Bright Eyes

Although singer-songwriter Conor Oberst, whose band shares this bill with Oakley Hall and McCarthy Trenching, has been called a genius repeatedly in recent years, that designation felt premature. He's certainly made interesting CDs, but his early efforts were more about establishing promise than fulfilling it. Likewise, his twin 2005 releases, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, didn't work together or separately well enough to justify hosannas. As a result, Oberst seemed on track to become a historical footnote rather than someone who deserved his own chapter -- at least until the appearance of Cassadaga, his latest album. The recording's sound is the most fully realized of his career, as witnessed by the thrilling sweep of "Make a Plan to Love Me." Yet songs like "No One Would Riot for Less," which have a dramatic solidity Oberst has only intermittently achieved in the past, are as striking as the sonics. Hard to say if that makes him a genius. Still, such a claim can no longer be dismissed out of hand.