Digital Ash In A Digital Urn
by Bright Eyes
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 86 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 71 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 86
  3. Negative: 9 out of 86

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  1. Jon
    Jan 24, 2005
    5
    Easily Conor Oberst's worst album, and that includes that incredibly mediocre Desapreciendos. While the cd does have one excellent song (Take it Easy), the rest of the album is just boring and uninspired. Luckily I'm Wide Awake is amazing enough to make up for this gaffe.
  2. NelsonD
    Jun 14, 2005
    4
    First of all im not a bright eyes hater. I liked his other three albums but these two (digital and wide awake) are just dumb. His lirics have lost the imagery from the last album and after fulfilling in my opinion his greatets (though not completly) mature work on lifted, he has to fall back on adolascense themes that in my opinion, seem fake, or at least unfocused and not expressed to First of all im not a bright eyes hater. I liked his other three albums but these two (digital and wide awake) are just dumb. His lirics have lost the imagery from the last album and after fulfilling in my opinion his greatets (though not completly) mature work on lifted, he has to fall back on adolascense themes that in my opinion, seem fake, or at least unfocused and not expressed to their deepest potential. In many ways this album is a lot worse than his last, but it gets bonus points for the music. If all of Digital was instrumental, it might have gotten a 6 or 7, but with his unispired, critic pleasin warbled lyrics, im guessing he aint getting there. Nice try Bright Eyes, maybe next time you'll actually truly express yourself in artistic fashion, not on whatever pops your mind.… Expand
  3. Andy
    Aug 16, 2006
    6
    Nothing in comparison to its counterpart, but still has a few good tracks.
  4. Emilia
    Jan 26, 2005
    4
    It is too "experimental". The electronic beats of the songs is great, especially in Gold Mine Gutted, but the micture of Oberst's shaky voice make the songs too hectic and confusing. He is trying too hard to become popular through a daring switch to these electronic beats.
  5. Juliec
    Feb 14, 2005
    6
    This album is definitely weird with botched attempts at synthetic effects, but halfway through the album smoothens out. When the album lays off on the artificial sounds and sticks to real instruments, the vocals become its focus, turning it from an album that is little more than weird to one that is brilliant and memorable. His lyrics are scary and haunting, but flawless and tinged with This album is definitely weird with botched attempts at synthetic effects, but halfway through the album smoothens out. When the album lays off on the artificial sounds and sticks to real instruments, the vocals become its focus, turning it from an album that is little more than weird to one that is brilliant and memorable. His lyrics are scary and haunting, but flawless and tinged with acidic wit as always. The sloppy, bizarre first five tracks should be disregarded.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Most Discussed Album of 2005

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 28
  3. Negative: 3 out of 28
  1. Alternative Press
    100
    Riskier but not totally out of character; it's the more holistic right brain to Wide Awake's rational left brain. [Feb 2005, p.81]
  2. Q Magazine
    40
    Experimental and confusing... Oberst's voice struggles to hit home through the effects. [Jan 2005, p.129]
  3. Drowned In Sound
    70
    This is not a classic – each high is paired with a low of similar scale, so whilst ‘Down In A Rabbit Hole’ scales heights previously thought unreachable, ‘Ship In A Bottle’, with baby samples screeching over the top of the most base-level beats, is plain annoying.
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