so, Digital Ash... and I'm Wide Awake... come out next tuesday. of course, some of us already have the albums in digital format. so let's hear what everyone thinks.

as for me, i feel about the collection of both albums in the same way that i feel about all of bright eyes' material. there's a several great songs, many good songs, a few that fall flat. i don't wish he had put the best of both cd's on one and tried to make it work, given the stylistic difference. but i'm definitely glad i didn't buy them, so that i don't feel like i payed double for what is essentially one very good album's worth of music.

anyone else?

p.s. downloading is illegal and is subject to fines.

"Fevers and Mirrors" made me want to throw myself in front of a train, so I haven't really listened to anything else by Conor Oberst since then.

Should I reconsider?

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Just to PISS everybody off, I'll be buying them (I haven't bought anything for 75 days.) Why begrudge me, I'm a fan? I don't bitch at all of you about the sorry shit you like!

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Originally posted by flem_snopes:
"Fevers and Mirrors" made me want to throw myself in front of a train, so I haven't really listened to anything else by Conor Oberst since then.

Should I reconsider?

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The Bright Eyes stuff I've heard was annoying, but the cultish fan base is even more annoying. I'm sick of the whole emo kid vibe. Boo hoo. You're a sensitive upper middle class white kid with girl troubles.

That being said, I'm going to give Bright Eyes another chance. I'll check out the new records and see if I like them more this time around...

well....they are good, so if you are a fan, you should buy them.

but if you are merely an interested party (who may or may not have an issue with publishing deal connor has with Sony) you should definitely check these records out over the wires. they sound somewhat different from his earlier work (eg Fevers and Mirrors) and should be listened to regardless of one's past experience/hatred.

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Originally posted by philosopherEric:
The Bright Eyes stuff I've heard was annoying, but the cultish fan base is even more annoying. I'm sick of the whole emo kid vibe. Boo hoo. You're a sensitive upper middle class white kid with girl troubles.

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i don't really think this is all connor is as a songwriter, and it doesn't really take much listening throughout his various projects over the years to see this more fully.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: not eric,

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Originally posted by philosopherEric:
I'm sick of the whole emo kid vibe. Boo hoo. You're a sensitive upper middle class white kid with girl troubles.

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What that whole scene needs is a next-generation version of Jim Dandy Magrum.


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Is there in anyone in this conversation who actually likes Brights Eyes, if not it seems a little pointless. It's less like a discussion of the albums than a very Strokes-like, they've-gotten-to-much-mainstream-media-attention-backlash.

I've always found Bright Eyes albums uneven (maybe not Fevers & Mirrors so much), but I think that songs that really work are worth wading thru the other stuff. Also, did anyone listen to Lifted . . . "From a Balance Beam" is one of my favorite songs. And I'm pretty far from typical BE demographic,

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Originally posted by secondary modern:
Is there in anyone in this conversation who actually likes Brights Eyes, if not it seems a little pointless. It's less like a discussion of the albums than a very Strokes-like, they've-gotten-to-much-mainstream-media-attention-backlash.

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Obviously, you didn't really read what people were saying in this thread. not eric CLEARLY likes and defends Bright Eyes, as does mark f. flem_snopes and I were both unconvinced. And I'm not sure why a thread that involves criticism of a band is "pointless"...isn't that the point of criticism?

Moreover, since nobody in this thread has offered the complaint you claim we have (the too much media attention claim) as a reason not to like Bright Eyes, I'm not sure what your point is. My initial claim was that I didn't like the Bright Eyes songs I've heard and that I find the obsessive Conor fans (and the whole emo scene) annoying. I never said (nor did anyone else here) that I disliked Bright Eyes because they were getting too big. If you're going to criticize what people say, at least get what they're saying right.

And now I'll prove you even more wrong: I genuinely like Conor's public persona. All of the interviews I've read with him paint him as a really nice, fun, cool guy. He's done a good job keeping control of his record label amid a slew of major label offers, and I totally respect his songwriting deal with Sony: he can use that deal to keep control over his music and label. He's loyal to friends, family, and label mates, and I respect that.

