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.
E Difference In The Shades
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if it rains, we'll just sink in to the mud
Where it is quiet and much cooler than the house is
And there is no clocks or phones to wake us up
Because I have learned that nothing is as pressing
As the one who is pressing would like you to believe
And I am content to walk a little slower
I find that life is easier when it is just a blur
With no details to confuse who or what or where I was
So when the ending comes the full regret will be obscure
But these are days we dream about when the sunlight paints us gold
And this apartment could not be prettier as when we danced
up there alone
This TV is old, the color is fucked, do you see the difference in the shades?
But the green is still close to green, my love
And I believe we are the same
And we'll stay like this, all gold and green
The light collects and projects your heart on a movie screen
And if you close your eyes
We will always be the way we were that night
You crawled inside of me
And you slept in my blood the way you sleep now
The quietest hush has consumed this house
And when the doctors are gone and you sweat through the bed
With all these pictures and pills they piled around your head
Just rest now, and in a moment you will know everything
Was it just a dream?
It's too vague now to recount
And outline of the one you loved in a life that was not longer
Will be standing above you as you sleep
The Bright Eyes song E Difference In The Shades reflects on the beauty of life and the importance of slowing down to enjoy it. The lyrics suggest that sometimes it is beneficial to step away from the chaos of modern life and appreciate the simple things that make us happy, such as nature and loved ones. The song begins by describing a peaceful scene of sleeping outside in the garden, away from the noise of clocks and phones. It highlights the idea that society often puts pressure on us to be constantly busy and rushed, but slowing down can actually make life easier and more enjoyable.
The chorus of the song expresses the desire to live in a blur, without getting caught up in the details that can cause stress and regret. The singer suggests that sometimes it's better not to fully understand what's happening in life, because it can lead to unnecessary worry. Instead, it's better to focus on the moments of joy and beauty that we experience, like the golden light of a summer evening.
The final verse of the song takes on a more somber tone, as the singer reflects on the fleeting nature of life. The lyrics suggest that memories and relationships can fade away, leaving behind only a vague outline of what once was. The song ends with a sense of uncertainty, as the singer asks whether everything they experienced was just a dream. This sense of ambiguity reflects the bittersweet nature of life, with its moments of beauty and joy tempered by the knowledge that they won't last forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Now that it's June, we'll sleep out in the garden
We will find comfort under the sky in the garden, as days get warmer in June
And if it rains, we'll just sink in to the mud
Even if it rains, we will still lay here, feeling the cold earth underneath us
Where it is quiet and much cooler than the house is
We prefer staying outside where it's peaceful and less warm than being indoors
And there is no clocks or phones to wake us up
We will have no external disturbances around us in the form of time or communication devices
Because I have learned that nothing is as pressing
I have understood that nothing is as urgent as someone may make it seem to be
As the one who is pressing would like you to believe
People may overstate the urgency of situations for their own benefit
And I am content to walk a little slower
I am happy to take my time and not rush through life
Because there is nowhere that I really need to be
I have realized that I do not have any place in particular where I have to be
I find that life is easier when it is just a blur
Life becomes simpler for me when I see it as a hazy, undefined image
With no details to confuse who or what or where I was
A lack of clear-cut details makes it easy for me to keep track of my identity, my surroundings, and my past
So when the ending comes the full regret will be obscure
If I do not have clarity about my life, then when it ends, any regret that follows will be vague
But these are days we dream about when the sunlight paints us gold
These are the kind of days that we often wish and fantasize about, days that are filled with happiness and warmth
And this apartment could not be prettier as when we danced
up there alone
This apartment looks its best when we are dancing together there all by ourselves
This TV is old, the color is fucked, do you see the difference in the shades?
Though the television's color is not very good, do you notice the small changes in hues?
But the green is still close to green, my love
The color of the TV might be bad but my love for you remains strong
And I believe we are the same
I have a strong feeling that we are very similar
And we'll stay like this, all gold and green
We will remain happy and serene, almost like the colors gold and green
The light collects and projects your heart on a movie screen
The way light falls on you makes an image of your heart appear on a screen like in a movie
And if you close your eyes
If you shut your eyes tight
We will always be the way we were that night
We will permanently stay like we were that night
You crawled inside of me
You invaded my mind and emotions
And you slept in my blood the way you sleep now
You have become someone who is a fundamental part of me, just like you sleep soundly inside me
The quietest hush has consumed this house
The silence has spread throughout the house, making it very peaceful
And when the doctors are gone and you sweat through the bed
When the doctors leave, and you start sweating heavily in bed
With all these pictures and pills they piled around your head
With photos and pills strewn around everywhere in the room
Just rest now, and in a moment you will know everything
Just rest for a while, and slowly everything will become clear to you
Was it just a dream?
Did everything that happened feel like a figment of our imagination?
It's too vague now to recount
It's hard to remember the details of what happened
And outline of the one you loved in a life that was not longer
The memory of your loved one remains even though they are no longer around
Will be standing above you as you sleep
Their memory will remain with you as you drift off to sleep
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: OBERST, Conor Oberst
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind