Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

Conor Oberst is no idiot. Sometimes the keen ear grows weary of singer-songwriter folk, and other times the electronic bloops, loops and beeps of the studio magician can grow more annoying than an Atari soundtrack. With the release of I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, Bright Eyes ensures that you will always be listening to one of their new recordings. Creative overabundance or marketing savvy? You make the call… If you’re tired of laptop-generated sounds, try I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. The album cover art depicts Brooklyn row houses in the forefront with the sun rising above the New York skyline in the background. Through another set of eyes, the cover art could be viewed as the moon setting over the New York Skyline and a quiet Brooklyn avenue. Either way, in the city that never sleeps, “morning” is a very subjective term. On I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning Conor Oberst chronicles the dramatic existence of human life and human relations in New York City. This album remains true to the indie-country-folk identity Bright Eyes has worked so hard to develop. And Conor Obert’s voice is as shaky and emotional as always. The opening track, “At the Bottom of Everything,” begins with spoken word that erupts into an alt-country sing-a-long questioning the evolution of American priorities. “We are Nowhere and It’s Now” and “Land Locked Blues,” two of three tracks featuring Emmylou Harris, are haunted, alcohol-infused, soul searching ballads. Emmylou may be part of the supporting cast, but her symbolic role as the inflicted female in contrast to the lead male proves for every good man, there’s a good woman. “Lua” and “Train Under Water” make individualism attractive, as they dramatize the strained relationships that punish millions of New Yorkers. While most of I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning is gently intoxicating and seductively biting at the same time, “Another Traveling Song” and “Road to Joy” are beer drinking anthems to the forgetfulness of the past and the uncertainty of the future. Mr. Oberst bemoans that all is now and all is nothing as well. I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning is just as deceptive as the album cover leads you to believe. Just when you think Conor Oberst is welcoming the dawn of a new day, a second listen will make you think he is reflecting on the day that is coming to a soft end instead… [www.saddle-creek.com]