I purchased the vinyl of my favorite album of all time: Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. It came with a free digital download of the album as well, which is beyond brilliant.
The album was released in 2005. Called the "album of the decade" by our very own Iman, I can say that I agree; it's easily the best album ever written. Also according to Iman, the album was written after 9/11, as almost a tribute while songwriter Conor Oberst live in the village -if you look at the cover (above) you can see the Manhattan skyline. Most of the action takes place a couple of subway stops away from Ground Zero. It was released on January 25th, along with his other album Digital Ash In A Digital Urn. The fact that Conor wrote both of those different records and released them on the same day proves that he's an incredible songwriter and is so diverse in his abilities.
The album starts off with the song "At The Bottom Of Everything", which opens with a monolog spoken by Conor Oberst himself telling the tale of a plane crash. It's a song that is so pure and simple, but the lyrics are brilliant. "Into the ear of every anarchist that sleeps but doesn't dream, we must sing, we must sing, we must sing" is a beautiful line. I can't get enough of it, and the quality is so perfect; the sound has such depth it's unbelievable.
Following that is my favorite song of all time. "We Are Nowhere And It's Now" is a gorgeous tune that is is absolutely perfect. It's inspired me so much that I'm getting a tattoo of a silver wreath representing the lyric "She took a small silver wreath and pinned it onto me, she said 'This one will bring you love.' I don't know if it's true but I keep it for good luck." It's just a tear jerking song and the emotion is so easy to get lost in, since everything is so flawless and each time I hear it I find another thing to adore.
The album has the song that makes me cry every single time I listen to it, "Lua". Easily the best lyrics Oberst's ever written, every single word is carefully thought out and sung at a certain time and with a certain inflection. It just feel so fragile and careful, but it expresses feelings that everybody's had. It's relatable and addictive, because it's so unbelievably gentle.
"Poison Oak" is a beautiful song. "Poison oak, some boyhood bravery; when a telephone was a tin can on a string" opens the tune, with a passionate feel in Conor's voice that makes it stand out on the album. The way it builds till the ending words "The end of paralysis, I was a statuette, now I'm drunk as hell on a piano bench and when I press the keys, it all gets reversed, the sound of loneliness makes me happier" which is sung with such a feeling that could not only never be replicated, but I've never heard anything like it and I can't get enough of it.
The last song on the album is "Road To Joy". It's such a great way to end it, especially because it's so upbeat but still has a hint of the usual Oberst angst. It's a reference to Beethoven's "Ode To Joy", mimicking the basic tune but adding a twist. The best lyric in the song is "I hope I don't sound too ungrateful; what history gave modern men: a telephone to talk to strangers, machine guns, and a camera lens." It also alludes to war in the line "So when you're asked to fight a war that's over nothing, it's best to join the side that's gonna win. And no one's sure how all of this got started but we're gonna make them goddamn certain how it's gonna end." It turns into a mix of all these different sounds that fit together in a way that only Bright Eyes could pull off.
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning is the best album of all time lyrically, musically, and content-wise. It's pure perfection that is so deep and thought-provoking and will forever strike a chord in me.
"The sun came up with no conclusion, flowers sleeping in their beds. This city's cemetery's humming, I’m wide awake, it’s morning"
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