so has anyone heard the 2 new discs from bright eyes? dis/approve?

i'm on my 2nd listen of "digital urn" and, whereas death cab boy's breezy delivery fit well with the electronica on "give up", in some of these tracks the digi-music seems tacked-on, especially against oberst's sometimes-chaotic singing.

[want my grubby hands on the new doves next]

I bought Wide Awake. I've listened to it twice and I think its pretty cool; Nice pedal-steel work; Its going to take me a few more listens for the final verdict.

Wide Awake= 7/10
Digital Ash=6/10

I really like Wide Awake, I don't think its "the most important folk album in two decades" or some BS like that, but its a really solid record form start to finish. The record store can keep the other one. I've heard enough on KEXP and sampling it online to know that it sounds to me like the Postal Service's least interesting moments.

I've heard a lot of comparisons to the Postal Service, which I guess is inevitable these days if you make a electro pop record. Considering I really dig that PS I want to hear more comparisons to Give Up, please.

I can't compare Digital Urn to Postal Service at all. You've got Ben Gibbard who has the prettiest, serene voice (not a huge fan though) and Conor Oberst who has this gnarly voice that no one else has. And the backing music for Postal Service is a lot more Poppy.

However, I only listened to each album once. Like most, I enjoyed Wide Awake more. I'll listen to them again this weekend most likely.

Wide Awake is total bland bullshit crap.

Yeah but you tend to disagree with all of us.

Which is why i love you.

digital urn is inferior compared to wide awake. the jagged nature of it brings out the very worst in his voice (which i think works otherwise on wide awake). neither is particularly stunning, but digital urn seems so contrived. wide awake i don't mind listening to.

after 2 listens, i think "wide awake" is his best yet. but i've been anticipating his new stuff since "lifted". "digital urn" is good, but its flaws are obvious. pitchfork was fairly dead-on with its review.

again, only 2 listens so far.

I prefer Wide Awake to Digital Urn. Sometimes his voice and his lyrics really get to me though, he needs to be less "emo" (which to me,he often seems to go beyond the point of contrived) and relax a little bit. He'll have a nice thing going on a song and then just ruin it by screaming some stupid line about being drunk or something. Honest lyrics are interesting, but sometimes clever symbolism is better.