Considered the next great songwriter of his generation, Conor Oberst and his band Bright Eyes brought their expansive and messy vision to life 20 years ago with I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, which captivated listeners then as it surely will now.
Already on his third proper release, Oberst, with Bright Eyes, recorded Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (2002) at 22 years of age, which today still seems like a monumental feat it was back then. With Lifted, Oberst took the next logical step in his development, with more sophisticated production and his best work—not to mention some of his best songs in “Method Acting”, “Lover I Don’t Have to Love”, and “Bowl of Oranges”—to match. Bright Eyes, which now included the core trio of Mike Mogis (producer, multi-instrumentalist) and Nate Walcott (multi-instrumentalist), seemed poised to become a household name, and that effectively happened with a pair of concurrent releases in I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (2005) and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (2005).
In the mid-2000s, many groups moved away from the double album format. If an artist could not help but carry their excessive vision forward, it would be better to keep it down low. Thus, Bright Eyes released two separate records simultaneously, which seems more exorbitant. Even if bands had been releasing multiple albums in the same year for decades, something that has become commonplace with groups like Guided by Voices, Radiohead were the first to acknowledge this new intentionality on Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), ignoring the fact that they were released seven months apart. Regardless, a new precedent was set.
In the case of I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, the albums were very different sonically, as the former reflected what fans had come to expect from Oberst’s folk take on emo, whereas the latter incorporated dispassionate electronic textures that highlighted our human frailty. It was a bold statement from Oberst, an artist already tapped to be the next spokesperson of his generation, a warbled voice for the people, if you will. I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning displayed Oberst’s songwriting talents that seemed to have fully ripened, whereas Digital Ash in a Digital Urn contained moments of brilliance but also some missteps, serving as an important but unique offering in Bright Eyes’ discography.
Even if the records were released together, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning got top billing from most media outlets, as it was the more palatable of the two. The album incorporated themes reflecting Oberst’s maturity at a young age, similar to artists like Bob Dylan or (Whiskeytown-era) Ryan Adams before him. He came across as somebody equal parts sensitive and world-weary, qualities that have stayed with him in the decades since. It offered credence to have singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris complement his vision and Jim James, a then rising star in alternative country, join him as well. But Bright Eyes no longer needed a leg up to gain recognition, as they merited plenty of press around this time.
Bright Eyes’ music is deeply personal, as the content often deals with interpersonal interactions and inevitable failings. The tone can be spiteful at times but inquisitive as well, as in “We Are Nowhere and It’s Now”, featuring Harris. Oberst sings, “If you hate the taste of wine / Why do you drink it ’til you’re blind? / And if you swear that there’s no truth and who cares / How come you say it like you’re right?” Beyond the singer’s puzzlement lie deeper, more cosmic questions about God and salvation. Such contemplation leads to the understanding that meaning can be found all around us, whether it’s stars we see that have been dead for years or a pin that’s worn for good luck.
Here and on Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, Bright Eyes wrote from the perspective of a mid-20s musician who had outgrown the Omaha, Nebraska indie music scene. He now had ready access to alcohol, drugs, and other sources of pleasure but was also jaded by them. In “Landlocked Blues”, he sings, “I feel more like a stranger each time I come home / So I’m making a deal with the devils of fame / Sayin’ let me walk away, please.” Those late-night tales are painted so that the chemicals are not the focus, just details to complete the scene. Lead single “Lua” is often reduced to a song about drugs, but similar to the Verve classic “The Drugs Don’t Work”, even if drugs do feature prominently, the song is about so much more.
Over some sparse guitar chords, Oberst offers a tale of modern-day star-crossed lovers who are doomed not so much by tradition but by fate, which is another central theme in these works. The two people seem destined for a random hookup, assuming they can stay awake after connecting over a seemingly endless supply that dwindles by morning. It captures the grittiness of the disease (“it takes one to know one, kid, I think you’ve got it bad”) and discerns regrets that will surely arrive in the sober light of day; however, the primary condition is the pain they share. This sense of despair permeates everything but is beautiful nonetheless, nowhere better captured than in the lyrics, “We might die from medication, but we sure killed all the pain”.
