| ||
|
Whenever art is alluding to another piece of art, the two become in competition with each other. I'm Wide Awake it's Morning is in many ways prodigal songwriter Conor Oberst's most realized work. It shies away from the "chamber-pop" ensembles of Fevers and Mirrors and the lo-fi sensibility of Letting Off the Happiness, opting instead to explore the vintage textures of early 1970's folk-country records. He is specifically referencing Dylan's Desire with the male/female duets featuring Emmy Lou Harris (Harris appeared on every track of Desire.) Oberst's maturity as a songwriter is evident in this collection and his melodies have become at once more complicated and more elegant (particularly in "Old Soul Song" and "Train Under Water") and his flirtations with chaos are orchestrated magnificently ("Road to Joy"). This is a solid and important record. Beautiful? Yes. Moving? Absolutely. Desire? Not close. Reviewed by: Chris Bock |
