Digital Ash in a Digital Urn

Digital Ash in a Digital Urn is the seventh studio album by American band Bright Eyes, released on January 25, 2005 by Saddle Creek Records, the same day as their sixth album I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. It peaked at number 15 in the US^[14] and 43 in the UK. In US it has sold 268,000 units.^[15] In 2007 it was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association, which indicated sales of at least 100,000 copies throughout Europe.^[16] In contrast to the acoustic nature of I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn is more electronic.

Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
Studio album by Bright Eyes
Released	January 25, 2005
Recorded	February 2004
Studio	Presto! (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Genre	Electronica[1] pop[1] synth-pop[2] electropop[3] experimental[4] IDM[5]
Length	50:05
Label	Saddle Creek LBJ-73
Producer	Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes chronology
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (2005) Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (2005) Motion Sickness (2005)
Singles from Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
"Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" Released: October 26, 2004 "Easy/Lucky/Free" Released: July 25, 2005 "Gold Mine Gutted" Released: 2005
Singles from Digital Ash in a Digital Urn: A Companion
"Gold Mind Gutted (Companion version)" Released: August 10, 2022

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	66/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Blender	[8]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[2]
Los Angeles Times	[9]
NME	9/10[10]
Pitchfork	7.2/10[1]
Q	[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
Spin	C+[3]
Uncut	[13]

Upon release in 2004, the singles "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" from Digital Ash in a Digital Urn and "Lua" from the album I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning debuted in the top two slots on the Billboard Hot 100 Single Sales chart.^[17]

The album was reissued by Dead Oceans alongside a six-track companion EP on November 11, 2022.^[18]

Tour

After the chart success of the 2004 singles "Lua" and "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)", the band set off in 2005 on a two-part world tour to promote both I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. The first half of the tour promoted the folk-influenced first album, and the latter half featured the more electronic second album.^[19] Both records made it into the Top 20 of the Billboard album charts. The tour was captured on Motion Sickness, released later in the year.

The album features contributions from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner and the Postal Service's Jimmy Tamborello.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Time Code"	4:28
2.	"Gold Mine Gutted"	3:56
3.	"Arc of Time (Time Code)"	3:54
4.	"Down in a Rabbit Hole"	4:34
5.	"Take It Easy (Love Nothing)"	3:20
6.	"Hit the Switch"	4:47
7.	"I Believe in Symmetry"	5:24
8.	"Devil in the Details"	4:06
9.	"Ship in a Bottle"	3:27
10.	"Light Pollution"	3:16
11.	"Theme from Piñata"	3:18
12.	"Easy/Lucky/Free"	5:30
Total length:		50:05

Digital Ash in a Digital Urn: A Companion

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hit the Switch" (companion version)
2.	"Down in a Rabbit Hole" (companion version)
3.	"Arc of Time (Time Code)" (companion version) (featuring Michaela Favara)
4.	"Ship in a Bottle" (companion version) (featuring A. J. Mogis)
5.	"Agenda Suicide" (The Faint)
6.	"Gold Mind Gutted" (companion version) (featuring Michaela Favara)

Personnel

• Clark Baechle – drums (tracks 2, 9)
• Karen Becker – cello (tracks 4, 7)
• Jason Boesel – drums (tracks 2, 4–7, 9–12), percussion (tracks 2, 4–7, 9–12)
• Donna Carnes – violin (tracks 4, 7)
• Digital Audio Engine (Mike Mogis^[20]) – programming (tracks 1, 3, 8)
• Sabrina Duim – harp (tracks 6, 8, 11)
• Thomas Kluge – viola (tracks 4, 7)
• Jiha Lee – flute (tracks 6, 11)
• Clay Leverett – voice (track 12), drums (tracks 6, 7, 12)
• Andy LeMaster – vocals (tracks 2, 9, 12), guitar (tracks 6–9, 12), bass (tracks 6–9, 12), keyboards (tracks 6, 7), additional programming (tracks 6)
• Mike Mogis – guitar (tracks 2–4, 6, 7, 10–12), wurlitzer (tracks 1, 3, 10), keyboards, timpani (track 6), chimes (track 11), theremin (track 2), baritone (tracks 2, 9)
• Stella Mogis – voice (tracks 1, 9)
• Conor Oberst – vocals, guitar (tracks 5–7, 9–11), bass (track 4), piano (track 8), wurlitzer (tracks 2, 4, 5), keyboards (tracks 2, 4, 10, 12), samples (tracks 1, 11), baritone (tracks 3, 5)
• Kim Salistean – violin (tracks 4, 7)
• Jimmy Tamborello – programming (track 5)
• Maria Taylor – vocals (tracks 4, 11, 12)
• Nate Walcott – trumpet (track 9), string arrangement (tracks 4, 7)
• Nick White – keyboards (tracks 7, 9)
• Nick Zinner – guitar (tracks 4, 6–8, 12), keyboards (tracks 4, 5)

Charts

Chart (2005)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[21]	130
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22]	49
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23]	64
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24]	95
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25]	30
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[26]	32
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27]	18
UK Albums (OCC)[28]	43
US Billboard 200[29]	15
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[30]	3