In I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, Bright Eyes move fluidly from large-scale issues to internal crises. Set in New York City, “Train Under Water” finds Oberst searching while the world appears to be waiting for the next catastrophe. That lingering sense of dread colors everything, but life remains relatively mundane and calls for civility by way of a warm greeting (“And I will say peace / To the people I meet”) or a sense of gratitude (“And I will say thanks if you’re pouring my drinks”). The traditional country outro, while out of place in the big city, adds a touch of Southern charm. In “Poison Oak”, featuring pedal steel guitar, the speaker recounts a childhood filled with complex issues but acknowledges that he was young enough to still believe in war.
The record included activist themes against George W. Bush’s war on terror, which makes sense considering Oberst completed the Vote for Change tour with Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M. Those convictions were best displayed on the iTunes download “When the President Talks to God”, which—much to Jay Leno’s chagrin—Oberst played on The Tonight Show instead of a track from either record. “Land Locked Blues” contains images of making love against the backdrop of a televised war, and “Road to Joy” describes reading the body count in the paper, followed by the send-up, “So when you’re asked to fight a war that’s over nothing / It’s best to join the side that’s gonna win.” Following a long line of musical satirists, Oberst proved he could use hyperbole to perfection.
Bright Eyes’ anti-war sentiments are timeless but also occur during a specific moment in history. The mid-2000s politics of fear worked to stifle criticism on every front. That was a period when patriotism essentially meant being anti-Muslim and speaking out against the conflict was considered anti-military. The climate was such that counterculture no longer carried innate value, as Wilco experienced when they released “War on War” as a single in 2002. Compound that with the fact that limited media outlets had the power to control an artist’s destiny. Indie acts like Bright Eyes had to walk a fine line between confronting the dominant hegemony and adhering to the status quo when being labeled an agitator no longer held the same reverence.
At its core, I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning is a much fuller representation of disenchantment than protest music. Oberst created a sense of nostalgia through simple scenes, like two people waiting for an image to blossom in a dark room, on “Old Soul Song (for the New World Order)”. He was also able to pen one of the most romantic songs of his generation in “First Day of My Life”, revealing the stark reality that “I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you.” There was a nod to rambling and the freewheeling American spirit on “Another Travelin’ Song” but one littered with disconnection and darkness. In other words, I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning was a complex statement that can be hard to pin down but is still profoundly felt.
By comparison, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn sounds sterile, with its thin beats and static-y take on indie rock’s electronic crossover subgenre. Oberst admitted as much in “Easy/Lucky/Free” when he sings, “But it’s all I’m doing now / Listening for patterns in the sound / Of an endless static sea.” The record is more emotive by nature, as it relies on provocative lyrics over relatively simple arrangements. However, themes of forlorn love, alcohol abuse, and emptiness can only take the LP so far.
“Hit the Switch” is a perfect example, as it begins with a dreamlike sequence about drinking until the singer becomes deadened to those around him. That is followed by a nightmarish guitar solo, with a sound similar to Hope of the States, that leads to contemplation about cutting out the booze along with the stark reflection: “Sometimes I pray I don’t die / I’m a goddamn hypocrite.” Similarly, “Arc of Time (Time Code)” and its musings on mortality feature guitars that attempt to give the track some life, but they don’t quite mesh with the punctuated percussion, signaling that the album occasionally misses the mark.
On the other hand, “Gold Mine Gutted” is a standout that works to perfection within the confines of the style, with its synthesized keyboard, simple drums, and scattershot beat. Take that tune and other essential cuts, like “Down in a Rabbit Hole”, “I Believe in Symmetry”, and “Easy/Lucky/Free”, and Bright Eyes proved they could employ a winning formula. Just as their choice to feature Harris and James on I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning was a brilliant move, enlisting Jimmy Tamborello (The Postal Service) and Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) on Digital Ash in a Digital Urn proved equally sagacious. In retrospect, Zinner probably impacted the record more than many realized at the time.
