Sound bites
By Daily Bruin Staff
Jan. 19, 2005 9:00 p.m.
Bright Eyes “I’m Wide Awake It’s
Morning” Saddle Creek Records
Until the release of “I’m Wide Awake It’s
Morning,” the frequent references to Bright Eyes’ front
man Conor Oberst as the new Bob Dylan in glossy rock magazines must
have been due to his tendency to write sprawling, seemingly endless
streams of lyric-driven verses and a voice that is untrained at
best. Oberst may not be taking up Dylan’s mantle yet, but on
the folksier half of the band’s new albums, Bright Eyes succeeds in
crafting an earnest, often beautiful collection of songs.
Oberst’s voice is still wavering and hesitant, but the
maturity brought about by an already long career of rock
histrionics has given him some restraint. His singing has never
been more tender than it is on “First Day of My Life,”
and more emphasis has been placed on the melodies. Bright
Eyes’ two new albums are divided neatly by genre, so each of
the 10 songs of “I’m Wide Awake It’s
Morning” fall well within folk and country territory. Emmylou
Harris’ contributions to “Landlocked Blues” and
other songs lend some authenticity to the foray into the land of
pedal steel guitars and Carter Family chord progressions, despite
her contrast with Oberst’s vocal awkwardness.
“I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning” is Bright
Eyes’ most straightforward, enjoyable album yet, with songs
shorter and less aimlessly meandering than those of
“Lifted” and with none of the faux pretentiousness of
the marred “Fevers And Mirrors.” Oberst performed solo
versions of several of these songs for his last appearance on
KCRW’s Sounds Eclectic program in April 2003, and thankfully,
they remain stripped down, focusing the spotlight on the
songwriting. Both this album and “Digital Ash In A Digital
Urn” clock in around that optimal 45-minute mark, a relief
after the epic length of 2002’s “Lifted.” The
uniformity of style, along with the focused songwriting and
manageable track times, makes listening almost too easy at times.
“Another Travelin’ Song” bears more than just a
passing resemblance to Counting Crow’s “Mrs.
Potter,” not exactly the most avant-garde of influences, and
shadows of Ryan Adams aren’t far behind. Like Adams, Bright
Eyes still plays songs about drinking and being phenomenally
depressed, and the album is not without its moody moments.
“The sound of loneliness makes me happier,” laments
Oberst in “Poison Oak,” but the impact of the lyrical
blows is softened by acoustic guitars and the omnipresent pedal
steel. Releasing two self-contained albums in a day is an ambitious
endeavor, and that their quality ranks among the best of Bright
Eyes’ career finds Oberst finally big enough for his
critically lauded britches. Just remember, when Dylan was 24,
he’d already recorded “Like A Rolling Stone” and
carved a new face on the Mount Rushmore of rock music. New Dylan or
not, the new Bright Eyes has enough strong moments to carve out a
place in listeners’ hearts. -David Greenwald
Bright Eyes “Digital Ash In A Digital Urn”
Saddle Creek Records
The teary-eyed teenagers who live by Oberst’s band name
aren’t going to like this album. Acoustic guitars are mostly
absent, a space-age drum kit has replaced the marching band and
keyboards and amplifiers dominate. Bright Eyes fits easily into its
new electric vehicle, a hybrid of lush rock arrangements and the
occasional backward glance at Oberst’s singer-songwriter past. The
production is the sharpest and cleanest of Bright Eyes’
career, without the cavernous reverb or low fidelity of his
previous work. Oberst’s producers and collaborators, for the
most part members of Saddle Creek Records, remain the same as ever,
so perhaps the shiny new Bright Eyes is due to Oberst’s
increasing age or newfound confidence. Regardless, the
experimentation works, and “Digital Ash In A Digital
Urn” matches the traditionalist album “I’m Wide
Awake It’s Morning” with its inventiveness. The
arrangements of past Bright Eyes albums have often seemed like an
afterthought, while this album couldn’t be more structured.
Though the songs of Bright Eyes usually sound loose and
improvisatory, “Digital Ash In A Digital Urn” is its
first truly studio album, with the playing of their collaborators
airtight. “Take It Easy (Love Nothing)” comes with
Postal Service-safe beeps and beats direct from Jimmy Tamborello,
the duo’s electronic half. Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
is featured throughout, leaving distorted guitar lines everywhere.
“Devil In The Details” is particularly strong, a piano
ballad with moments of delicate acoustic guitar, and album closer
“Easy/Lucky/Free” makes for one of Bright Eyes’
best songs, with its swooning Luna-like guitars and steady
synthesizer rhythms. Not every song in the “Digital”
style is successful, though. “I Believe In Sympathy”
would have worked better as a folk ballad than as a cluttered
Flaming Lips-style track. The lyrics throughout are no less
startling for their immersion in sonics. “I hear if you made
friends with Jesus Christ/ You will get right up from that chalk
outline,” Oberst harmonizes on “Arc of Time.”
“Hit The Switch” is the closest thing to a
“standard” Bright Eyes song, self-deprecating phrases
and all. Oberst’s words are serious in spite of their flashy
context, though for once he’s pulling for optimism. “If
your thoughts should turn to death/ Gotta stomp ’em out/ Like
a cigarette,” he sings in the otherwise foreboding
“Down The Rabbit Hole.” The electric half of the new
Bright Eyes albums is a definite change, and one for the better.
Oberst is ready to step out of his and perhaps his audience’s
comfort zone, and, after 11 years of recording, it’s about
time. While “Digital Ash In A Digital Urn” may sound
alien at first, it’s satisfying to know Oberst is willing to
challenge himself beyond the craft-honing found on “I’m
Wide Awake It’s Morning.” A country-influenced album
from Bright Eyes was probably inevitable, but this one is not, and
that, along with Oberst’s continued songwriting prowess,
makes it the more impressive of the duo. -David
Greenwald
