Customer Reviews

Letting Off the Happiness

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The album starts off with noise that leaves you wondering what to expect, then all of the sudden, a tenderly strummed acoustic guitar comes into the sonic realm and your worries are relieved. "If Winter Ends" isn't a song to listen to while driving..."Padraic my Prince", melodically, is one of the best songs on here. Lyrically, it tells the tale of untimely death and a suicide pact to make up for it...it's not a happy album, folks. The female backing vocals give "Contrast and Compare" an interesting sound. The songs full of great lines people sometimes quote: 'I can't breathe with these words in my mouth'. "The City has Sex" is a faster paced song about the city and the people in it. One reviewer called "Touch" 'bedroom techno', and I can't think of a better way to describe it. It starts off semi-industrial but then morphs into something that sounds like an oldies station with manic depression. "June on the West Coast" is basically a country song without the typical redneck style vocals. The simple melody and Dylan-ish vocal delivery have been stuck in my head on many, many days. "A Poetic Retelling of an Unfortunte Seduction" is haunting to say the least. The album closes with "Tereza and Tomas" (a reference to Milan Kundera's excellent book The Unbearable Lightness of Being). The song is aching in its beauty. Its about love and escape, two of the things that often keep us going. If you listen to this with your eyes closed, it takes you away to another place. This album is underproduced, some might say, but a lo-fi fan might say that's exactly what makes it great. I don't know. The lack of production makes it seem very earnest, very genuine, and very very real. Unlike a lot of the fake and contrived "emo" out there today, this album is truly an emotional experience. I don't know if that requires it be labeled emo, but if it does, it certainly lives up to the title. Conor writes with such genuine honesty that you can't help but listen to and remember every word he sings. And the singing, oh my...he sings like he cries and it doesn't sound lame. If that's not an accomplishment, I don't know what is.

i've recently become a bright eyes fan in the past few months. since then i've managed to snag lifted, fever and mirrors, and lettings off the happiness. it took a bit to grow on me, but, they are all flawless. conor has the ability to speak to many in a manner that few others do; its almost disconcerting. the songs are painstakingly beautiful, yet honest. last saturday i got to see bright eyes play at the howlin' wolf in new orleans, and it was amazing! pick up one of these albums or stop by a show, it will be worth the time and money invested.

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.

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.

This is Bright Eyes' less-produced album...it has a very raw quality, as most of the songs were recorded on a 4- or 8-track in Conor Oberst's basement. In my opinion, I like it better that way...it adds something that Lifted and Fevers&Mirrors was lacking...I'm not even sure how to explain it, but...
I'm sure some people are sick of all the Bob Dylan comparisons, but here I go. Remember early Dylan (like Highway 61 Revisited- Era and Another Side of Bob Dylan- Era) when it was mostly just him and an acoustic guitar, sometimes an organ and some drums? It didn't take away from the effect of his unique voice and his poetry like some of the later, more rock-oriented, electric efforts. I think the same thing about Bright Eyes..."Letting off the Happiness" is my favorite album by this band because there weren't all these other unnecessary instruments distracting the listeners from Conor's voice and his lyrics. His emotion is pure and there is a great balance of vocals and instruments on this album. Now I'm just going to say a little bit about what I appreciated about each song:
1) if winter ends
"I dreampt of a fever, one that could cure me of this cold, winter-set heart..." great lyrics, good tempo...
2) padraic my prince
this was the first bright eyes song i ever heard (before i ever bought any of their albums). i think i was in awe by it, and i just had it saved on real player on my computer or something, and i kept uploading it over and over to listen to it.
3) contrast and compare
i love the female vocal accompaniment! wonderful! it really compliments conor's deep voice and adds a lot to the song.
4) the city has sex
this song reminds me of late-70's punk rock!
5) the difference in the shades
i really like the finger-plucking on the acoustic guitar and the pedal steel.
6) touch
ooh, touch! what a perfect song...i like the "broken-keyboard-effect" and the fact that it is a more upbeat song without becoming pop. when conor starts to yell, the voices in the background add a lot of depth to the song.
7)june on the west coast
this is a less frantic bright eyes song...it's all acoustic, just conor and his guitar. it is probably the folk-iest song on this album, and one of my favorites.
8) pull my hair
great to sing along to--i like the pedal steel, which gives it a country vibe. during the chorus, i like the vocal accompaniment by andy lemaster.
9) a poetic retelling of an unfortunate seduction
excellent, dark, and haunting lyrics...it even has an accordian in the 2nd verse!
10) tereza and tomas
what a beautiful song, and it ends the album on a great note. excellent use of keyboard and guitar.

