Bright Eyes Five Dice, All Threes

Critic's Take

Bright Eyes’ Five Dice, All Threes finds its best tracks in the bruised but buoyant moments, particularly “Bells & Whistles” and the spectral centrepiece “All Threes”. Andrew Mueller’s tone is wry and classificatory, admiring the jaunty swing of “Bells & Whistles” while lingering on the elegiac minimalism of “All Threes” that reduces the record’s thesis to its barest, most haunting elements. He also praises the rowdy charm of “Rainbow Overpass” and the brass-streaked frenzy of “El Capitan”, arguing that these best tracks show Bright Eyes enjoying themselves again even as they gnaw at anxieties about what comes next. The result reads like a mid-life reckoning that still produces glorious, memorable songs, so searchers for "best songs on Five Dice, All Threes" will find those standouts clearly signposted in his review.

Key Points

• The best song is the centrepiece "All Threes" because its spectral minimalism encapsulates the album's thesis.
• The album's core strengths are its blend of anxious nostalgia and buoyant, well-crafted songs that mix elegy with rowdy moments.

Themes

Critic's Take

Bright Eyes's Five Dice, All Threes feels like a haunted carnival of feeling, where the best tracks - “Tiny Suicides” and “All Threes” - peak the record with aching vulnerability and surprising accessibility. Malin's voice lingers on Conor Oberst's bitter sincerity, the way “Tiny Suicides” courts mortality and “All Threes” (with Cat Power) offers safe, beautiful harmonies. The reviewer frames the album as challenging but rewarding, insisting listeners who commit will find nuggets of gold amid the maximalist clutter. This is a record that favors narrative and theatricality, and its best songs reward patience and emotional excavation.

Key Points

• The two-song run of "Tiny Suicides" and "All Threes" is the album peak because of vulnerability and accessible harmonies.
• The album's core strengths are its maximalist instrumentation and narrative storytelling that reward committed listening.

Themes

Critic's Take

In a voice that is weary, literate and slightly sardonic, Bright Eyes return with Five Dice, All Threes, an album where Oberst’s lyricism glowers and soothes in equal measure. The review insists the best songs are immediate: “Bells and Whistles” sets the thesis in a sanguine groove, while “Real Feel 105°” may be the emotional apex, the possibly best song on the record. Elsewhere, “Bas Jan Ader” and “Tiny Suicides” deepen the themes of fate, religion and self-destruction, making this the strongest Bright Eyes album in about 20 years. The tone is admiring and clear-eyed, privileging dense references and Oberst’s knack for turning private ruin into communal catharsis.

Key Points

• The best song is likely "Real Feel 105°" for its direct, eloquent fusion of the album's poetic images.
• The album's core strengths are Oberst's dense, referential lyricism and an unguarded exploration of fame, ageing and self-destruction.

Themes

Critic's Take

Bright Eyes returns on Five Dice, All Threes with an album that leans into chance and emotional rawness, and the best songs - “All Threes” and “Hate” - crystallize that approach. The record often feels like a live document, favoring first takes and improvisation over polish, which makes tracks like “All Threes” stand out for its jazzy piano and Cat Power vocals. Elsewhere, “Hate” is bleak and confrontational in a way that forces engagement, while “The Time I Have Left” benefits from Matt Berninger's duet and inventive production. Overall, the album reaffirms Oberst's role as indie's melancholic poet laureate while embracing rough edges that make its best tracks memorable.

Key Points

• “All Threes” is best for its jazzy piano and Cat Power vocal that deepen the album's emotional texture.
• The album’s core strength is its willingness to favor raw, first-take energy and emotional honesty over polish.

Themes

Critic's Take

Bright Eyes sound unmistakably like themselves on Five Dice, All Threes, even as they push into stranger territory, and the best tracks show why. The album’s heart is in “Bas Jan Ader”, a bittersweet look back made nearly definitive for the record, and in “El Capitan” where Oberst is sublime, Johnny Cash-steady and strangely accessible. You can also point to “Bells and Whistles” as an immediate hook after the dialogue intro, and the jazz-tinged “All Threes” underscores the band’s willingness to flirt with new sounds. This is Bright Eyes evolving, but still delivering emotionally smart songs with earnest charm that make these songs the best tracks on Five Dice, All Threes.

Key Points

• “Bas Jan Ader” is the album’s emotional core and defines its bittersweet, sanguine tone.
• The album’s strengths are thoughtful lyricism, genre-blending arrangements, and earnest, evolved songwriting.

Themes

Critic's Take

Bright Eyes’s Five Dice, All Threes feels like a book shoved into an album, and the best songs - “Tiny Suicides” and “All Threes” - are where that verbosity meets genuine feeling. Dale Maplethorpe finds “Tiny Suicides” sweet and sad, and praises “All Threes” for its harmonies and Cat Power cameo, which give the record its most human moments. Elsewhere small experiments - the turntable shocks in “Spun Out” and return in “The Time I Have Left” - are brief spells of musical excellence that break the album’s comfortable inwardness. Overall this is a poignant, occasionally overwhelming record whose best tracks reward patient listening rather than casual play.

Key Points

• ‘‘Tiny Suicides’ is best because its stripped-back vulnerability and restrained instrumentation let Oberst’s lyrics land emotionally.
• The album’s core strength is its ambitious, word-heavy lyricism and occasional inventive touches like turntables and classical guitar.

Themes

Critic's Take

On Bright Eyes' Five Dice, All Threes Conor Oberst oscillates between exuberance and ragged intimacy, and the best tracks - “Bells and Whistles”, “All Threes” and “Real Feel 105°” - exemplify that restless range. The record often returns to signature Oberst storytelling, with tenderness on “Real Feel 105°” and “Tiny Suicides” alongside ramshackle rock in “Bells and Whistles” and “El Capitan”. There are ventures into new territory too: the spacey “All Threes” (with Cat Power) and the giddy, record-scratching “Spun Out” keep the album thrillingly unpredictable. Overall, the album's moments of cohesion and spirited experimentation make these songs the best tracks on Five Dice, All Threes.

Key Points

• The best song is driven by notable guest vocals and spacey production, making “All Threes” stand out.
• The album's core strengths are Oberst's storytelling, varied instrumentation, and a balance of exuberant and ragged performances.

Themes