Saddle Creek also released Letting Off the Happiness in November 1998, a ten-track record that boasted a much more focused and clear sound than the previous album. According to the Saddle Creek press release, it features members of Lullaby for the Working Class, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Of Montreal. It was predominantly recorded in the Oberst family basement in Omaha on an analog eight track reel to reel; with some work also done at keyboardist Andy Lemaster's Athens, GA studio. Although almost all of the tracks feature a full band, June on the West Coast is performed with only acoustic guitar and vocals. Padraic My Prince gives a dramatic fictional account of the death of Oberst's imagined baby brother.
In 2000 Bright Eyes released Fevers and Mirrors, a demonstration of the immense improvement in production quality and musical vision of the band. New instruments such as flute, piano, and accordion were introduced into the song arrangements. After An Attempt to Tip the Scales, a mock radio interview takes place. The mock radio interview features Todd Fink of The Faint doing an impression of Conor Oberst while reading a script that Oberst wrote. The man interviewing is Matt Silcock, a former member of Lullaby for the Working Class. In this interview, the fake Oberst intentionally presents a strange, contradictory explanation of his attitude towards his music. The interview acknowledges criticisms of his lyrics as overblown and insincere, which had begun to appear as the popularity of the band increased, but responds by stating that the lyrics are meant for personal interpretation. In a 'real' interview with KittyMagik.com, Oberst stated about the mock one: "It was a way to make fun of ourselves because the record is such a downer. I mean, that's one part of who I am, but I also like laughing and fucking around."
2002 saw the release of Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, and since then Oberst has released an almost constant stream of new material on collaborative EPs, split singles, tribute albums, and charity records. He ventured into the studio with Nebraska folk-pop outfit Tilly And The Wall, co-producing their debut album Wild Like Children and released it on his newly established record label, Team Love.
January 2005 saw the release of two albums: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, which is a country-tinged mélange of Conor’s finest acoustic songs, featuring guest vocal appearances from Emmylou Harris and Jim James of My Morning Jacket; and Digital Ash In A Digital Urn, which is a more produced, electronic album featuring cameo appearances by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
One single from each album, Take It Easy (Love Nothing) from Digital Ash and Lua from I'm Wide Awake took the top two slots on Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, the first time for any artist since 1997.
As had become expected of Bright Eyes recordings, the albums feature an array of talented comrades including members of Rilo Kiley, Tilly And The Wall, Cursive, Now Its Overhead, The Good Life, Azure Ray, The Faint, The Bruces, Neva Dinova, The Postal Service and Audrye Sessions.
In October 2006, Bright Eyes released a compilation of rare tracks called Noise Floor: Rarities 1998-2005.
Bright Eyes released their sixth studio album called Cassadaga on April 9, 2007, preceded by an EP entitled Four Winds on March 6, 2007.
A further 25-30 tracks have been recorded in Portland, Oregon and New York City, with another session planned in Omaha, Nebraska. Some of these tracks had already been performed at live shows.
On February 15, 2011, the band released their seventh studio album, The People's Key.
On June 22, 2020, they released Down In The Weeds Where The World Once Was, their first album on Dead Oceans after a long history with Saddle Creek.
A Poetic Retelling of an Unforgettable
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seems to represent the light source well
How soft they speak and seem to be at peace
With the music and the madness that is pulling me into this
And the shades of the lamps are woven red
The light, it stains and consecrates
Anointing all forgotten forms that swirl and smoke
The girls in gowns all nurse the dark
Pulling it near to their swelling breasts
And watch as it seeps to their hearts
And beats within their virgin chests
And here I know seduction breeds
From wanton hearts that would seduce
And grows and spreads it's vine and leaves
Embracing those who might have moved
But now remain to drink the night from vials black and thick
With intoxicating delights would leave you drunk
Inside this dream
And you watch them take the light from you
And you find yourself on a velvet couch
Tasting the skin of a foreign girl
Her eyes are black and wet like oil
And she ties your hands with a string of pearls
And you tremble like a frightened bird
As she closes in and captures you to place you
In a silver cage deep within her poisoned womb
So once you're safe inside, she might let you out
To fly in circles around the room
But it's always night and there is no moon
And you wonder if you are still alive
And you're not sure if you want to be
But you drink her sweat like it was wine
And you lay with her on a bed of blue
And it's awful sweet
Like the fruit she cuts and feeds to you
The Bright Eyes song "A Poetic Retelling of an Unforgettable" tells the story of a narrator who finds themselves drawn into a mysterious and unsettling world. The room they find themselves in is dimly lit, with soft music and a sense of peace that belies the madness that lurks just beneath the surface. The language in the room seems to reflect the light source, and everything is bathed in shades of red that stain and consecrate the forgotten forms that haunt the place.
