Containing what are undeniably his finest songs to date, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, two separate albums being simultaneously released, provide unequivocal proof that 24 year-old Oberst belongs to the lineage of great American songwriters. These albums are a soundly articulated slice of modern American life rolled into two very different records. The new songs are bursting with all of the rough edges and heartfelt poetry for which Bright Eyes records have earned their acclaim, while exposing a glorious new level of depth and texture to the writing and delivery. Recorded back-to-back and scheduled to be released simultaneously, the albums work in tandem to elucidate both sides of Conor's recent creative output. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning is a country-tinged melang of Conor's finest acoustic songs, featuring guest vocal appearances from Emmylou Harris and Jim James (My Morning Jacket), whereas Digital Ash in a Digital Urn is a more produced, band-centric album featuring cameo appearances by Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

While much of this new material was born from an early 2003 relocation to Manhattan, 2004 saw Conor's return to Presto! Studios in Lincoln to record with long time collaborator and producer Mike Mogis. And, as has become expected of Bright Eyes recordings, the albums feature an array of talented comrades: Jesse Harris, Jason Boesel of Rilo Kiley, Nick White of Tilly And the Wall, Matt Maginn of Cursive, Clay Leverett and Andy LeMaster of Now It's Overhead, former The Good Life member Jiha Lee, Maria Taylor of Azure Ray, Clark Beachle of The Faint, Alex McManus of The Bruces, Jake Bellows of Neva Dinova and Jimmy Tamborello of The Postal Service.