Bright Eyes - Digital Ash in a Digital Urn

See paragraph one of I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. On Digital Ash in a Digital Urn Conor Oberst returns his acoustic guitar to its case in exchange for some studio time with his friends instead. For the most part, this album is an electronic experiment thanks in part to The Postal Service’s Jimmy Tamborello and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner. And for the most part it works well… The album cover art of Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, just like the songs it represents, isn’t nearly as simple as I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. At first blush, the faint sight of a flower is enveloped by blackness. Upon closer scrutiny, the image of a man spewing numerical digits into a toilet subtly overlaps the flower, proving that first impressions are not always what they appear to be. Lyrically, the two albums are similar. Conor Oberst’s longing for stability, honesty and human understanding is unquestionable. His confusion is best stated in “Time Code": “Death. Data Entry. Ant Hill Law. Encoded arc our common cause. Drink liquid clocks ‘till I see God. Crystal display. Can’t turn it off. Shh…shh…shh, don’t talk. Don’t Talk.” Musically, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn is percussion and keyboard heavy. The samples and programming used are not particularly novel, but the application of Conor Obert’s unique song writing skills to an electronic foundation is intriguing. “Arc of Time (Time Code),” “Take it Easy (Love Nothing),” and “Easy/Lucky/Free” are real gems. On these tracks, Bright Eyes sounds extremely comfortable conforming folk songs to an electronic medium. On “Down in a Rabbit Hole,” “Devil in the Details,” and “Ship in a Bottle” Bright Eyes does not quite find an equilibrium between the two genres, and the studio effects tend to overwhelm the vocals. Other notable tracks include: “I believe in Symmetry” and “Light Pollution.” In the former, sections of the song sound very familiar to Nena’s “99 Red Balloons." And the latter is a punk/folk/electronic hybrid. And just as first impressions may not always be what they seem, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn will likely keep the listener guessing… [www.saddle-creek.com]