letting off the Happiness

David Daley, Magnet Magazine
The enigmatic young man who calls himself Bright Eyes is quite a grand song writer. You may not always see it coming, but his music and especially his lyrics hit you in a way that never lets you doubt the absolute truth of what he's saying. I am also keen on the way he writes a love song. His sweet sonnets are never about being enamored by a lovely young lady, instead the passion he ruminates on is that of a time and place, of salvation and a more innocent definition of the word hope. Songs like "The City has Sex," "Tereza and Thomas," "Pull on My Hair," and "June on the West Coast" show his sorrow that springs from ending a love affair with the future and having a one night stand with the present. (miles curtiss, supafly #3)

___________________________________________ Magnet Magazine www.magnetmagazine.com

Fifteen years ago, a Nebraska teenager named Matthew Sweet turned his correspondence with Athens, GA., heroes like Michael Stipe into a musical career, ultimately moving to Georgia after high school to play in Oh-OK with Stipe's younger sister, Linda, and Linda Hopper (Magnapop). Now, there's another teenage songwriter working the Nebraska/Athens axis, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, whose second CD features contributions from members of Neutral Milk Hotel, Of Montreal, and midwesterners Lullaby for the Working Class. Oberst's lo-fi bedroom confessionals restore the magic to a genre that long ago lost its luster to every self-indulgent loner with a four-track. Oberst's honest, sensitive lyrics are never less than affecting and experienced beyond his years, and Athenians Kevin Barnes (Of Montreal) and Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel) add their wonderfully skewed melodic sense and innovative instrumentation (accordian, pedal steel, weird keyboards) that puts this well above the usual bedroom noodling. Trouble is, the recording (done in sessions in both Athens and Nebraska) doesn't capture the full dynamism of the songs. There's a lot going on here that's almost impossible to hear, lost in a mix that's often cluttered or scratchy. Perhaps in the future, studios like John Keane's or David Barbe's can really capture their visionary imaginations.

lemon pepper fanzine issue 1 . december 1998
Conor Oberst has more passion in his young 18 year old body than in your little pinky. Last year a friend of mine made me a tape of Bright Eyes stuff and it made me cry. This album is less sad and much more dynamic. As the mastermind behind Bright Eyes, Conor enlists help from friends and family to record songs that originally grew out of the Oberst family basement. I love the scrapped together feel of the songs. If you like slow pop like Ida, or you're a Karate fan, you'll love Bright Eyes.

letting off the Happiness

letting off the Happiness,Bright Eyes,Saddle Creek,Indie Pop,Indie Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

letting off the Happiness

Average customer rating:

purity
Best Bright Eyes Album
mind blowing
Starting at the Bottom
Just get me past this dead and eternal snow...

letting off the Happiness
Bright Eyes
Manufacturer: Saddle Creek
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Figure 8

ASIN: B00000HXU7
Release Date: 1998-11-02

Tracks:

If Winter Ends
Padraic my Prince
Contrast and Compare
The City has Sex
The Difference in the Shades
Touch
June on the West Coast
Pull My Hair
A Poetic Retelling of an Unfortunate Seduction
Tereza and Tomas

Customer Reviews:

purity .......2006-12-28

this album to me demonstrates purity at its best. yes it is raw. there isn't much studio work to it. it's honest and painful at it's most beautiful. anyone who appreciates true feeling needs to hear this. this is an album full of quoteable lines. one of my favorites is "i can't breathe with these words in my mouth." a sentiment we have all felt at one time or another. it pulls out every emotion unapologetically for the listener to feel. good and bad. pleasant or uncomfortable.

Best Bright Eyes Album.......2006-11-10

Yes, in my opinion this is Conor's best release. He was pretty young when recording it, but i find every single song on it to be very enjoyable, and worth listening to. Very lo-fi but the lo-finess is what makes it so great.
It is the imperfections on this album which just in turn make it perfect.

mind blowing.......2005-11-20

I am a huge Bright Eyes fan, and even though I don't think this is Oberst's best album, it is the most admirable. He was 17 and 18 when it was being recorded. I am the same age and all this makes me think is, "What am i doing with my life?" That and Conor Oberst is amazing. The ups and downs on this album are great and, as always, the lyrics are both everything you had always thought and things you had never thought of before. Definetly a good buy.

Starting at the Bottom.......2005-08-23

This album is great for any Bright Eyes fan.I haven't been for a long time but well enough to know that they're awesome.The first Bright Eyes cd I ever got was the "LUA" ep.I loved Well Whiskey,and True Blue.After that I got Digital Ash in a Digital Urn and liked it. Those are the only two I had before I got "Letting off the happiness" for my birthday. I think its the peak of Bright Eyes albums.I hope you get it and enjoy it.

Just get me past this dead and eternal snow..........2005-04-10

This is by far one of the best CD's ever composed by Bright Eyes. One of the greatest things about this album is that Conor Oberst sings all of his songs with such emotion that you can actually feel what he's singing and his lyrics are poetic enough so send chills down your spine. I personally related to "If Winter Ends" which is track one on the CD and I beleive that everybody has felt that way at one point or another. "Letting off the Happiness" also has a healthy mix of songs you can lay back and relax to(like "Sail Away", "If winter ends", "Contrast and Compare"), and songs that are more upbeat like "the city has sex" and "pull my hair". The entire CD has a mellow, yet very awake indie/folk vibe to it. I highly recomend it.

Average customer rating:

Enter the World of Connor Oberst

Letting Off the Happiness
Bright Eyes
Manufacturer: Jvc Victor
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004TAFI
Release Date: 2000-03-23

Tracks:

If Winter Ends
Padraic My Prince
Contrast And Compare
The City Has Sex
The Difference In The Shades
Touch
June On The West Coast
Pull My Hair
Empty Canyon / Empty Canteen
A Poetic Retelling Of An Unfortunate Seduction
Tereza And Tomas

Album Details

Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track: "Empty Canyon/Empty Canteen".

Customer Reviews:

Enter the World of Connor Oberst.......2000-07-03

There has been a lot of hype out about the band Bright Eyes, especially with their latest release "Fevers and Mirrors." "Letting Off the Happiness," is a very good album. The production on some of the songs are not that spectacular, not that it takes away from the record. Some songs were not recorded in a studio, but rather in basements or garages. The saving grace of "L.O.H.," is Connor Oberst has a way of spinning tales like no other. Most of his songs have a depressing feel to them, but the shear mastering of his songwriting cannot be beat. As for this import it is not much different than the US version. The bonus tracks are not worth the extra money, but if you're a huge B.E's fan you'll like them. If you want to get into Bright Eyes my suggestion would be to start off with the EP "Everyday, Everynight," this five song CD is a good sampler of their work. If you like it you should buy "Fevers and Mirrors," which is a master piece. Anyway, this import does not offer much more to the listenor than the original, but the songwriting and craftsmanship of Mr. Oberst will make you scream for more.