Somewhere between Bright Eyes and a Mystic Valley, Conor Oberst, the big-eyed (and bright-eyed, some might say) folk rocker from Omaha who is scheduled to perform tomorrow night at Pipeline Cafe, went solo without telling us.

Or maybe he's just solo for this record.

Whatever the case, Oberst hasn't released a solo album since 1993 (he was 13 at the time), instead choosing a career that saw him play with at least five different bands, including his most popular, Bright Eyes.

The band thing hasn't changed.

He may be solo, but he's still got backup — in the form of the Mystic Valley Band, which accompanies him on his latest self-titled album.

Recorded in Tepoztlan, Mexico, in a mountain villa studio created just for the purpose of making this record, "Conor Oberst" is everything we've come to admire about Oberst, the singer, songwriter, poet and, of late, outspoken political activist.

With his songwriting skills in sharp form, Oberst and band turned out a record that's mostly introspective folk rock with a bit of self-searcher wisdom, like when he says: "There's nothing that the road cannot heal."