The girls in the room wear dark gowns and nurse the darkness, drawing it near to their hearts and letting it beat within their virgin chests. The singer is seduced by this world, even as they watch others fall prey to its charms. They find themselves on a velvet couch, tied up with strings of pearls and unsure if they are still alive. They drink the sweat of a foreign girl like wine and lay with her on a bed of blue, but are left wondering if they want to be alive at all.
Line by Line Meaning
The language in the dimmer rooms
The way people speak in darker, quieter places
Seems to represent the light source well
Is a good reflection of the source of the light
How soft they speak and seem to be at peace
The relaxed and calm tone they use
With the music and the madness that is pulling me into this
The music and chaos that is drawing me into this scene
And the shades of the lamps are woven red
The red coloring of the lampshades
The light, it stains and consecrates
The light has a powerful and sacred influence
Anointing all forgotten forms that swirl and smoke
Blessing the forgotten objects that move and dance
And haunt this place
That are haunting this place
The girls in gowns all nurse the dark
The girls in their dresses embrace the darkness
Pulling it near to their swelling breasts
Holding it close to their chest
And watch as it seeps to their hearts
As it seeps into their hearts
And beats within their virgin chests
And pounds within their pure hearts
And here I know seduction breeds
The environment here is breeding seduction
From wanton hearts that would seduce
From those who crave seduction
And grows and spreads it's vine and leaves
And it grows and spreads to others
Embracing those who might have moved
Enveloping those who might have left
But now remain to drink the night from vials black and thick
Now choosing to stay and indulge in the dark with vials in hand
With intoxicating delights would leave you drunk
With drinks that will intoxicate you and leave you in a daze
Inside this dream
Within this dreamlike state
And you watch them take the light from you
And you see them taking your light away from you
And you find yourself on a velvet couch
And suddenly you are on a soft couch
Tasting the skin of a foreign girl
Kissing the skin of a stranger
Her eyes are black and wet like oil
Her eyes are dark and shiny like oil
And she ties your hands with a string of pearls
And she restrains you with a pearl chain
And you tremble like a frightened bird
And you shake like a scared bird
As she closes in and captures you to place you
As she approaches and catches you
In a silver cage deep within her poisoned womb
In a silver cage inside her poisonous body
So once you're safe inside, she might let you out
So that when you are secure inside, she may let you go
To fly in circles around the room
To circle around the room
But it's always night and there is no moon
But it's always dark and there is no moonlight
And you wonder if you are still alive
And you question if you are alive
And you're not sure if you want to be
And you're not convinced you even want to be alive
But you drink her sweat like it was wine
But you savor her sweat like it is a fine wine
And you lay with her on a bed of blue
And you lie with her on a blue bed
And it's awful sweet
And it's sickeningly sweet
Like the fruit she cuts and feeds to you
Like the fruit she prepares and feeds you
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paddy
I find it strange how I've learned a lot more on the internet than I've ever learned in school.
Chris Williams
BassFace yeah it's sad. it gets worse by the year. no matter how much $ we spend as a Country.
Stephanie White
So true, BassFace!
pwoofie
BassFace I know right
Lil View
how is that strange? the internet offers an exponential amount of info.
David Lingo
don't be so quick to believe!!! internet can be deceiving.....
Donje Lambie
Another reason it was popular to take pictures of the deceased was because pictures were not very common. Most people could go their whole lives without ever having their picture taken. So when somebody died, if they got their picture taken, it was quite possibly the only picture their families would ever have of them. In this sense, the practice seems more sentimental than creepy.
Nate D
To add, people in general were more practical those days, unlike today's emotionally sensitive freaks.
Kat Bos
Donje White Exactly, I was wondering why the video didn’t mention that.
♡SARAH♡
Makes sense.