What's So Simple By The Moonlight

There is a scene in the movie High Fidelity in which Rob (John Cusack) walks into his record store, Championship Vinyl to find Barry (Jack Black) and Dick (Todd Louiso) listening to some unknown album on the overhead stereo, wearing looks of consternation on their faces.

Rob stops and asks what they're listening to, and Barry responds with pain evident in his voice and on his face that it's an album by a couple of skaters who hang around outside of the store and that "It's really fuckin' good."

This is the way that I've felt listening to the new Bright Eyes album I'm Wide Awake It's Morning. You may have read here before that I am not what one might call a Bright Eyes fan, but this album is different.

Lead singer Conor Oberst's lyrics are pretty much his usual, which I've always liked, but this album sees Oberst drop the annoying whinnying strain usually heard in his singing voice. His vocal styling still isn't necessarily great but some of my favorite singers don't have the greatest voices (see: Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Jeff Mangum, and Lou Reed.)

The one other apparent change on I'm Wide Awake It's Morning is melody. This album actually has some. The songs are smooth and they all flow really well. All of the other albums that I've listened have been choppy and messy and seriously lacking in tune and melody. I was finally able to enjoy and appreciate Oberst's lyrics without being immediately turned off by the noise in the background.

I still don't like all of the critical praise I've heard drawing the comparison between Oberst and Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum because I still think Mangum blows him and most other songwriters straight out of the water, but it might also be wise to note which of the two is currently actually making music. So if you like what's been going on lately in realm of the alt-country genre, I suggest this album. I would also highly recommend Lost & Found by Griffin House.