Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
(Saddle Creek, 2005)
Rating:
MUST HAVE
Wide Awake is the more organic, and in my opinion much better, of two simultaneously released new Bright Eyes albums. In fact, it's simply breathtaking.
It's as though Conor Oberst, the young mastermind behind Bright Eyes, performed a kind of medieval musical alchemy with his craft by distilling the base elements found in 2002's Lifted, or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground into two very different works. The result is one album indulging in the experimental electronica and noise effects that cluttered the landscape of "Lifted" (Digital Ash in a Digital Urn), and another that embraces the earnest, melodious, country-tinged passion that is Bright Eyes at its best. On "Wide Awake," in alchemy terms, Oberst found gold.
The poetry on this record is saturated with meaning, longing, realism and idealism. To quote all of the best lyrics would mean reprinting the jacket sleeve in its entirety. And while he mentions the words death, die, or dead in all but two of the songs, it is not a depressing listen. Thoughtful and deep, sure; but there is ample room for hope in every song, augmented by the light-hearted musical backdrop and the sincerity in his voice.
Oberst writes and sings with a certain downplayed, aged wisdom, while still managing to channel the passion, vulnerability, and energy of a young man. On "The First Day of My Life" (fingerpicked in a shade of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright") he sings: Remember the time you drove all night/Just to meet me in the morning?, evoking images of those intense and eager emotions of our youths. It is ultimately one of the most heartfelt, gentle, and truly romantic songs I've ever heard.
There's not enough space to detail every bit of wonder on this record?the hard truths of "Lua;" the spontaneous and unexpected bounce of the chorus in "Train Underwater;" the distant guitar that sounds like a freight train horn in "Another Travelin' Song;" those moments when he takes his voice up an entire octave, skillfully riding the crest of its breaking point?but I can't end without mentioning Track #8, "Land Locked Blues." Sung sparsely, with Emmylou Harris providing soulful, moving harmonies in the background, and a trumpeted interpretation of "Taps" thrown in at just the right spot, this is about my favorite song of the last 3 or 4 years... it's a beautiful piece of songwriting and performance.
Beginning with a sip of water and a spoken word introduction, and ending ten masterful songs later in a crescendo of instrumentation, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning is a gem that will surely, and justifiably, bring Bright Eyes to the attention of the masses... so get a head start and pick up this record.
-Jason Holloway | (email)
The Frames Burn the Maps
(ANTI-, 2005)
Rating:
The Irish band The Frames have been building a dedicated, international fan base since the early ?90s. They deserve all the recognition they get having put out six full albums and a number of EPs and singles that are worthy of praise.
Burn the Maps is their seventh album, and with their new label (Anti), and fans that will stand behind them, you can tell they took an opportunity to experiment with sound. The album has a number of tracks that fall short in The Frames attempt to experiment with distortion and noisy guitar. Most unmemorable were the songs ?Keepsake? that went on for over seven minutes without once grabbing my attention, and ?Caution to the Birds? that used a soft/loud dynamic that never actually went anywhere, and made me wonder ?Is this song still on??
However, as much as Burn the Maps didn?t quite live up to expectation, they redeemed themselves with a few songs that make this whole album worth while. The song ?Fake? has lead singer Glen Hansard singing ?if it?s just a game/what are we crying for? with his gritty, sweet voice. The choruses of ?Fake? and ?Revelate? (one of their earlier songs) have similar effects on the listener?a strong desire to dance around the room and belt out the chorus with him. ?Finally,? quite possibly the best song on the album, is where The Frames succeed in mixing a little experimentation with their signature style. ?Finally? is textured with epic string arrangements and quiet vocals that build up to Hansard almost screaming the chorus, ending with him singing passionately and with desperation in his voice, ?I love it so far.?
Burn the Maps isn?t their best album to date; however, I will still say a Frames album, best or not, is better than the majority of music out there today. And true to form, this album will probably sound better live than on the recording.
(The Frames play the Paradise in Boston on March 2nd.)
-Gina Favata | (email)