move. Although the song doesn’t offer a great deal in isolation, the energy is important when it comes to keeping a listener engaged. [3/5]
‘Hate’: ‘Hate’ probably has some of the best lyrics on the album. They follow a simple structure, but in doing that, despite them being heavy, they are easier to follow. It feels more like poetry, one with religious imagery, as Oberst picks out the flaws in the bible and the people who appear within. [3/5]
‘Real Feel 105’: Quite a classical-inspired song with some of the more stand-out instrumentation on the album. It feels like a glimpse into the past. When it forms part of this album, it lets itself down slightly, as we get glimpses of a beautiful track, but they are overpowered by vocals that are too loud, blasé and slightly non-sensical. [3/5]
‘Spun Out’: Although the track is over three minutes long and has plenty happening, the moment that will stick in your mind the most is the turntable breakdown that takes place almost halfway through the track. I’m not sure if this is a play on the title ‘Spun Out’ or if it was just a creative decision. Either way, it sounds pretty good and takes you by surprise. [4/5]
‘Trains Still Run On Time’: One of the more energetic songs on the album. It comes to such a crescendo that you would be forgiven for thinking it’s the last track. The song feels like a great place to end things, but in the same vein, it’s exciting having two more that act as an encore, especially in a moment where you feel so riled up. [4/5]
‘The Time I Have Left’: In complete contrast to ‘Trains Still Run On Time’, this song reverts back to the stripped-back moments on this album. Memories of ‘Tiny Suicides’ and ‘All Threes’ are invoked as the strange melancholic feeling is brought back. The song also gives us glimpses into other moments on the album that stood out, though, as the turntable is reintroduced, vocals are altered, and atmosphere is built. It feels like a roundup of everything we have heard. The screams of “Sha la la la la la” catch you off guard, pained and packed with meaning. [3.5/5]
‘Tin Soldier Boy’: The final song is slightly lacklustre compared to those which came before, but at the same time, it stays true to the building blocks of the album and so seems like a good place to call things a day. Strumming guitar, harmonica, and a barrage of lyrics see us out of an album of ups and downs, but that is generally something that deserves a repeat listen. [3/5]
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