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.
Gold Mine Gutted
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a blinking midnight clock
Speakers on a TV stand
Just a turntable to watch
And the smoke came out our mouths
On all those hooded sweatshirt walks
We were a stroke of luck
We were a gold mine, they gutted us
And from the sidelines you see me run
Until I'm out of breath
Living the good life, I left for dead
The sorrowful Midwest
Well I did my best...
To keep my head
It was grass stained jeans and incompletes
And a girl from class to touch
But you think about yourself too much
And you ruin who you love
Well all these claims at consciousness
My stray dog freedom
Let's have a nice clean cut
Like a bag we buy and divy up
And from the sidelines, I see you run
Until you're out of breath
And all those white lines that sped us up
We hurried to our death
Well I lagged behind...
So you got ahead
The opening lyrics of Bright Eyes' song Gold Mine Gutted brings forth a feeling of nostalgia and reminiscence. The singer is joined by a friend, Don DeLillo, drinking whiskey and listening to music on a turntable, watching the hands of time flick by as they puff out smoke into the crisp midnight air. These were some of the good times; the pair struck gold with their luck, but it all slipped through their fingers once they were gutted. The gutting reference could signify that the system or environment they were in, took away the shine and luster that they had found, casting them back to the drab, mundane reality.
The second verse takes a more introspective turn. From the sidelines, we see the singer running out of breath - living the good life, abandoned in the sorrowful Midwest. The metaphorical Midwest is a place of a life that is now in the past, but that the singer did their best to preserve, to keep alive through the memories. The juxtaposition of the good life and sorrowful Midwest can signify that the good life only comes for a brief time, and then it's all over - like a flash in the pan. The following lines touch upon the reality of young, lost love, and the revelation that sometimes we can ruin what we love by constantly over-analyzing things. The consciousness mentioned refers to the youthful, apathetic and uncommitted attitude that the singer once believed he had but now realizes it was just his runaway freedom. Ultimately, the song suggests the need for the singer to break away from this all-consuming mentality and reconnect with what was initially important - the people, the memories, and the raw energy that fueled it all in the first place.
Line by Line Meaning
It was Don DeLillo, whiskey, me
The singer was in the company of Don DeLillo and whiskey.
And a blinking midnight clock
There was a clock ticking away in the background.
Speakers on a TV stand
There were speakers placed on a TV stand in the room.
Just a turntable to watch
There was only a turntable to see in the vicinity.
And the smoke came out our mouths
The artist and the others present were smoking.
On all those hooded sweatshirt walks
They were walking around in hooded sweatshirts while smoking.
We were a stroke of luck
Their coming together was a great stroke of luck.
We were a gold mine, they gutted us
Although they were lucky to have each other, they eventually fell apart.
And from the sidelines you see me run
From afar, someone observes the artist running.
Until I'm out of breath
The running causes the artist to run out of breath.
Living the good life, I left for dead
The singer abandoned the good life and is now struggling to survive.
The sorrowful Midwest
The Midwest is now a sorrowful place for the artist.
Well I did my best...
Despite the challenges, the singer tried his best.
To keep my head
The singer tried to stay calm and composed.
It was grass stained jeans and incompletes
The singer was wearing jeans with grass stains and had incomplete tasks.
And a girl from class to touch
The artist had a girl from class who he longed to be with.
But you think about yourself too much
The artist is criticizing himself for being selfish.
And you ruin who you love
The singer's selfishness led him to ruin his relationship with the girl.
Well all these claims at consciousness
The singer tried to be conscious about his actions and thoughts.
My stray dog freedom
The artist's freedom was like a stray dog's - aimless and directionless.
Let's have a nice clean cut
The artist wants a clean and precise break from the past.
Like a bag we buy and divy up
The artist wants to move on from the past the way one would divide up a bag of items.
And from the sidelines, I see you run
The singer observes someone else running from afar.
Until you're out of breath
The running causes the other person to get out of breath.
And all those white lines that sped us up
The white lines represent drugs that made them feel like they were going fast.
We hurried to our death
Their indulgences eventually led them to their downfall.
Well I lagged behind...
The singer couldn't keep up with the speed at which they were living.
So you got ahead
The other person was able to cope better and move ahead in life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CONOR OBERST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind