Bright eyes is the name Coner Oberst uses on all his albums (there are more out than just the two new ones), but it is not a band, just the one man (Conor). Although many musicians contribute to the record, he is the one who writes the songs and plays guitar in all of them, and the musicians change throughout.

Conor Oberst is from the USA and has had other albums such as Digital ash in a digital urn (one of the newest ones), one jug of wine two vessels, lifted or the story is in the soil keep your ear to the ground and fevers and mirrors, along with many more. He has been recording since the age of 13, and is now 24. He has recently toured with REM.

His style of music has been described as indie rock and emo. I think it is also a bit 'folksy' though that is probably not the right word. On this album, it is very much about keeping it simple, with only a few instruments, and letting the lyrics speak for themselves. By this i mean that it doesn't sound very produced like alot of albums do these days.

I bought this album after listening to the single 'First day of my life' on a music channel. I thought the lyrics were fantastic, and as thats what i look for in a song, i thought i would try the album.

I brought this from MVC for £9.99, but it is (i found out later!) cheaper in other places - I think it is £8.99 in virgin. I was a bit put off by the fact that there is no track listing on the back, simply a continuation of the picture on the front. As you cannot open the CD's in my MVC, i didn't know what tracks were on it. The sticker on the front said how it included the single 'First day of my life' (along with Lua and Old soul song), and so i chose this one over Digital ash in a digital urn, which was also on offer.

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THE CD BOOKLET

The picture on the front shows the front of a few houses, seemingly in a city (which is in the background) along with a tree and a red moon/sun. The back also shows houses in different beiges and browns, along with the record lable (sadlle creek) and some information on contacting that. Inside, there is a CD booklet, and also a design under the place where the CD is held, of a tree, with a yellow bird sitting in it. It also has the title of the album. The booket's back has the track list (there are 10 songs) and some more leaves from the tree. I think the design goes with the style of the album, and it is all drawn or sewn, it is not computer graphics. This all goes with the simplicity of the album - some songs are just Conor Oberst and his guitar. I think that this is a great design, but it not as eyecatching as some albums these days that use computer graphics.

Inside the booklet there are the lyrics to all the songs, aswell as who played what in the song, which is a nice feauture. It also has thank-you's and where the album was recorded with dates.

THE CD DESIGN

This also has a tree with a yellow bird sitting in it (the yellow bird features in the lyrics of the album - another reason why i like the design so much), and Bright Eyes written in the same font as the rest of the titles and lyrics in the album. It has the same colout scheme as the CD booklet.

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TRACK LIST

1. At the bottom of everything
2. We are nowhere and its now
3. Old soul song (for the new world order)
4. Lua
5. Train under water
6. First day of my life
7. Another travelin' song
8. Land locked blues
9. Poisen oak
10. Road to joy

The song titles come from the lyrics of the song, with the exception of Road to joy, who's lyrics mention the album title more and Lua. The titles are not from repetetive lyrics, but things that are said just once, unlike a lot of other song titles.

AT THE BOTTOM OF EVERYTHING

At the start, before this song has even started, it has Conor talking, as though he is doing a show, about a plane crash (listen to it an you will know what i mean!). Then, the song starts. This is a happy kind of song, at least it has a happy tune. It seems to be about how people live these days - "and in this endless race for property and privilage to be won, we must run we must run we must run". It is quite fast compared to some of the other songs and has an 'uplifting' feel to it. It is a nice start to the album, and one of my favourite songs.

WE ARE NOWHERE AND ITS NOW

This is a slower song, with a sadder feel to it. It has Emmylou Harris in it, who sings in a few other songs on the album. It also has the first mention of the yellow bird in it - "Did you forget that yellow bird? Oh how could you forget your yellow bird". Im not really sure what its about, i think you have to make your own assumptions, but it is a great song, very much in the style of the rest of the album and it has some really nice lyrics in it. It also has alot of instruments in it (piano, trumpet, drums etc). It is a good slower song.

