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Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors

Four and a half stars

Bright Eyes is the brainchild of Conor Oberst, a 20-year-old Nebraska songwriter who has already had a rich independent music career - he founded and fronted Commander Venus when he was just 14 years old.

Oberst's lo-fi aesthetic and interesting lyrics have invited comparisons to Pavement and labelmates Lullaby for the Working Class, but on his latest album, his intense melancholy calls to mind another songwriter - Nick Drake.

Oberst's voice is quavering and unsure; he sounds something like mid-period Cure frontman Robert Smith. The music is always interesting, and sometimes stunning - while mostly folk-based, unusual instruments weave into and out of the mix, and uncommon rhythms abound.

"The calender hung itself" features a mix of vintage keyboards and acoustic guitars over a driving gypsy drumbeat.

The lyrics are surprisingly sharp and mature, considering his age. Singing about alienation, guilt, bad relationships and an oddly precocious reminiscence, he sounds at once wise beyond his years, world-weary and yet romantic.

Fevers and Mirrors' sound is filled out by several other musicians, including the Mogis brothers of Lullaby for the Working Class, but the focus here is all Oberst. His voice lends the album a compellingly intimate quality, and the swirling music is often hypnotic.

Oberst is an almost unbelievably talented and ambitious songwriter for his age. Based on his track record thus far, he seems destined for brilliant songwriting, accomplished musicianship, and utter commercial failure.