Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors

The most focused and conceptually complete release to date, Bright Eyes' 'Fevers and Mirrors' is a modern day masterpiece from one of the most important songwriters of our time. Twelve songs of brutal honesty and ingenious storytelling bring us a bit closer to this undeniable talent. Album Description

The Young and the Artless

It would be nearly impossible to mention a Bright Eyes record (especially early ones) without mentioning how young Conor Oberst is. And he's lucky to be so young so that he can be forgiven for his pretensions. People must have been throwing the label "genius" around so much in the late 90s that he believed the hype. Almost nothing on Fevers and Mirrors is worthy of all the indiscriminate gushing. This is a sub-par indie/alt/folk/rock record that pretends to know the answer to great mysteries and thinks it's haunting and beautiful when it's really mostly turgid and uninspired, with vocals more often wavering and unaffecting than soulful and impassioned. Oberst is earnest enough, saving him from some modicum of embarrassment, but at this time he delivers artless and inelegant ruminations on subjects that inexperience and youth can't deal with. The way he arranges and crafts the language proves two things: he's ambitious enough to emerge in a few years as a worthy performer and artist and that enlightenment doesn't often come easily for the gifted. It's a display of overwrought affection; he falls in love with every word that escapes his lips and judging by the quality of his vocal expression, he wants to suck each syllable right back to taste their store-bought nectar.

It opens with an unnecessary recording of a child's voice. Near the end is a mock interview with Oberst (or an impersonator). The listener's stomach rolls along with his eyes. In between is a rollercoaster of quality with far more freefalls than soaring climbs. It's saved (well, almost) by rare good tracks like "The Calendar That Hung Itself" and "Haligh, Haligh, a Lie, Haligh." That these small moments of redemption can seep through the bog is nothing short of miraculous. Honesty can't even flourish in this place; its overrun by too many borrowed "weeds." I fell back on this after being rather impressed by his two simultaneous 2005 releases. It seems that age is the ultimate antidote for naivety. The Oberst of 2000 merely showed a few sparkles of promise twinkling in a great grey sea of ichor; in five years he'll be almost deserving of the virtual deification. It's not dreck, but it's the sort of beast that gets attention simply for being. No one should anoint a prodigy until the worth is measured and then finally achieved.

Best cuts: "The Calendar Hung Itself," "Haligh, Haligh, a Lie, Haligh," "Sunrise, Sunset," "Something Vague," "The Center of the World" September 11, 2007

Give it some time

When i first heard Bright Eyes i actually considered their music to be some of the worst i'd ever heard. I hated it, but my friend kept ranting on about how talented Conor Oberst is and how moving his music, so i went out on a limb and bought an album (Lifted, or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground). I somehow feel in love after the first listen. Everything my friend had told me was true and i was forced to admit to the fact that she was right and i was wrong.

After that I found anything and everything i could by them and I can asure you that this is the best single collection of Bright Eyes songs ever written. I admit, this album is challenging, but just take the oppurtunity to sit back and listen to what Conor has to say and I guarantee that even if you don't appreciate the music you will appreciate the brilliance of this young man. Bright Eyes is one of the very few great voices of today's young America. January 27, 2007

You've lost what you love, in that mess of details...

Comparing Oberst's music to Dylan's is very unfair. Unfair to Oberst, that is, whose music exceeds that of Dylan in both ambition, and execution. This album is certainly Dylanesque, as it follows Dylan's tradition of redefining folk music as an attempt to lyrically highlight problematic trends in human behavior, and their impact upon the identity of the individual. But where Dylan attempts this mostly through intentionally precious lyrics soaked in beatnik sentimentality, Oberst willingly explicates many of his own anecdotes, allowing the subtlety in his music to dwell within its style rather than lyrical ambiguity. Many of his songs contain five or six poignant lines, any of which could be the product of a whole evening of discussion between friends, and their philosophies on life. Like Coleridge did with his conversation poems, in this album, Oberst addresses the listener with a friendly, pensive sincerity, combing over his experiences and reactions to them in search of some greater conclusion about how human behavior, and society's values, can be improved.

If you're impatient with friends who attempt to engage you in deep discussion, you probably won't like this album. If you're only impressed by music that is dogmatically hip, these songs probably won't do much for you. And if you think that you have everything figured out, concerning how relationships should be formed and how people should communicate, and other perspectives simply irritate you, then you'll especially dislike this. But if you generally like literature at its most idealistic and meaningful, then you will find that this is such literature, in song format, and you should eat it up. I also highly recommend the album, "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning," by the same artist. January 20, 2007

Promising

A beautiful collection of songs that hints broadly at the amazing albums to come...Standout songs include The Calender Hung Itself and Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh. November 3, 2006

sometimes it's fun to act suicidal

Most of this album makes me want to bash my head on the wall. Repeatedly. However, there are 4 or 5 songs I actually like. I have fun wailing along with Oberst's ridiculously melodramatic, warbling vocals, thinking all the while, "Oh, woe is me! Oh, alas, I'm SO depressed... NO one understands me, NO ONE!" To the people who hate this album, try to see it in a new light... it's FUNNY! If you still hate it, no problem. I understand. (I'm also surprised more people don't find the "interview" humorous. It makes me laugh every time I hear it.) August 15, 2006

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