Nebraska

Bruce Springsteen recorded the songs for Nebraska on a four-track cassette machine, initially as material to take into a fuller band setting. The released record kept the small-scale recordings, whose limited sound leaves the stories unusually exposed. Guitar, harmonica and voice carry most of their weight.

“Atlantic City” gives a desperate decision a memorable refrain, while “Highway Patrolman” unfolds as a longer moral problem. The performances leave little space for easy reassurance. Their restraint makes the people inside the songs feel close rather than distant.