Bright Eyes
The People’s Key (Saddle Creek)

For more than a decade, the words “Bright Eyes” have been scrawled in a million tear-stained journals. But although he may be idolized by a legion of despairing teenagers, band leader Conor Oberst appears to have finally quelled the angst that earned him unofficial title of emo’s floppy-fringed poster boy. The People’s Key contains little of the gloomy folk songwriting and lyrical self-flagellation that have characterized Bright Eyes’ oeuvre until now. For the most part, this 10-song set is downright sunny, with noisy rockers sitting alongside synth-laden, ’80s-tinged pop.

The biggest departure of the lot is “Jejune Stars,” which begins with a blitz of fuzzed-out guitars and fiery drums and then morphs into a bubbling, keyboard-spiked stomp that’s easily the most radio-friendly tune Oberst has ever penned. “Shell Games” is similarly cheery, with a gentle piano intro giving way to a dazzling dance-rock groove and, later, an atmospheric breakdown that’s composed mostly of ambient electronics.

These upbeat songs are interspersed with several spoken-word breaks from Texas musician Denny Brewer, who mumbles and drawls about everything from prehistoric alien lizards to the origin of the word pomegranate. His pseudo-spiritual claptrap is half-funny, half-creepy, and Oberst layers these contributions with cosmic synth tones and otherworldly effects. The interludes add a faint undercurrent of menace to the proceedings, but they don’t spoil The People’s Key’s buoyant mood. Oberst has said that this will be his last release under the Bright Eyes banner, which means we get a happy ending after years of melancholy.