Critical Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Drowned in Sound | 10/10 |
| NME | 8/10 |
| Pitchfork Media | 8.7/10 |
| Q | |
| Robert Christgau | A− |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | A− |
I'm Wide Awake It's Morning received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Drowned In Sound critic Sean Adams called the album a "thing of awe", praising the lyrics and "calculated attention to detail". However, these opinions were not quite unanimous. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic criticized Oberst's "heavy-handed pretension in the words and affectedness in his delivery," calling the album proof that "instead of reaching musical maturity, he's wallowing in a perpetual adolescence." In addition, Keith Harris of The Village Voice found the record to be "a mess, and not just sonically."
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