Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning (2005)I don't consider myself an audiophile by any means. I know enough to cringe a bit when a live performance is poorly mixed and when a song is un-mastered. But I'm also perfectly content with listening to my "free with purchase" iPod earbuds on the train or my shotty computer speakers. Not to mention I put up with some pretty bad sound at 90% of the venues in Phoenix.
The other night, however, I had decided I was going to revisit I'm Wide Awake It's Morning during my commute. I put on my earbuds as normal but something didn't feel right. I wanted more. I immediately knew that I should wait to listen until I got home and could put on my giant noise-canceling, world-canceling Skull Candy headphones. I shut down my computer and all the lights and let it sink in. And THAT felt right.
The ironic part about that is that of the two records Conor Oberst put out that day, this was the quiet record, and arguably one of his quietest to date. He released Digital Ash in a Digital Urn alongside this one, which got overall "meh" reviews but still gets a few spins at one of the hundreds of one-syllable hipster dance nights around the country (ie-Shake! Glam! ...to bad ironic is three syllables...) However this album not only kept the theme of Bright Eyes as we knew him, but was sort of the end of Bright Eyes as we knew him. He eventually ventured off into americana oblivion, crowding himself with so many guest players that you almost forgot he was out of his mind. ALMOST.
That's where this record kicks in. It starts with his trademark spoken-word intro, this one being decidedly the creepiest, something about a woman and a man and a plan crash and her birthday. He then, very casually, starts into the first track. Dude's nuts! This album feels much less of a nervous breakdown than his previous records, showing the change not only with his music but within him. The songs themselves are fairly subdued and beautiful at times, bringing in legends such as Emmylou Harris to layer over him. Lyrically it's as strong as he's ever been, with lines like "when you love something, give it away".
The thing I love most about this record, now being an Arizona transplant in New York, is the fact that this album takes place while Conor lived in New York, drawing reference to "some actors West side loft" and "so i couldn't come meet you in Brooklyn last night." It draws parallels to songs of Ryan Adams and Bob Dylan, providing the romantic illusion of New York City to the 00's generation of kids from the midwest.
Moving forward, Bright Eyes became nearly unrecognizable, sans Oberts signature voice quiver. This record may have been as perfect as he'd ever be, a short but powerful sister album that overpowered even the heavy electronica album in overall solid songwriting. His new stuff is too polished and this is a reminder that he can be allowed to be simple and vulnerable and twice as powerful without all the dazzle.
As he said himself in this albums closing track "Road to Joy":
"I could have been a famous singer if I had someone else's voice. But failure's always sounded better, so let's fuck it up boys, make some noise!"
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