Bright Eyes
I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
Indie rock poster boy Conor Oberst foils himself on his two new full-length releases, “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning” and “Digital Ash in a Digital Urn.” The latter, a more complex endeavor, will serve as a nice fix for those disappointed by the delay of the follow-up album from Oberst’s other rock-heavy project, Desaparecidos. You’ll find a hint of Desaparecidos’ political heat on “Digital.” But some full-on string arrangements and tracks like “Arc of Time,” “Hit the Switch” and “Take It Easy (Love Nothing)” keep things engaging with energetic drum and keyboard parts. Both discs are replete with stories and gaping-heart emotion, but “Wide Awake” is laid-back and rambling with down-home guitar twang and alluring minimalism. Emmylou Harris’ vocals on “We Are Nowhere and It’s Now” are not to be missed.
Best tracks: “We Are Nowhere and It’s Now,” rich with truth and heart-wrenchingly beautiful. “Hit the Switch,” a frolic through alienation and self-discovery.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and Kris Karnopp ([email protected])