It’s the desire to celebrate their sonic bounty that first got Oberst and the band excited about the idea of comprehensive reissues. But this wouldn’t be a Bright Eyes project if a moment devoted to appreciating the past weren’t turned into an opportunity to connect with the future. That’s where the nine companion EPs come in. Or as Oberst puts it, “the supplemental reading” for the primary reissues: One six-track EP per reissued album, each featuring five reworked songs from that album. “My thing was they had to sound different from the originals, we had to mess with them in a substantial way.” Plus one cover that felt “of the era” in which that particular albums was made – a song that meant something to the band at the time. To help the EPs come alive in the fullest way, Bright Eyes called in lots of old friends, like Bridgers, M. Ward, and Welch and Rawlings, as well as new ones like Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee.

Tracklist:

The Invisible Gardener
Patient Hope In New Snow
Saturday As Usual
Falling Out of Love At This Volume
Exaltation On A Cool Kitchen Floor
The Awful Sweetness of Escaping Sweat
Puella Quam Amo Est Pulchra
Driving Fast Through A Big City At Night
How Many Lights Do You See?
I Watched You Taking Off
A Celebration Upon Completion
Emiy, Sing Something Sweet
All Of The Truth
One Straw
Lila
A Few Minutes On Friday
Supriya
Solid Jackson
Feb. 15th
The ‘Feel Good’ Revolution

UPC: 656605158112
Label: Dead Oceans
Release Date: 7.15.22
Format: Vinyl Record

Bright Eyes - A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997 [2LP]