When I start listening to a band I typically don't get hooked that easily - and by 'hooked' I mean, "have to go out and buy more and more of their albums".

I have been hooked on such musicians as David Gray, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, Travis, Bob Marley, etc... Of course, I consider all mellow music inferior to David Gray, and musically and vocally Oberst is no where near as pleasing as Gray, however, his message is desperately meaningful.

With Oberst, there seems to be more relevance in his lyrics – more truth, more melancholy, more despair, more disgust. Maybe it is the timing of his arrival, in this exaggerated age of terrorism, corruption, confusion, propaganda and protest – maybe it’s just me. But his melodies are simple and spiritual, yet political, in a way that seems to question everything we were taught to believe - the delusions of the 'North American Dream' - the materialistic, sit-com society in which we live.

For some reason I can’t help but feel connected to his ideology – his apocalyptic, obnoxious, cynical view on today’s modern world, religion and government – and how it seems everyone is missing the point - why we are here and what’s really important. He comes across as the musician I’d like to be if I could be one - underground and virtually unknown to the masses, yet genuine, knowledgeable and outspoken. As if he knows something the rest of us do not. Or maybe he just vocalizes what the rest of us feel in our moments of uncertainty.

It’s easy to tell that his albums are independent recordings and far from major label productions. The songs are full of imperfections, but that’s part of the appeal - they are emotional and raw, and I like that realism. But what I like most is when I press play I feel like I am learning something – or reaffirming what I already know.

So go to Amazon.ca and buy the albums "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" and "Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil. Keep Your Ear To The Ground".......... In my opinion, the best songs are:

Lua, First Day of My Life, Road to Joy, Land Locked Blues, Lover I Don’t Have To Love, and Don’t Know When But A Days Gonna Come