I have never fallen as hard in love with a complete album as I did with Bright Eyes‰’, I‰’m Wide Awake, It‰’s Morning. I remember listening to the sound of lead singer, Conor Oberst‰’s trembling yet melodious voice and immediately falling into a deep, musical trance by its strange beauty. It is impossible not to be impressed by his incredibly poetic and thoughtful lyrics, sung with intense passion and emotion.

Although, Oberst‰’s new solo release, “Hundreds of Ways‰Û, shares the folky, bass driven arrangement of many of his band‰’s pieces, it reveals a simpler musical style in terms of lyrics. This new piece explores a similar theme to many of Oberst‰’s previous works: in a world that is imperfect, the balance and harmony of individuals can still be found. However, unlike many of the songs on I‰’m Wide Awake, It‰’s Morning, “Hundreds of Ways‰” is much easier to comprehend, as it contains less metaphorical references and more direct criticisms of the issues the world faces.

Oberst writes, “It took centuries to build these twisted cities/It took seconds to reduce them down to dust‰” and later, “Now any sucker can turn boredom into violence/A sociopath riding on a bus‰Û. Oberst is so bothered by these problematic reoccurrences that he compares them, in addition to the “strange parade[s] of sounds/The city makes when I lie down‰Û, to “Little explosions that set fire to my dreams‰Û.

Perhaps what is most surprising about “Hundreds of Ways‰Û, though, is its unique similarity to Paul Simon‰’s Graceland record. I know it‰’s a bit of a stretch, but the delicate, high-pitched sounds of the sliding guitar, as well as the constant, punchy percussion and bass beats of Oberst‰’s song resembles the musical style of Simon‰’s 1980s, Grammy Award winning album. The female vocals of First Aid Kit in “Hundreds of Ways‰Û, sung in accompaniment with the less frequent horn section towards the end of the song could be a revamped combination of Simon‰’s “Graceland‰” and “That Was Your Mother‰Û. Granted, Oberst‰’s voice sounds nothing like that of Simon‰’s, however, it would not be surprising if Oberst drew inspiration from the unique, pop-rock-folk vibe of Graceland.