How Bright Eyes Turned a Rush of ‘Folky-Ass Songs’ Into Two Classic Albums

In 2005, against nearly everyone's advice, the indie icons released two very different records on the same day: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and the darker, more electronic Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. As they gear up to play both albums in their entirety at a series of 2026 shows, we spoke to Conor Oberst and his bandmates about the big swing that would transform their careers.