Conor Oberst Salutations
Album stream , Mar 11, 2017

"The result is probably the best work of the singer’s career, a wide-ranging survey of contemporary shortcomings in which the frequent bursts of offhand spite and bitterness are perfectly balanced by the warmth of the folk-rock arrangements."

100 % The Independent (UK)

"Salutations expands Oberst’s raw scratch solo Ruminations’ 10 songs into a messier, more glorious celebration of squalor and self-indulgence with a self-loathing chaser."

91 % Paste Magazine

"It’s the sound of a gifted songwriter comfortable with his craft and in his own skin, offering glinting new facets to earlier sounds and the songs present on Ruminations, and it makes for a subtle, yet striking departure from everything that came before."

90 % Drowned In Sound

"Overall, Salutations might be slightly sprawling and lack a little of the focus of Ruminations, but it makes for a highly enjoyable companion piece."

80 % The Observer (UK)

"Releasing two similar albums in such close proximity might seem like a cynical attempt to double-down on the success of the first, but rather than feel like a re-release thrown together by label execs, these were the tracks as they should be; rich, nuanced, and steeped in major key melodies."

80 % DIY Magazine

"The result is rich and resonant, a testament to the power of communal music over solo soul-baring."

80 % AllMusic

"With a total of 17 songs and a runtime of over an hour, Salutations is Oberst's most ambitious album since his 2002 Bright Eyes masterpiece Lifted, and the best instalment in his solo discography."

80 % Exclaim

"Salutations is good, but it is apparent it could have been better. Rather than swing for the fences, Conor and crew settled for a base hit that didn’t move any runners on base."

75 % The 405

"As is often the case with Oberst, there are too any tracks, every half-thought included. It does allow a litany of references from Timothy Leary to Patti Smith, Heinrich Himmler, Sylvia Plath, Christopher Hitchens, and the Dalai Lama, however, and it doesn't matter too much anyway. Not when the Oberst and his merry players keep bringing the tunes"

75 % Under The Radar

"While gentler than its predecessor, Salutations is his bulwark against the tide, a warm record that offers calm in the cacophony, comfort in the struggle, the darkness amid the hope and the hope amid the darkness."

75 % Consequence of Sound

"Ruminations is essential, then; consider Salutations its eccentric cousin, often engaging and occasionally difficult."

70 % The Line of Best Fit

"Though Salutations is one of Oberst’s most demanding albums, it’s also one of his least ambitious, even before taking these new arrangements into account."

66 % Pitchfork

"With these band versions, Oberst seems more removed, drowned out by unnecessary country embellishments that only dilute the passion and emotion of the originals. That’s not to say these are bad, but they just aren’t quite as heart-stoppingly, heartbreakingly brilliant. Less, as it turns out, can be much more."

60 % Record Collector

"Ultimately, Salutations abandons the potent vulnerability found on the sparer versions of many of these songs, and muddies its tone with the uneven newer ones."

50 % Slant Magazine