OLD SOUL SONG

This is about the same speed as the first song on the album, but the phrase 'They go wild' that he repeats is said slower. Its about a protest or something - "And there were barricades to keep us off the street, but the crowd kept pushing forward, till the swallowed the police". This is one of my favourite songs on the album, and it tells a story of his day, presumbably at a protest or something. Again, you have to listen to it yourself. I think you can find new meanings each time you listen to it, as with the rest of the album. Thids song has a lot of emotion in it, especially when he shouts parts.

LUA

This was apparently a single, but i never saw it come out. It is very slow and has just conor and his guitar in. It is about someone who he loves, and their relationship, but also how it is ending - "but me i'm not a gamble you can count on me to split". It seems to be about how things are different in the evening, or when they are happening, but in the morning, everything has changed. It is a nice slower song.

TRAIN UNDER WATER

This is my least favourite song on the album, although i still like and listen to it, mainly because i dont think the lyrics are as good as some of the other songs. It is a happier song again, and it seems to be about how love is not forever - "dont be fooled, dont get lied to, love was always cruel", but people may see it differently from me. It is a nice enough song, but not my favourite. It is still worth listening to.

FIRST DAY OF MY LIFE

This is his most famous song over here it seems, it was shown on many music channels. I love the lyrics to it, and it is what encouraged me to buy the album. I dont often buy albums without hearing at least 3 or 4 songs, but this was enough for me for this album. It is about how everything changed when you find someone you love - "This is the first day of my life, swear i was born right in the doorway". I think everyone who loves someone can relate to the lyrics, they are very meaning full. It is a medium speed song, if you have heard any of his stuff, it will probably be this. It only has a few instruments in it, and only conor singing, which i feel adds to the efect.

ANOTHER TRAVELIN' SONG

This is another faster song and it has a happy beat, but it seems to be about a sadder subject - "I'll fight like hell to hide that I've given up". It is a great song, with alot of emotion in it, i think he almost shouts the last words. Again, the girl Emmylou harris sings in it, and she also makes it sound good.

LANDLOCKED BLUES

This is a very sad themed song, and also quite slow. It is about walking away from things, and it seems very heartfelt when he sings it. I cant really put the songs in order of my favourites as i love the whole album, but it near the top! Good to listen to when you are upset i think.

POISON OAK

Another sad song, and also possibly the slowest. I loved this song straight away. It is about someone leaving him - "then when you turned away, when you slammed the door", and it is very emotional. It has lovely lyrics to it, and it good to listen to when upset. This would have also made me buy the album, if this was all i heard.

ROAD TO JOY

This is my favourite song on the album. It is good to listen to after an argument, he shouts the words in it alot, adding to the effect (by shouts i dont mean how some people scream them, and they are harder to understand, you still know what he is saying) and it seems to be about the state of the world. It has powerful lyrics, and is, i think the best song on the album.

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When To Listen To It - I spent alot of time listening to this in my art exam, and when doing prep work for that, but not everyone will be in the same situation to do that! It is an album, i think, to listen to alone, it is not something you could play at partys, or i think, and background music, as it is very much about the lyrics. It is good for listening to when you are stressed or upset, but not really a 'getting ready to go somewhere' type of album. Also, it will not be to everyone's taste.

For Fans Of - Willy Mason, Damien Rice, and possibly emo bands such as Brand New. I also think fans of morrissey and the smiths might like it. I don't those into R&B will like it much, or rap fans, but some might. It is for people who like to listen to the lyrics in songs, not just the beat.

There are not many albums (or maybe even no others) that I listen to and love straight away, or that i cant find any songs that i dislike on, but this album was the exception. There really are no fillers.

I would definatly reccomed this album to fans of the above music, and anyone who wants a relaxing album with meaningfull lyrics. There is, in my opinion, no 'bad' song on this album, and every song has its good points.

Other Info - Most of the album was recorder one week in February 2004. It was recorded in Lincoln Nebraska. It was mixed by Mike, mastered by Doug Van Sloun in Omaha. The artwork was done by Zack Nipper.