DIGITAL ASH IN A DIGITAL URN by
BRIGHT EYES
Pet Sounds, 2005
Having established himself as a folk singer-songwriter of considerable
weight with 2002s--take a deep breath--Lifted, or the Story is in the Soil,
Keep Your Ear to the Ground, Conor Oberst takes the opportunity to
experiment here. Released simultaneously with the more conventional
follow-up disc, Im Wide Awake, Its Morning, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
sees the Omaha-based leader of Bright Eyes teaming up with a diverse set
of musicians that includes Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner for a
collection of songs that aim to recreate the alien landscapes of Radiohead
but more often come off sounding like midperiod Depeche Mode. --Aidin
Vaziri
Personal Review: DIGITAL ASH IN A DIGITAL URN by BRIGHT
EYES

The drum loop and synth-heavy instrumentation heard on most of the
songs on this album, simply doesn't work. And for the most part, this isn't a
major problem. All of Bright Eyes' typical stong points are present and
accounted for, here. Digital Ash... features stylish takes on simple folk
song structure, a level of personal honesty that is hardly replicated in the
best of Jackson Browne, and tight lyrics that constantly possess a certain
biting edge, while retaining tone within each song. Perhaps this album
would have received better reception if it had been released a few months
before I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, and under a different title. That way,
even though the unconventional instrumentation would have still been
recognised, the record wouldn't have so tempted critics to consider it a
throwaway, nonserious attempt at adding to the Bright Eyes canon. "Hit the
Switch" would have been a great title for this album, since the entire record
explores the themes outlined in that song.
In the song "Hit The Switch," Conor sings about the easy dismissability of
his friends, when the pattern which he had previously imposed on the
development of his relationship with them "all stops making sense." In the
song "Take it Easy (Love Nothing)," the narrator has accustomed himself
to using the phrase "Take it easy." when he wants to shame a potential
lover for having feelings for him, while if he were more honest, his
catchphrase would have instead been "I love nothing." And what is his
justification for having been driven to adopt this popular, yet subtly-
sociopathic attitide? Well, he was romantically rejected. Once. Poor him.
During many of these songs, Conor 'tells it like it is' in a way that he hasn't
since many of his early b-sides, like "A Perfect Sonnet," "Amy in the White
Coat," and "Soon You'll Be Leaving Your Man." Here, rather than focusing
on the finer points of emotion caused by feelings of being oppressed by
reality, the focus is specifically on personal disingenuity, and these songs
criticize it ruthlessly. This may be one of the weaker Bright Eyes albums,
but it is still solidly with five-star territory, and if you doubt it, pretend that it
came out under a different name, either before or after "I'm Wide Awake..."
and just listen to the songs, and to the album as though it were "the new
one."
Digital Ash... is a beautiful collection of insensitive music for sensitive
listeners. And if you enjoy any of the band's other albums, you should
discover that it truly does belong alongside them.
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