Bright Eyes shines in two new discs

There is something endearing about the twenty-something musings of Conor Oberst. Under the guise of Bright Eyes, Oberst has released a double album worthy of critical acclaim, but more importantly for his future in the music industry, mass response of a favorable sort. These CDs prove that Oberst is ready to make his move into the mainstream.

I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn are two separate albums with very different musical identities, but a common voice.

While I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning returns Oberst to his indie roots via an alt-country genre teeming with possibility, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn offers a self-described digital take on the lyrical style that has made Oberst's band a darling child of the alternative community, and which has established Oberst as a leader in his field with a following that's fiercely dedicated.

Digital Ash in a Digital Urn is, most obviously, the experimental member of the duo. Its design, much akin to last year's runaway success by The Postal Service, uses the medium of electronic creativity to manifest a disc heavy on dots and blips and light on guitar chords.

Oberst's voice shines through all the unconventional stylings, with his lyrics bridging the gap from obscurity to listenability, making the album accessible for even the most ardent of guitar rockers.

The more perfect of the two releases is clearly I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. Oberst is at home on the album, communicating with a clear emotion and enthusiasm the journal entry style songwriting upon which he has built his career.

Tirades about the government flow together with his personal life, presenting an open gaze into the days of this songwriter's reality. Like Simon and Garfunkel before him, Omaha native Oberst confronts New York City with a healthy naivety which he channels into his songwriting.

Compositions on this album reach into the reality of modern life in the United States with lyrics such as those in "Land Locked Blues": "We made love on the living room floor/ With the noise in background of a televised war/ And in the deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say/ If we walk away, they'll walk away."

The releases of I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn continue the transition begun by Bright Eyes on the Rock for Change tour this summer.

Oberst is going mainstream - well, as mainstream as an alt-country, digital visionary can without losing his credibility and passionate fan base.

This first mainstream release, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, arrives as a landmark record from a modern visionary.