While 2002's LIFTED was the record that blew Bright Eyes and its hyper-poetic frontman, Conor Oberst, into the public's consciousness and up the Billboard charts, its predecessor, FEVERS AND MIRRORS, put him on the next-big-thing map. The third official album in the band's catalog, FEVERS AND MIRRORS finds Oberst & Co. codifying the vision nascently established on LETTING OFF THE HAPPINESS. Oberst furiously wrestles with his emotions as he upends confessional singer-songwriter tropes while producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis frames his whims in shifting, episodic textures that include pulsating organs, dulcimers, and vibraphones.
As with all Bright Eyes albums, this one begins and ends with Oberst's strong songwriting and preternatural gift for dramatic, narrative lyricism. "A Scale, A Mirror, and Those Indifferent Clocks" includes the line "Now I know a disease that these doctors can't treat/you contract on the day you accept all you see". Oberst seems to be kicking and screaming against this possibility through a strained larynx--most notably on the anthemically strung-out "Calendar Hung Itself" and the eruptive refrains of "Sunrise Sunset". While "Something Vague" and "Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh" each predict the operatic alt.country the band would perfect on CASSADEGA. Here Oberst is still embracing his influences--openly channeling Eliot Smith on the opening track and SISTER LOVERS-era Alex Chilton on "The Center of the World". Arguably, pound for pound the best Bright Eyes album, FEVERS AND MIRRORS captures Oberst before the masses did.
3rd Full Length;"Well-Crafted Lyrics With Haunting Music"
Recorded at Dead Space, Lincoln, Nebraska in December 1999.
Personnel: Andy LeMaster (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, Mellotron, keyboards, percussion); Conor Oberst (vocals, guitar, piano, toy piano, organ, keyboards, sampler); Jiha Lee (vocals, flute); Joe Knapp (vocals, drums, percussion); Mike Mogis (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, E-bow, dulcimer, hammer dulcimer, mandolin, organ, glockenspiel, guiro, tambourine, electronics, sampler); Tim Kasher (accordion); A.J. Mogis (piano); Todd Fink (keyboards); Clint Schnase (drums).
Audio Mixer: Mike Mogis.
Recording information: Dead Space, Lincoln, NE.
Photographers: Kimberly Hager; Jamie Williams .
Bright Eyes: Connor Oberst (vocals, guitar, Fender Rhodes piano, organ, keyboards, percussion, samples); Andy Lemaster (vocals, guitar, Mellotron, bass, percussion); Mike Mogis (acoustic & electric guitar, pedal steel, E-bow, mandolin, piano, organ, keyboards, vibraphone, glockenspiel, tambourine, electronics); Jiha Lee (flute); Tim Kasher (accordion); A.J. Mogis (piano); Todd Baechle (keyboards); Matt Maginn (bass); Joe Knapp (drums, percussion); Clint Schnase (drums).
Magnet (6-7/00, p.70) - "...An unlikely heir to Big Star's THIRD, Violent Femmes' first and the whole Mark Eitzel catalog....borrowing tasteful playing, ambitious production and some of the nicest microphones the boys could get their hands on..." CMJ (7/00, p.49) - "...A superb album, articulate and powerful on the subject of teenage heartbreak and self-loathing, and played...with confidence and subtlety..." Melody Maker (7/22/00, p.52) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Spine-shivering....it'll make you break out into a thousand gruesome goosebumps....the diary of traumatised soul..." NME (Magazine) (7/8/00, p.27) - 7 out of 10 - "...A godsend for connoisseurs of raging f***-ups and the dubious benefits of a Catholic education....this is a tragicomedy that manages to be oddly affecting even at its most outlandish."
Bright Eyes for bright souls... Whatever pain you have felt Mr. Oberst has felt with you, and will make you feel like somone can relate. This album is beautiful and a MUST have. Don't question, just order. Submitted by a reviewer (Massilln, OH, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful.
The best Bright Eyes album Fevers and Mirrors is the pinacle of the Bright Eyes' raw, acoustic, and tortured pre-Lifted stylings. You can see the roots of this record in earlier songs like "A Poetic Retelling of an Unfortunate Seduction" and "The Awful Sweetness of Escaping Sweat." Later records are more refined, more fully composed musically, but none continue to haunt me with lyrics like "the choices were given, now you must live them, or just not live." My favorite CD for the past 7 years, and not likely to be bested. Submitted by dannymac83online (Washington, DC, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful.
WOW Just to tell you now that i dont listen to too much rock and indie but i saw them in concert and they are amazing this album is also one of the best albums that they have and i really suggest getting this one over some of the other ones Submitted by finnie_joseph (Imperial Beach) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
really lackluster the only good songs are when the curious girl..., sunrise sunset, and a song to pass the time. the rest are just really unremarkable. buy lifted and im wide awake, dont worry about this one. Submitted by andrew (philly) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Great..just pure Magic Conor is so Great at everything he does and this album is all of his creative talent in one little package this album was the beginning and it still stands as one of his greatest Submitted by Memnarch2000 (Colorado Springs,CO) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Bright Eyes for bright souls...
really lackluster
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