I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning

im weak

I enjoyed this more than I expected to.

Another one I have wanted to get into more than I have had success with. Conor Obherst just seems slightly overrated to me. 2.5/5

A very millennial coded album, and probably the definitive indie folk album of the 00s. Bright Eyes play jangly jovial folk over anxious lyrics that go through a wide range of emotions, mostly about passionate love. The main songwriter - Conor Oberst - seems to be lumped in with all of the other depressing indie folk artists, and while I can see that perspective I think he has a certain level of hope and optimism that sets his music apart.

Despite being folk, most of these songs have well crafted pop hooks. You can groove along to most of the album without focusing on the lyrics too much (but you should!) which is an understated quality to Bright Eyes' music. First Day of My Life was even a pretty decent radio hit from what I remember! There's also a healthy dose of country music in here giving all the songs a grounded rustic americana kind of feel.

Also is it just me or is he drunk during the spoken word segment at the start of the first song?

Should it be on the list: Yeah I think so. I would definitely add it, it's one of the finest indie folk albums of the 00s and has been influential.

Top 3 songs: At the Bottom of Everything, First Day of My Life, Road to Joy

This band reminds me a lot of Passenger. Indie folk that leans hard towards heavy, dark topics. These guys have a way of making jovial music about depressing topics though for the most part. I really enjoyed this album. I'd never heard of Bright Eyes before, but will definately check out more of their stuff. Thanks for the recommendation!

Favourite songs: Another Travelin' Song, First Day of My Life, Land Locked Blues, Old Soul Song (for the New World Order), At the Bottom of Everything, Train Under Water, We Are Nowhere and it's Now, Poison Oak, Road to Joy

Least favourite songs: none... This album is perfect!!

5/5

Bright Eyes are just an S tier band all around. This is one of their best albums too. It's gorgeous with a perfect mix of sadness and optimism.

A very lyrics-forward album, which can be tough for me. It's not enough to overcome my distaste for slide guitar

First listen felt slow. The country lean of some songs didn’t land, and the music and lyrics seemed like two separate things. But once I started paying attention to what Oberst was actually saying, everything shifted.

This album is dark, bleak, often painful, but never quite hopeless. There's frustration with life and the state of the world woven through every song. The storytelling tracks lean into sadness, while the more personal ones have defiance underneath the despair. “Road to Joy” twists Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” into something almost apocalyptic, and lines like “I will fight like hell to hide that I’m giving up” hit with real weight.

For me, Side B is where it truly comes together. “First Day of My Life,” “Poison Oak,” “Road to Joy,” “Land Locked Blues.” That’s where the emotional honesty, the writing, and the music finally lock into the same place. Oberst’s voice feels raw without tipping into theatrics.

This isn’t background music. It asks for your attention, and the more you sit with it, the more it rewards you. It's a grower, and it rewards the effort. I'll be returning to this, and it might grow into a 5* album

The more famous, acoustic sister album to Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, this album is quintessential Oberst, a young poet who sings of regrets and hopes all while simultaneously understanding and being confused. This is a beautiful collection of musings on young love and substance abuse, and everything in between. Some people criticize Oberst of being a bit too smart for his own good, but what it really boils down to is his conviction. He sings with conviction, but his conviction is in his lack of conclusions. Almost no music makes me cry, but this album sometimes does, the tears coming at different spots. “I’m happy just because I’ve found out that I’m really no one”. The realization that I, too, am pretty much a nobody is a freeing and joyful revelation. “If you love something, give it away”. I’ve been to the mountaintop where what I loved most was required of me. With the same two hands with which I freely and wholeheartedly received my gift, I rendered it back. And it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. When I at last descended the mountain, I saw that I had grown old, and nothing mattered but that thing I loved.

Yet another folksy Americana album, but better than some of the many (many, many) other albums on the lists. Not flawless, not essential, not bad.

man whatever.

It’s taken me a couple of weeks to get my head around this album.

On my first listen, the album didn’t immediately grab me, until the final track hit. Something about it just clicked, and suddenly I felt compelled to go back and hear the whole thing again.

On that second listen, it opened up for me in a big way. The mix of raw emotion and layered storytelling reminded me of a cross between Brand New and Black Country, New Road.

Now a few weeks on it’s firmly in my regular rotation, a great album that rewards patience and revisiting.