In my opinion, pick up this album or "Fevers&Mirrors" before you purchase "Lifted..." because as great of an album as "Lifted..." is, it has a lot of extra weight that I feel somewhat takes away from the beauty and poetry of bright eyes. it's great that conor is experimental and can take his music to all sorts of new heights, but i do hope for another album that is not a far cry from "letting off the happiness" in the future!

After listening to various lo-fi and even studio "indie/alternative" music, I have come to a realization: "Letting Off The Happiness" kicks all that other music's ass. Seriously though, starting with "If Winter Ends", the cd immediately draws you in. And if it doesn't, jump off a bridge. Through the chaotic beginning of the song, you have to listen to what emerges from it. Pure music, in its rawest form. Period. Moving through the cd, you hear a beautiful duet in "Contrast and Compare," leaving goosebumps all over your body. The twang of the guitars and the way the music sways with their voices is entrancing. Further threw this enlightening experience you hear "Touch." The compassionate voice and hypnotic keyboards work up to a shocking and emotional climax of Conor Oberst's signature wailing. I think this cd is more of a true Conor because later albums chill out and do not pull you along on an emotional roller-coaster (sorry for being trite...). "Pull My Hair" is another duet, this time more dynamic and layered instrumentally. Equally satisfying if not better than "Contrast and Compare." After winding through this wonderful cd, you reach a landmark in music history. "A Poetic Retelling Of An Unfortunate Seduction" plays. From its humble moaning to its sorrowful screaming, the song is unbelievable. There is a line that reads "And you wonder if you are alive" in the song. If you haven't heard this song or bought this cd, keep wondering....

"Lifted..." is highly overrated. This is by far the best Bright Eyes album. All ten songs are riveting--there's no filler. I've listened to good, the bad and the mediocre of lo-fi; I wouldn't give 5 stars to most of the albums I've heard.

...Elephant 6 contributions are noted...

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.

Conor's first great album. This lo-fi CD finds Conor at the ripe age of 18 performing songs written laden with the frustration of your usual teenage. Conor dosen't take the usual "I want sympathy" root however. The only thing emo about him is his shrieking often off-key voice. Instead Conor writes inteligent songs full of imagery and metaphors about his struggle with finding enjoyment in this life.

His depression is evident across the entire album but never is it more startling or brilliantly exressed than in the opening number, 'If Winter Ends', a track that uses winter as a metaphor for depression and spring as one for life. The song is about how he wants to escape from the bell jar that hangs over his life. The track opens with a drone layered with voices. Around the 40 secong mark the guitar cuts in. He sings "I dreamt of a fever, one that would cure of of this cold winter set heart..." He keeps going because he knows if he can just get away "the perfect spring is waiting somewhere." He finally pleads "just take me there."

The rest of the album continues in this dark, hopeless way. Track two detailing what I beleive to be a true story about his brother dying in a bathtub. By track 4 though, he begins to analyse his problems, not just cry about them.

Expect an album that will be difficult but will be rewarding. Some of Conor's best songs are her (If Winter Ends, The Difference in the Shades, Pull My Hair). Even with all the hopelessness, Conor manages to present us with a compelling, fun, and cool CD.

Conor Oberst. Remember the name. It will be a very big name in the indie rock world very soon, and the mainstream may not be far behind. There is simply no way that this can go unheard for long. This guy is a HUGE talent. The deep sadness and lyrical genius recalls The Mountain Goats, Elliot Smith, and Neutral Milk Hotel, but he has a sound that is all his own. I can't really come up with any fancy words to describe the wonder of this album. Instead, I'll give you this, "And I've cried, and you'd think I'd be better for it, but the sadness just sleeps in your spine for the rest of your life" (from The City Has Sex). If you have any interest in art, passion, or real human emotion, be good to yourself and buy this album. If you don't care about these things, you have my sympathy.