Two new discs from a musical genius

Each of the past three decades has had its own Dylan heir apparent; someone the critics call a 'boy genius,' 'lyrical mastermind,' or the far more intimidating 'voice of their generation.' Springsteen carried that burden in the '70s, a number of since forgotten New Wave frontmen held the position in the '80s and Kurt Cobain held the title all the way down both barrels of a shotgun in the '90s. Now we have Conor Oberst, the creative force behind Bright Eyes, garnering such praise, as well as teeming throngs of rabid fans known as "Conorites" for better or for worse.\nOberst, who at 24 (the age at which Dylan recorded Highway 61 Revisited, Springsteen recorded his major label debut and Cobain recorded Nevermind) has already been formally recording for 11 years and has three acclaimed LPs under his belt on the Nebraska-based indie label Saddle Creek, for which he still records, and by now pretty much owns. His latest efforts, the simultaneously released I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn are two completely different and complex animals.\nWide Awake, an acoustic, alt-country affair featuring guest harmonies by Emmylou Harris, is Oberst's finest album to date. The somber "Lua" chronicles the ups and downs of a dismal chemical romance, while "Land Locked Blues" soberly laments the Bush era as Oberst and Harris sing about making love in order to drown out the deafening noise of a televised war. Combining equal parts lovelorn longing, subtly vitriolic political banter and haunting Americana imagery, Wide Awake shows off Oberst's ability at intermingling witty and often biting turns of phrase, intoned with naked emotion and hooks that aren't so catchy as to be grating over time.\nDigital Ash is a somewhat mesmerizing electronic outing on which Oberst lets his excesses flap freely in the wind, resulting in a record that includes several classics, a few misfires, generous amounts of wistful wordplay and Kid A-esque soundscapes. The nightmarish opener "Time Code" sets the stage for what's to come, followed soon after by "Arc of Time," which weaves a tapestry of life, death and fruitless hope. The closer "Easy/Lucky/Free," Digital Ash's standout track, warns not to be a "criminal in this police state," as Oberst sets his watch by the atomic clock and waits for the bombs to drop.\nWhether or not Oberst deserves the praise he so often receives is better left up to his individual listeners. Personally, I've found the hype to be lived up to depending on which particular song is held up to the microscope. His earlier material is often hit-or-miss, as is a fair portion of the otherwise exciting Digital Ash. Yet with Wide Awake, Oberst fully lives up to his own buzz for an uncompromising 50 minutes, keeping alive the possibility that he could well become a passionate voice of reason for our generally apathetic generation.