Conor Oberst, 25 year old young man from Omaha, recently released two albums at the same time. “I’m wide awake…” is one of them. He calls his band ‘Bright Eyes’ and seems to mean it. His eyes are wide open and his mind is overly curious and what ensue are often inquisitive laborious words wrapped in old time Dylan-like melody. Conor has been observing and singing about his acute observation of common-place issues for over 10 years now. However, none of his older albums has had the same success and recognition. This album seems to be his entry into the mainstream public world.

His music is often soft and melodious except when he gets all upset over the implicit confusions and ungraspable sense of loss and disconnect that marks all modern world. The lyrics seem contrived at times and overbearing but still generally different enough to evoke interesting thoughts.

‘At the bottom of everything’, ‘Land Locked Blues’ and powerful, angry ‘Rod to Joy’ are some real gems.