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It’s hard to tell how much of the music in Digital Ash is electronically produced and how much of it is just Oberst’s studio band. Either way, there’s much more here (and somehow, much less) than a boy and a guitar: the mix is thick with drums, synthesized instrumentation, and gee-wiz effects. The first track, “Time Code,” opens with two minutes of electronic noodling accompanied by bizarre background panting, presumably from an onanistic Oberst. Just in case the avant wheezing didn?...
...thematic reincarnation. Lyrics like “A piece of brain in my hair / The wheels are melting” from the album’s lead single, “Don’t Save Us From the Flames,” are whispered against a howling guitar hook with brazen unsubtlety...
...Bambi’s energy picks up, right when you’re getting sick of the digital age. While the simply-titled “Hungry!” explodes a minute and a half from the end with tremendous pick-up, velocity and an actual guitar line; but, of course, this is after three minutes of foods listed in French alternating with a chorus of “I am hungry / Cause you’re not here any more / Hungry / Me so hungry!” The next track, “Ne M’Appelle...
...reggae-but his songs investigated many moods and many modes. Marley was a musical genius for a multicultural age, a man for all seasons who died before his time, a shapeshifter who never fit into established musical formats. There are so many varied moments in his work: the stately guitar of "Redemption Song," the spritely horns of "Is this Love", the soothing, seductive bass of "Stir it Up." "Babylon System" wakes you up like strong bitter coffee; "Turn Your Lights Down Low" goes down sweet, like mango juice. For every moment in life, there seems to be a Marley song...
...Everything, a mandolin clips jauntily away while he crows, "We must blend into the choir, sing as static with the whole/ We must memorize nine numbers and deny we have a soul." These are smart lines, however grim, and with Jesse Harris (Norah Jones' songwriting shoulder) adding wonderfully warm guitar, the song is even hummable. On other tracks, Oberst imports pedal steel and Emmylou Harris (the vocal equivalent of pedal steel) to add a harmonic steadiness that keeps you from wanting to jump off a bridge...