#5 Album of 2005

Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
[Saddle Creek; released 1/25/05]

In 2002 Conor Oberst released his breakout album Lifted, or, The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (my album of the year in 2002). That album consisted of 73 minutes of complex arrangements and his usual creepy vocals. But with I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, Conor Oberst returns to his roots and releases a fantastic folk rock album. With this album, Oberst has become a media darling, even getting Bob Dylan songwriting comparisons. While that may be a bit of a stretch, I do think Conor Oberst can be considered one of the best lyricists in music today. This album is scaled down from previous releases containing only 10 songs clocking in at 45 minutes. All the songs are just good ole story telling folk songs, which is what Conor Oberst does best. From start to finish this is a very strong album, but the last 3 songs are possibly the best 3 consecutive songs released on any album in 2005. With help from Emmylou Harris on “Landlocked Blues” and Azure Ray’s Maria Taylor on the albums best song “Poison Oak”, the vocals and harmonies are the best Bright Eyes has ever released. Its hard to say if this is Bright Eyes’s best release because it is different than what Conor Oberst has done in the past, but if this album is any indication, Bright Eyes can become a true folk group and not skip a beat.

#4 tomorrow...