Bright Eyes

Editor's Review:

A prolific songwriter should be aware of both sides of the coin. On one side is the ability to stockpile copious amounts of material; the other side is realizing not everything you create will be especially brilliant. Bright Eyes - Conor Oberst's primary vehicle for documenting his discontent - has released a pair of albums; roughly 90 minutes worth of tearful music and froggy vocals. While unleashing this ruesome twosome might have proven disappointing as a whole (see Ryan Adams, late 2003), for the most part Oberst pulls it off without falling into the Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 hit-or-miss ratio.
One way he makes this work is by corralling his creations into two distinct camps. The songs comprising I'm Wide Awake…are built around acoustic guitars and spacious arrangements, its instrumentation used sparingly; Digital Ash…, on the other hand, takes a decidedly more electric, fleshed-out and rancorous approach, giving keyboards and electronically treated percussion and programming the spotlight amongst electric guitars, strings, horns, etc. Where the former takes cues from Pete Seeger in uncomplicated but well-spoken songs of anger and objection, the latter expresses itself with a flair for experimentation a la The Flaming Lips. But where Digital Ash…proves its merit track after track, highlighting Oberst's expanding musical palette while indulging his tired-but-true displeasure and self-pitying (see "Hit the Switch" and "Devil in the Details"), I'm Wide Awake…stumbles as often as it hits stride. Call me picky, but if you're going to write protest songs, perhaps you should protest something other than your own sadness or unfocused rants against society. Buckle down Conor, and keep your chin up.
- Maurice Spencer Teilmann
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Record Label Saddle Creek Released February 2005

Tracks I'm Wide Awake It's Morning At The Bottom Of Everything (with Jim James) We Are Nowhere And It's Now (with Emmylou Harris) Old Soul Song (for the New World Order) (with Emmylou Harris) Lua Train Under Water First Day of My Life Another Travellin' Song Landlocked Blues (with Emmylou Harris) Poison Oak Road to Joy Digital Ash in a Digital Urn Time Code Gold Mine Gutted Arc of Time (Time Code) Down in a Rabbit Hole (with Nick Zinner) Take It Easy (Love Nothing) Hit The Switch I Believe in Symmetry (with Nick Zinner) Devil in the Details (with Nick Zinner) Ship in a Bottle Light Pollution Theme from Pinata Easy/Lucky/Free (with Nick Zinner)

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