I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning.

Q: Is this my third post in the last month about something involving Conor Oberst? A: Yes.
Q: Is he really that good? A: Yes.
Q: Do we get the point? A: Yes.

In the past week or two I've been looking to spend time again with one of Bright Eye's discs. Arbitrarily, I closed my eyes and clicked on one of their albums in my library and so began my most recent summer fling: one part of Bright Eye's 2005 double-disc release I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning.

The record begins with Conor Oberst narrating a story of an old man and young girl flying over the ocean on a plane when it ultimately begins to fall from the sky before flowing into "At The Bottom of Everything", a three-cord folk song which remains steadfastly sarcastic whilst commenting on American ideals. A theme that emerges throughout is loneliness, but not necessarily in the saddest of ways. Oberst's lyrics in "Lua" "We Are Nowhere and It's Now" display a sort of solace found in learning to be fine with being alone which, in a abstract way, is a very positive message. "Landlocked Blues", my personal favorite, showcases everything that makes Oberst so great. Featuring dreamy vocals from Emmylou Harris, Oberst is playful, moving, and passionate while touching on love, politics, and morality.

From start to finish I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning is a masterpiece and quickly making it's way up the ladder into my Top 5 albums of all time. You clap, stomp, and sing along ("Another Travelin' Song"), you cry ("Lua" "We Are Nowhere and It's Now"), you remember falling in love ("First Day of My Life") and, most importantly, you think ("Landlocked Blues, "Train Underwater" "At The Bottom of Everything")

Q: Should you buy this? A: Absolutely.



BUY

At The Bottom Of Everything (Album Version) - Bright Eyes

Land Locked Blues (Album Version) - Bright Eyes

"We made love on the living room floor
with the noise in the background from a televised war
And in the deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say
"If we walk away,they’ll walk away"
But greed is a bottomless pit
And our freedom's a joke we're just taking a piss
And the whole world must watch the sad comic display
If you're still free start runnin' away
'cause we're comin' for ya!"