Singer-songwriter Conor Oberst'sÂ new solo album,Â Upside Down Mountain, is out on May 19, 2014, via Nonesuch Records, with vinyl out May 30.Â

Upside Down Mountain features many other friends of Oberstâs, including producer Jonathan Wilson, engineer Andy LeMaster, bassist Macey Taylor, multi-instrumentalist Blake Mills, and the Swedish sibling folk-rock vocal duo First Aid Kit. What started as exploratory demos with producer-musician Jonathan Wilson at his Fivestar Studios in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, in a home Wilson rents from Oberst, became the first de facto album sessions. Returning to his native Omaha, Nebraska, Oberst kept rolling with the help of frequent collaborator, engineer, and friend Andy LeMaster at his own ARC Studios. Even more tracking followed in Omaha last November and December. Then Oberst and Wilson moved south to Blackbird Studio in Nashville.

âThis is a return to an earlier way I wrote,â Oberst says of the songs on Upside Down Mountain. âItâs more intimate or personal, if you will. Even if all my songs come from the same place, you make different aesthetic decisions along the way. For me, language is a huge part of why I make music. Iâm not the greatest guitar player or piano playerâIâm not the greatest singer, eitherâbut I feel if I can come up with melodies I like that are fused with poetry Iâm proud of, then thatâs what I bring to the table. Thatâs why Iâm able to do this.â

The vinyl, pressed on a single 140-gram vinyl at Pallas MFG in Diepholz, Germany, includes the complete album on CD.

Prior to the album release, a limited-edition seven-inch single was released exclusively for Record Store Day (Saturday, April 19). This special single features album track "Hundreds of Ways" along with album outtake "Fast Friends" on the B-side.Â