Read Music/Speak Spanish

(Saddle Creek)

Singer/songwriter Conor Oberst is a bit of a prodigy. He started his first band at 14, recording two albums before his 16th birthday. Under the name Bright Eyes, he garnered widespread fame before he was old enough to vote. At 21, he shows no signs of letting up: The Desaparecidos, Oberst's fourth and latest band, is winning critical acclaim for its crunchy post-punk.

Of course, opinions are divided. Oberst has long been an artist who polarizes his listeners. To some, the raw vocal style and self-revelatory lyrics can invite comparisons to Nick Drake, Mark Eitzel or even Bob Dylan. To others, Oberst is a mopey, self-obsessed kid with a knack for wordplay, riding an undeserved wave of hype.

Read Music/Speak Spanish, the Desaparecidos' debut album, will lend ammunition to both camps. Oberst's wrenching vocals are as unpolished as ever, and some unfortunate lyrics about how the critics won't appreciate his return to rock music suggest that all that attention is starting to go to his head.

Delusions of persecution aside, however, this is a very solid release. Oberst turns away from his own emotions, casting a perceptive and scornful eye toward the negative side effects of America's obsession with money, from strip malls and sprawl to ruined marriages and unsatisfying lives. The change of focus is fortuitous, revealing Oberst as a songwriter with much more on his mind than adolescent self-pity. The best tracks here, like "Ma–ana" and "Man and Wife, The Latter," are artful indictments of a society so fixated on growth and financial gain that it doesn't recognize the growing seeds of its own destruction. These are heady rebel anthems, resonating with rage and emotion.

The Desaparecidos perform tonight at Solar Culture, 31 E. Toole Ave. Call 884-0874 for more information.