One overarching critique is that Digital Ash in a Digital Urn feels claustrophobic, partially due to the album’s basic electronic foundation but more often from the tales recounted. The lead single “Take It Easy (Love Nothing)” recalls a miscalculated one-night stand with a friend, causing the singer to build a wall through his songwriting, forever possessing the tryst. In addition, “Ship in a Bottle” offers one of the most uncomfortable moments in Bright Eyes’ catalog, with the lyrics “I wanna be the surgeon that cuts you open / That fixes all of life’s mistakes” and “I wanna be a shower in the morning / That wakes you up and makes you clean.” Such intensity sounds threatening, which doesn’t even address the baby crying in the background.
Similar to I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, fate serves as a unifying theme on Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. Oberst appears consumed with the idea of fatalism and what role—if any—he has in determining his future. “I Believe in Symmetry” contains the poignant lyrics: “I just got myself to blame / Leave everything up to fate / When there’s choices I could make”. By observing the elemental nature of a blind insect, Oberst comes to equate fate with faith and realizes there is happiness in death. It’s a dark thought for an altogether dark album, but the jubilant orchestration suggests that life still provides plenty worth celebrating.
Both albums can be lauded for their clarity of vision. I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning begins with “At the Bottom of Everything”, which features the story of two strangers on a plane, a woman flying to meet her fiancé and the man next to her only concerned with ordering his next drink. Following engine failure, the man offers the woman comfort (or is it the other way around?) by posing as her father and making her believe they are going to her birthday party. Here and elsewhere, I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning asks listeners to suspend their disbelief that while things personally and politically may be dire, there remains something as bold as hope. This duality can be heard later in the song with the image of his mother watering plants and his father loading a gun, the herculean effort to give life and the hasty decision to take it away.
Conversely, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn completely tears down the curtain that separates what’s real from fiction. In “Light Pollution”, Oberst introduces John A. Hobson, a man who is skeptical but optimistic, leftist but practical, but who loses all sense of self in the unemployment line. After the ultimate societal rejection, he drives beyond the sprawl and fake symbolism to his demise. That sense of desolation is especially evident when it comes to relationships.
Egocentricity comes to ruin who you love on “Gold Mine Gutted”; seeing their doomed future together, the singer poses a clean cut, like an 8-ball. In this manner, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn stands as the nihilistic counterpart to I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning’s idealism. Even if it is a bit messy in places—juxtaposed with the totalitarian symbolism of computer code and the police state—the record displays those stains without apology.
Twenty years after the release of these two records, it’s easy to determine which record had the more lasting impact, as I’m Wide Awake This Morning remains a seminal work of Americana; it contained some of Bright Eyes’ most celebrated hits, and it better encapsulated the climate of the era. There are plenty of fans out there whose allegiance lies with Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. In feeble attempts to be a non-conformist, I was once one of those listeners, and I still have a great affinity for many of the tracks here. However, I’m Wide Awake This Morning is objectively a better record and finds Bright Eyes during an unmatched period of their career.
As a package, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn offer precise representations of their meaning. I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning’s features Zack Nipper’s beautiful patchwork cover art that signifies life and rebirth in a fabricated way. Meanwhile, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn displays a man vomiting code in a toilet on one side and a bee pollinating a flower on the other (the CD included a quasi-Rorschach test of both in a navy jewel case).
Together, the albums prove there is more than one way to restore all that’s wrong with the world and inside of oneself. Separately, the records work well (with a somewhat lopsided debate on which LP is stronger), but together, they serve as Bright Eyes’ grandest statement and one with staying power, a set of music that proves perfection is largely insignificant when it comes to soundtracking the discontent that people did and will inevitably face.