Bright Eyes
Biography
Although many musicians joined the band's rotating lineup, Bright Eyes was primarily the songwriting vehicle of Conor Oberst, a quivery-voiced Nebraska native who first attracted attention in 1994 -- when he was only 14 years old -- as the singer and guitarist for Commander Venus. Oberst proved to be a prolific musician, joining multiple bands (including Commander Venus, the Magentas, Park Ave., and Desaparecidos) while also co-founding Saddle Creek, an influential label that helped broadcast "the Omaha Sound" to a national audience. Nonetheless, he devoted most of his time to Bright Eyes, whose albums encompassed everything from folk to indie rock to electronica. Oberst eventually shifted his focus to the Mystic Valley Band in 2008, fueling rumors that he'd shelved the Bright Eyes project after ten years of activity.
Oberst had barely entered high school when he formed Commander Venus. Nonetheless, the teenager was a quick songwriter, and he soon amassed a number of songs that didn't gel with the rest of Commander Venus' catalog. Twenty such songs were compiled and released in 1998 as A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997, a solo record that doubled as Oberst's first release under the Bright Eyes moniker. Letting Off the Happiness followed several months later, featuring contributions from members of Neutral Milk Hotel, Of Montreal, and Tilly and the Wall. The album also marked the first collaboration between Oberst and producer/instrumentalist Mike Mogis, who would play an integral role in Bright Eyes' success going forward.
As Conor Oberst graduated from teenaged life to adulthood, his productivity increased. Bright Eyes' third release, Every Day and Every Night, appeared in 1999, followed by Fevers and Mirrors in 2000 and Oh Holy Fools in 2001. The Bright Eyes sound had expanded by this point, with Oberst finding room for flute, piano, and accordion in the band's music. The frontman also found room to pursue alternate projects, and he dedicated some time to Desaparecidos before returning to the studio with Mike Mogis in 2002. Lifted or the Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground was released that summer and proved to be Bright Eyes' breakthrough album, with Rolling Stone deeming it one of the year's best.
Bright Eyes released several EPs in 2004 -- including Home, Vol. 4, a collaboration with Spoon's Britt Daniel -- and rang in the following year with a pair of albums released on the same day: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (whose accompanying tour produced the Motion Sickness: Live Recordings disc) and the electronic-slanted Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, both of which cracked the Top 20 in America. Hailed by some critics as the next Dylan, Oberst supported the releases with a round of festival appearances and international shows before returning to the studio once more. Recorded in L.A., Chicago, New York, Omaha, and Portland, the follow-up effort Cassadaga was released in the spring of 2007, preceded by the Four Winds EP earlier that spring. Both releases featured full instrumentation -- including pedal steel, dobro, xylophone, and orchestral swells -- making them some of Bright Eyes' most developed works to date.
Cassadaga debuted at number four in America and number 13 in the U.K., marking Bright Eyes' highest peak on either chart. Even so, Oberst followed such success by decamping to rural Mexico to work on his first solo effort in years. Recorded in a makeshift studio with a cast of musicians dubbed the Mystic Valley Band, Conor Oberst arrived in 2008. The project soon evolved from a solo effort into a full-band affair, and the Mystic Valley Band returned in 2009 with Outer South, an album that included songs written and sung by several of Oberst's bandmates. Accordingly, rumors swirled that Conor Oberst had given up the Bright Eyes project for good, and he confirmed such suspicion that summer, stating his intention to retire the band's name after issuing one final Bright Eyes album in 2010. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
Selected Discography

Four Winds
2007

Cassadaga
2007

Noise Floor
2006

I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
2005

Digital Ash In A Digital Urn
2005
Its good to read about his life cuz it reminds me or inspires me to have faith in my art and my fellow artist friends... just keep writing, keep making records, keep being creative, no matter what.. keep producing... . . . . . . . . .
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umm, soo many great musicians come from nebraska, omaha especially. Bright Eyes is kind of the omaha sound. so many good bands on saddle creek records.
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I used to hate the lo-fi tracks & his voice. Didn't listen to his music for a year or two after the first listen.
Can't stop listening now...my favorite song writer. |
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very artistic, expressive, yes... gay..... bad singer yes... yeah but still very expressive.. . . i don't prefer him though
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Fevers and Mirrors is amazing. When music and lyrics are powerful enough to evoke emotion in the listener, that is something truly special.
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I like how he kind of knows of what people think of him and such like in the song false advertising one of the lyrics goes "If I could act like
This was my real life, And not some cage where I've been placed, Well then, I could tell you The truth like I used to And not be afraid of sounding fake. Now all anyone's listening for are the mistakes!" Or kind of how people are expecting him to be something he isn't anymore. That's why I like Conor Oberst and the mystic valley band. |
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I love it! The Digital Ash album was a little too electronic for my taste, but everything else is great.
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I recently found bright eyes and i love them. The lyrics sound so personal that it brings to mind someone singing with their guitar alone in their bedroom. Peaceful. I also love the ambient sounds at the beginning and end of some of their songs. Bright eyes = pure genius.
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then maybe u should stick a tampon up your a** to help stop the leaking flukka jukka mcruckken.
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I love Bright Eyes and Arcade Fire. I got into them both at the same time, and they both have that strange emotional quality. Frayed lyrics and interesting instrumental aspects. They should tour together if they haven't already. Bright Eyes is wonderful music.
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i like that at times his songs sound as if hes alone in his bedroom and doesnt think anyone is listening. its borderline pretentious as hell and they almost suck sometimes but whats intriquing is that he walks so close ...and i choose to believe him, for now anyway
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SOOOOOOOOOOO great. Love love love Bright Eyes. Totally enjoying Conor's solo album, too. Amazing.
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i'm totally enamored with conor, he's brilliant and so passionate!
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Bright Eyes is one of the most amazing bands to appear in our time. The lyrics are fantastic and perceptive. The singer's voice is incredible.
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"Oh, I'm an overrated art school jerk." Let's face it this guy is just in it to get laid.
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I initially dismissed Bright Eyes as too soft. Then I found Desaparecido s (AMAZING) and came back to Bright Eyes with new ears after learning they were both Oberst projects. I love Bright Eyes now too but alas, I was actually disappointed by my first Bright Eyes concert because it was so... quiet. I'm always ready for Conor to bust out and f**king SCREAM!
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hey, what about his new solo album?
conor oberst and the mystic valley band?? |
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love it. pure emotion. anyone who criticizes emotion needs to understannd that WE ARE ONLY HUMAN!!!!!!! !
people feel things and the expression can be beautiful if you are like connor oberst <333 |
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To truly transcend emotion onto paper is a true gift, and Conor Oberst possesses it. If you ask me he's right up there with Morrissey. A wonderful lyricist, musician, political activist...a l l of the above :)
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I will be called a wrist slasher or emo freak or anything else you may want to call me as long as I can have my Bright Eyes music!!!
Going to see him in concert is seriously like a religiious experience. He can bring you to tears. You feel like you are peaking into the deepest part of his soul. It is such raw emotion. |
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"greatest songwrite of our generation"- the rolling stone, among (many, many) others
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Conor oberst is amazing. i love how deep his lyrics are. oh yeah and Bowl of Oranges is the bast song of all time ever. just aghhhh. so amazing. <33
oh yeah and what does wrist slashing have to do with anything, Lauren Brittany? Does liking deep and sometimes maybe painfully true and relatable lyrics automaticall y make you a wrist slasher? |
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