History Music / BrightEyes

* AntiLoveSong: "Lua" is a cynical take on this.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Oberst is now past 30, ''nothing'' about him, not his face, hair or even his ''name'' doesn't say "kid".

* ProtestSong: "When the President Talks to God" is a ''very'' thinly-veiled attack on UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush.

-->''The mask I polish in the evening by the morning looks like '''shit'''

Bright Eyes was an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska consisting of Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, Nate Walcott and [[RevolvingDoorBand various other musicians]]. Oberst, amongst others defined Saddle Creek records as well as founded his own independent label Team Love Records. Oberst tends toward introspective, confessional lyrics when writing for Bright Eyes and his other bands, which include Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk.

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: Oberst is not the only official member of Bright Eyes [[note]]though originally he was. Bright Eyes started as a continuation of his early solo recordings. ''A Collection of Songs'' and the Squadcar'96/Bill Hoover splits are entirely solo Bright Eyes releases, with Mike Mogis joining for ''Letting Off the Happiness'' as producer and various other artists contributing. The band then gradually evolved from a rotating lineup of artists with Oberst and Mogis front and center to the three-piece ensemble it's officially labelled as[[/note]]. In a subversion of the IAmTheBand tag the media gives Bright Eyes, Oberst often points out that Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott are official members of the band, too.

* ThrowItIn: The contrived trumpet flub after the line "Now all anyone's listening for are the mistakes" in "False Advertising".

** "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" is a cynical take on SexAsARiteOfPassage, with a young man losing his virginity to an older woman, and feeling upset and empty after the fact.

Bright Eyes is an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska consisting of Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, Nate Walcott and [[RevolvingDoorBand various other musicians]]. Oberst, amongst others defined Saddle Creek records as well as founded his own independent label Team Love Records. Oberst tends toward introspective, confessional lyrics when writing for Bright Eyes and his other bands, which include Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk.

One of the first indie bands to gain mainstream success, Bright Eyes has had two singles, "Lua" and "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)," that reached the top of the Billboard charts. Their respective albums, ''I'm Wide Awake It's Morning'' and ''Digital Ash in a Digital Urn'' were released simultaneously, and are two of the best received indie albums of the TurnOfTheMillennium.

* Deconstruction: A few songs over the years are lyrical deconstructions of some sort:

* NonindicativeName: "Oberst" means "[[CommonRanks Colonel]]" in [[BilingualBonus German]]. Nothing could suit the peace-loving Conor less.

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: Oberst is not the only official member of Bright Eyes. In a subversion of the IAmTheBand tag the media gives Bright Eyes, Oberst often points out that Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott are official members of the band, too.

* PrettyBoy: Boy howdy, that would be Conor to a T.

* LyricalDissonance: "Bowl of Oranges".

* ProtestSong: "When the President Talks to God" is a ''very'' thinly-veiled attack on GeorgeWBush.

Bright Eyes is an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska consisting of Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, Nate Walcott and [[RevolvingDoorLineup various other musicians]]. Oberst, amongst others defined Saddle Creek records as well as founded his own independent label Team Love Records. Oberst tends toward introspective, confessional lyrics when writing for Bright Eyes and his other bands, which include Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk.

Bright Eyes is an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska [[IAmTheBand led]] by Conor Oberst, who amongst others defined Saddle Creek records as well as founded his own independent label Team Love Records. Oberst tends toward introspective, confessional lyrics when writing for Bright Eyes and his other bands, which include Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk.

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: Oberst is not the only official member of Bright Eyes.

* BrokenBase: fans tend to argue between the early, relentlessly miserable lo-fi indie rock era (''A Collection Of Songs...'' - ''Fevers and Mirrors''), stripped-bare honest, folk/americana period (''Lifted...'' - ''I'm Wide Awake...'') and the spiritual/science-fiction electronic/pop direction of their final work (''Digital Ash..." - "The People's Key...''). The sound and lyrical direction changes so dramatically it's almost like listening to three different bands.

* FauxSymbolism: Arguably. The radio-presenter on ''An Attempt To Tip The Scales'' actually asks Oberst to elaborate on the repeated imagery he uses throughout the album.
** (On the title ''Fevers and Mirrors'':) ''The fever is basically ails you or oppresses you. It could be anything. In my case, it's my neurosis, my... depression, but I don't want it to be limited to that (...) The mirror is, as you might have guessed, self examination or reflection of whatever form. It could be vanity or self-loathing. I know I'm guilty of both.''
* LyricalDissonance: "Bowl of Oranges"

* SpokenWordInMusic: Each album generally begins with an extract of a recording or interview, to establish the direction
* TrueArtIsAngsty: ''Heavily'' apparent in his pre-''Lifted'' work, even lampshaded in "Fevers and Mirrors" with the mock-radio interview at the end of ''An Attempt To Tip The Scales''.
** Subverted in that critics tend to agree ''Lifted'' to be superior ''because'' it tones down the depressive/angsty themes.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: ''Heavily'' apparent in his pre-"Lifted" work, even lampshaded in "Fevers and Mirrors" with the mock-radio interview at the end of ''An Attempt To Tip The Scales''.

* AlbumTitleDrop: ''I'm Wide Awake It's Morning'' gets its name from the album's final song, "Road to Joy."
* BrokenBase: fans tend to argue between the early, relentlessly miserable lo-fi indie rock era ("A Collection Of Songs..." - "Fevers and Mirrors"), stripped-bare honest, folk/americana period ("Lifted..." - "I'm Wide Awake...") and the spiritual/science-fiction electronic/pop direction of their final work ("Digital Ash..." - "The People's Key..."). The sound and lyrical direction changes so dramatically it's almost like listening to three different bands.

* FauxSymbolism: Arguably. The radio-presenter on "An Attempt To Tip The Scales" actually asks Oberst to elaborate on the repeated imagery he uses throughout the album.
** (On the title "Fevers and Mirrors":) "The fever is basically ails you or oppresses you. It could be anything. In my case, it's my neurosis, my... depression, but I don't want it to be limited to that (...) The mirror is, as you might have guessed, self examination or reflection of whatever form. It could be vanity or self-loathing. I know I'm guilty of both."

* TrueArtIsAngsty: "Heavily" apparent in his pre-"Lifted" work, even lampshaded in "Fevers and Mirrors" with the mock-radio interview at the end of "An Attempt To Tip The Scales".
** Subverted in that critics tend to agree "Lifted" to be superior "because" it tones down the depressive/angsty themes.

* AStormIsComing: "Don't Know When But A Day Is Gonna Come" off ''Lifted''.

* SpokenWordInMusic

* NonindicativeName: "Oberst" means "[[CommonMilitaryRanks Colonel]]" in [[BilingualBonus German]]. Nothing could suit the peace-loving Conor less.

* EmoKid: One of the more lingering criticisms of the band.