Letting Off the Happiness

Letting Off the Happiness
Studio album by Bright Eyes
Publication (s)	November 1998
Label (s)	Saddle Creek
Format (s)	CD , LP
Genre (s)	Folk , indie rock , singer-songwriter
Title (number)	11
running time	approx. 57 minutes
occupation	Conor Colonel other studio musicians: see below
production	Mike Mogis
chronology A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995–1997 (1998) Letting Off the Happiness Every Day and Every Night (1999)

Letting Off the Happiness is the second album by Bright Eyes . It was recorded between March 1997 and March 1998 and released on Saddle Creek in November 1998 .

In addition to Conor Oberst - the creative head of Bright Eyes - musicians from Neutral Milk Hotel , Tilly and the Wall and Of Montreal also appeared as guest musicians on the album (see section Musicians involved ).

Track list

1. "If Winter Ends" - 3:25
2. "Padraic My Prince" - 3:48
3. "Contrast and Compare" - 3:57
4. "The City Has Sex" - 2:11
5. "The Difference in the Shades" - 4:23
6. "Touch" - 3:42
7. "June on the West Coast" - 3:34
8. "Pull My Hair" - 4:10
9. "Empty Canyon, Empty Canteen" - 2:47
10. "A Poetic Retelling of an Unfortunate Seduction" - 4:24
11. "Tereza and Tomas" - 25:46

The last song, Tereza and Tomas, is followed by an approximately 15-minute roar before the song Contrast and Compare can be heard in an alternative version.

The song Empty Canyon, Empty Canteen is not included on all editions.

reception

The album did not receive much attention at release, so most reviews only look at the album in retrospect. In addition, there is the fact that the album was only released in Germany more than two years later - in May 2001.

The German music magazine Visions gave its publication in Germany a grade of 9 out of 12 and stated:

“Most of the songs were recorded in a basement - acoustic guitar, bass, drums, and some crude keyboard sounds. LoFi . [...] These songs are unbelievably big, full of tragedy and sound as if the Flaming Lips were tearing their hearts out. Bright Eyes is Nick Drake without an antidepressant. "

Also Allmusic praised the panel expressly and rated it 5.5 out of 6 points Pitchfork Media gave 6.8 out of 10 possible points.

Participating musicians

• Conor Oberst - guitar, piano, vocals (tracks 1–11)
• Mike Mogis - guitar, keyboard, melodica, pedal steel, glockenspiel
• Matt Maginn - Bass (Track 2)
• Matt Focht - drums, percussion (tracks 2, 11)
• Matt Oberst - guitar (track 3)
• Neely Jenkins - vocals (tracks 3, 8)
• Andy LeMaster - vocals, percussion, guitar, bass (tracks 4, 5, 6, 8, 10)
• Jeremy Barnes - drums, percussion, accordion, keyboard (tracks 4, 5, 6, 10)
• Kevin Barnes - vocals, Rhodes (tracks 5, 10)
• Ted Stevens - drums (track 8)
• Aaron Druery - Bass (Track 11)
• Robb Nansel - Finger Pelvis (Title 11)

Web links

• Letting Off the Happiness at Discogs

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Visions Issue 99 - Review
2. ↑ Allmusic review