I really can't stand this guy.

Sorry it took so long to get to this, I've been fucking busy as hell lately.

Anyways, long story short, I think there is pre-Wide Awake phase, and post. The dividing line may more aptly be at Lifted, but who cares. To be blunt, it is less boring. Any one of a thousand alt-country types could have pounded out the later stuff (let's not make this seem like it is a bias towards the country aspect either, because that was real present in the early recordings as well), whereas the earlier stuff is much more 'watermarked.'

Yeah, it is really overwrought and pretentious and very emotive (call it emo if you want, but you are probably a douche who routinely misuses the term to apply to any guitar band that doesn't rock). I mean, fuck, that's half the appeal - if you can't really accept that image, like it or not, you'll probably have some enjoyment issues. I think he sounds like a git sometimes, but I still like a lot of the songs. His older songs are more apt to make me feel uncomfortable, and his new ones just sound like Bright Eyes does Ryan Adams. And I don't really like Ryan Adams. To be perfectly fair, I really like I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, but I still see it as lacking that terrifying urgency that made older Bright Eyes Bright Eyes.

I dunno, just how I see it. His new songs definitely aren't bad, but I'll always find myself listening to Lifted or earlier stuff.

And yeah the story at the beginning is silly. It makes no fucking sense.

pretentious and trite

I wouldn't say it is anymore pretentious than any other spoken word piece or sample ever, but I can give you trite

am i the only one who really likes digital ash from a digital urn?

a lot of people really like it

I like this and another album. I don't remember the name but it was probably something pretentious.

i think lifted is his peak tho. don't think he's going to beat that

I'm Wide Awake is by far his best for me.

I'm a big fan, and I really like his lyrics. But it's just music, and that's all I take it as. I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but Digital Ash..... is my favorite

I like a few songs on it quite a bit. Hit the switch and take it easy especially

Easy Lucky Free is in my top-10 bright eyes songs.

i think hit to switch ---> light pollution is a sick line up of songs

yeah that song really grew on me

yeah that's the one. Really good album.

Yeah, this really helped.

i like Arc of Time and Easy/lucky/free off of Digital Ash

I like most of the songs on Cassadaga. A couple slower ones at the end really it kill it. I don't like 'Lime Tree and No One Would Riot For Less' at all. If those were cut or replaced with a few tracks from the Four Winds EP, Cassadaga would be really really great.

lime tree is definitely one of the best on that album. really good live

i don't remember that one live. I'm not sure he played it. the music is nice, but i can't stand the way he sings. it sounds like he's trying too hard to sound sweet or something. 'Make A Plan to Love Me' suffers from that as well, but i still like it. I wouldn't mind hearing 'Lime Tree' a little bit stripped down with less production

i didn't hear it stripped down, it was actually with a 10 people symphony the first time and with a whole orchestra the second time

oh, i figured. I'm just sayin'..