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Better Oblivion Community Center
by
Better Oblivion Community Center Image
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 42 Ratings

  • Summary: The surprise release for the music project of Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst features contributions from Carla Azar, Anna Butterss, Christian Lee Hutson, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner as well as Dawes’ Wylie Gelber and Griffin Goldsmith.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Sputnikmusic
    Jan 25, 2019
    88
    It’s full of charming melodies, carefully placed harmonies, and biting lyrics from two of the most influential songwriters around. Some days you just get lucky.
  2. NOW Magazine
    Jan 31, 2019
    80
    Recorded last summer in Los Angeles, their debut 10-track album effortlessly showcases both Oberst’s and Bridgers’s strengths as songwriters who are unafraid of literate vulnerability as they explore subjects like loneliness, privilege and estranged family.
  3. The Skinny
    Jan 24, 2019
    80
    Better Oblivion Community Center isn’t an obvious step forward for either artist but it’s a generous and grounded collection of songs, showcasing the complementary talents of two of America’s most talented songwriters. By the crackling close of final track Dominos, you’re more than glad they opened their doors.
  4. Dusted Magazine
    Mar 6, 2019
    80
    They turn their wit into complex sentiments, making for an album that encompasses more than it delineates, even as the writing stays specific. Two voices don’t make for a proper community center, but they do make for something potent in a potentially bleak context.
  5. Pitchfork
    Jan 25, 2019
    77
    Better Oblivion is a collection of quiet, wandering thoughts: the sound of twin souls burrowing deeper into their common ground.
  6. Uncut
    Feb 22, 2019
    70
    If Better Oblivion Community Center has a recurring flaw, it's a reluctance to hit these higher gears more often, the best of BOCC, however, both earns its place in Oberst's already formidable canon, and further confirms Bridgers as an artist likely to assemble one. [Apr 2019, p.37]
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  7. The Guardian
    Jan 25, 2019
    60
    Their album is mostly the sum of its parts: hushed, literate songwriting where his boyish croak meets her anguished sweetness. Occasionally, subtle touches shift the atmosphere.

See all 24 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Ricko
    Dec 1, 2019
    8
    I've heard some of Conor Oberst stuff in the past and liked it. Never heard anything by Phoebe Bridgers before this. I quite liked this. BothI've heard some of Conor Oberst stuff in the past and liked it. Never heard anything by Phoebe Bridgers before this. I quite liked this. Both writers have voices that compliment each other and both obviosly have great ears for melodies. Lyrically and musically its a strong album. Yes, it's produced exceptionally well and this aspect of the album might compensate for others but for me the songs are good, its put together nicely and manages to maintain a consistant level of quality throughout. It's not going to be one of those albums that changed your life but its really enjoyable and that helps an album go along way for me.… Expand
  2. petrichor1975
    Jun 12, 2019
    6
    Connor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers’ debut record as Better Oblivion Community Center is an interesting listen, but it doesn’t really stand outConnor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers’ debut record as Better Oblivion Community Center is an interesting listen, but it doesn’t really stand out in the pantheon of new music. Most of the songs are very on-the-surface and bland, but at the same time, are enjoyable and may grab your attention with its interesting lyrical content. “Forest Lawn”, “Dominos”, and “Sleepwalkin’” are perhaps the most unique songs on the album, but it takes a while for you to see that they stand out.… Expand

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