Letting Off the Happiness

Bright Eyes is an ever-changing entity. Its only constant is singer/songwriter Conor Oberst, whose lyrical and musical ability continue to amaze us. When Conor finished writing these ten songs, he gathered together a large group of musicians, some of them close friends and others mere acquaintances, to lay down tracks of keyboards, drums, samples, pedal steel guitar, piano, and various other instruments. Some of them recorded in his basement on an old eight-track analog system, and others accompanied him into the Athens, GA recording studio known as Chase Park Transduction. Over those twelve months, the host of musicians that showed up to contribute included members of Cursive, Drip, Lullaby for the Working Class, Neutral Milk Hotel, Of Montreal, Sorry About Dresden, and others. For those familiar with the work of Bright Eyes, this new record represents a big step forward in terms of fidelity.