It's for these reasons, and for fear that I might have missed something on my earlier listens, that I'm going to give the new Bright Eyes records a careful listen to determine whether or not my inital impression of them was a wrong one.

Ignoring the argument above, I'd like to say that these records are great. I got them early as part of the pre-order at Saddle-Creek. As a big Bright Eyes fan (And no, I'm not a sensitive suburban upper middle class white kid, I'm a city lower class asian kid, no thick rimmed glasses or small t-shirts, I promise), this new music is pure bliss.

Digital Ash in a Digital Urn is my favorite of the two, but I'm Wide Awake is certainly not bad. The split is interesting. It just seems like some songs are extra "rural" on I'm Wide Awake, or extra "urban" on Digital Ash. As in, it's like they used a drum machine on some Digital Ash tracks just to get it to sound more....digital.

But everything I love about the music is still there. The great lyrics, the harmony of all the different sounds, the sense of sincerity, the ability for it to never grow old no matter how many times i've listened to it, etc.

Just great great great. If you're into that kind of thing.

I dont like "Bright Eyes". I wont ever. There is nothing that Conor Orbrest can do to make me a fan. Hes a cool guy---Ive read the interviews, but emo is just not for me. I have friends who are "emo" and it sucks. Listen to Elliot Smith and Nick Drake instead (or as an accompaniment of) Bright Eyes....

Before I read this thread, I never thought of Bright Eyes as emo. Of course, I've only heard "Lifted etc.", so I still don't. That sounded like Bob Dylan with occasional Phil Spector production and more than a bit of pretentiousness, which I somehow found endearing. Report back next week.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark f,

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Originally posted by mark f:
Before I read this thread, I never thought of Bright Eyes as emo.

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I'm not absolutely sure what "emo" really is but I know what I think it is...it's usually the demographic of the fans that tips me off. I guess it's supposed to be the overtly sensitive-guy lyricism and the prentiousness ("literary" quality) of the lyrics. I found the production on Lifted to be distracting and overwraught. I hear that the new records are a little more low-key.

What REALLY intrigues me about Wide Awake is the Emmylou Harris guest vocals.

I look forward to your reports on the new records, mark. If you recommend them, I'll certainly give 'em a go. You haven't steered me wrong yet...although I never did hop on the Devendra bandwagon!

If anyone has any problem with it being too "Emo" (although that vague term is thrown in every direction), there ARE quite a few Bright Eyes songs that aren't all downers. "Bowl of Oranges" on Lifted is a wonderfully happy song, for example.

Mr.Sam, I'm just curious, if Elliot Smith was widely followed by the "Emo" crowd, would you listen to them? It just comes off like you dislike the scene/stigma that comes along with listening to bands like Bright Eyes (Which I agree with), instead of genuinely disliking how it sounds. Maybe i'm wrong.

Megatron caught Connor Oberst on Austin City Limits last week and his performance reinforced everything I already thought about him; he’s a delicate, awkward, corn-fed youngster who seems genuine and sincere, but the boy has no edge. Megatron is tempted to send a few Sebadoh albums to him for a lesson in personal/intimate indie songwriting that transcends mere teenage diary-scribbling. Until he adds a few years under his belt, he should stick to bedroom performances before his stuffed animals. Oberst scored a few points by bringing Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) onstage for a song, but James’ wonderful performance only enforced how weak Oberst’s material is in comparison.

