New Bright Eyes songs & album news

Once you get past some of the occasional warbling, self-indulgent musical ramblings of this 20-something storytelling "prodigy," I think Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes has some really really good stuff. On his I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning CD from 2005, a few of those songs have burned holes through my speakers from overlistening: the rollicking goodness of "Another Travelin' Song," the lovely "Landlocked Blues" duet with Emmylou Harris, and the kind-of-overplayed radio hit, but raw & sweet-sentimented "First Day Of My Life."

With Oberst, the stunning lyrics ("And the sidewalk holds diamonds like a jewelry store case, they argue walk this way, no, walk this way") combine with the occasional "Wait, what did he say?" lyric ("I dreamed a prostituted child touching an old man in a fast food crowd.")

Anyway, enough of my rambling, here are two new songs that he played at Bonnaroo (June 14):

"Soul Singer In The Session Band" - Bright Eyes

"Four Winds" - Bright Eyes

News about a Spring 2007 release from Bright Eyes on Saddle Creek is here, featuring collaborations with Gillian Welch, Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss and M. Ward.

Oh, and am I the only one who hears that line from "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in my head everytime I type Bright Eyes? ("Turn around, bright eyes - EVERY NOW AND THEN I FALL APART")