i watched the austin performance as well, which i feel was quite good (the song with James was indeed the best...his voice is amazing). sometimes i wonder when people deride conor as "whiney emo boy" or as "having no edge" i cannot help but wonder if they have really listened to anything he has done. now, that austin performance (and both of theses album, for the most part, but esp I'm wide awake) lack what could be considered edge, just as his very early stuff was certainly whiney. but i love it when an artist (yes, artist) progresses. i've decided that i'm wide awake could in fact be my favorite bright eyes album. it's easily his most consistant work and it's no fluke that all the reviews and thusly the metacritic score reflect this (although the highs are not as soaring as Lifted). but in addition to the two styles seen in his two new albums, conor also released an amazing more rock or punk sounding album under the name Desaparicidos (i'm sure i misspelled that). this album certainly has all the edge and then some and completely explodes the whiney emo notion in one 40 minute swoop.

the point i'm making is that this new music is not meant to be the things people keeping complaing that they are. no, they are not rocking albums, and yes, he could seem a little whiney at times. but i dare say that everything you hear came from some intense calculation and there isn't a note that wasn't thought about or decided on (you can look at his past work for evidence of his calculating nature).

his performance was, just like i'm wide awake is, great, and was exactly as it was planned. too me, and i think to anyone who enjoys such music who OBJECTIVELY listens to this countrier, folkier side of bright eyes, he is pretty much one level below indie genious....which i guess makes him an indie stud.

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Originally posted by not eric:
his performance was, just like i'm wide awake is, great, and was exactly as it was planned. too me, and i think to anyone who enjoys such music who OBJECTIVELY listens to this countrier, folkier side of bright eyes, he is pretty much one level below indie genious....which i guess makes him an indie stud.

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The songs I've heard from "Wide Awake" are much better than the ones I've heard from previous albums. I like the Americana feel of the 3 new tracks I've heard, which will encourage me to pick up the new record. I was underwhelmed by the 3 tracks I heard from "Digital Ash" but they were still OK, but I may hold off on that one and focus my attention on "Wide Awake." The Gram Parsons comparisons he's been getting in recent press, though, seem a little off the mark, even with Emmylou on the record.

I will give these new records a much more objective listen than I would have now that I've heard some tracks that I like.

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Originally posted by IzzBob:
If anyone has any problem with it being too "Emo" (although that vague term is thrown in every direction), there ARE quite a few Bright Eyes songs that aren't all downers. "Bowl of Oranges" on Lifted is a wonderfully happy song, for example.

Mr.Sam, I'm just curious, if Elliot Smith was widely followed by the "Emo" crowd, would you listen to them? It just comes off like you dislike the scene/stigma that comes along with listening to bands like Bright Eyes (Which I agree with), instead of genuinely disliking how it sounds. Maybe i'm wrong.

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Yes, thats exactly what it is. If Elliot Smith was "emo" in the general term then, yes, I probably wouldnt give him a listen. Maybe Conor Obrest is the next Elliot Smith. Who knows? I'll give him another shot but I'll definately go into the listen witha huge unshakable bias. When I gave my "Dashboard Confessional"/"Story of the Year" sensitive male friend "From A Basement on the Hill" and told him "This is where it's AT!!" he said he didnt like it and pointed me towards "Bright Eyes". Now he might be right and Bright Eyes could be great but this guy doesnt have much musical taste so who knows...

A stunningly high 92 for "Wide Awake" put it (currently) at #8 all time on Metacritic. I wonder how that rating will hold...

I put both of the records on my computer today. I'll listen to them in the next few days and see if I come around to Bright Eyes.

Honestly, one thing that bugs me about the band..the name! It reminds me of the line from the song "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler...."turn around...brrriggghhtt eyes...every now and then I fall apart" so hilariously parodied in the movie "Old School."

My first impression is that I miss the visionary poet who composed and produced "Lifted". These albums are bland in comparison, at least up front. But another thing I noticed the second time around was how both albums had many of their best songs in the second half, so you can't just write them off as being a certain way part-way through. The verdict is still out. They are both good, but not up to the standards of "Lifted." At least not yet, to me.

P.S. I love how I don't attach baggage to artists/albums. (I don't have a choice.) No radio, no streaming, no videos, no internet research. Just "show me the music" X 2+!