''Fevers and Mirrors'' is the third studio album by the
Nebraska indie band
Bright Eyes, recorded in 1999 and released on May 29, 2000. It was the 32nd release of the
Omaha, Nebraska-based record label
Saddle Creek Records. The album was released later in 2000 in the
United Kingdom as the inaugural release from
Wichita Recordings.
The album begins with a recording of a little boy reading ''Mitchell Is Moving'', a book by
Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (November 12, 1928 – March 12, 2019) was an American children's writer.
She wrote more than 130 books for children and teens and her books have been translated into several languages. They have won awards including Book ...
. "An Attempt to Tip the Scales" includes what is ostensibly an interview with the band's frontman,
Conor Oberst. However, Oberst has admitted that the interview was something of a joke, intended to poke fun at the dark tone of the album. Conor's voice is impersonated in the interview by
Todd Fink of
The Faint and
Commander Venus. The man interviewing is Matt Silcock, a former member of
Lullaby for the Working Class
Lullaby for the Working Class was an indie folk rock band from Lincoln, Nebraska, active from the mid-to-late 1990s. Fronted by Omaha, Nebraska singer-songwriter Ted Stevens (of the bands Mayday and Cursive), the group also featured multi-instrume ...
.
The album was reissued alongside a six-track companion EP by
Dead Oceans on May 27, 2022.
Critical reception
The music
online magazine ''
Pitchfork'' placed ''Fevers and Mirrors'' at number 170 on its list of top 200 albums of the 2000s,
despite a low initial score of 5.4/10. In 2012, ''Pitchfork''s Ian Cohen gave the reissued version of the album a 9.0 out of 10.
Track listing
Personnel
*
Conor Oberst – vocals, guitar (1, 4, 6, 8, 10-12), sample (1), organs (2), Rhodes (5), keyboards (5, 12), piano (6, 7), tremolo guitar (9), percussion (11), toy piano (12)
*
Mike Mogis – electric guitar (4, 9), pedal steel (6, 8), vibraphone (1, 8), tambourine (6, 8), glockenspiel (1), piano (1), Ebow pedal steel (2), electronics (2, 9), tongue drum (3), guiro (3), lap dulcimer (4), hammered dulcimer (5), atmosphere (7), acoustic guitar intro (9), organ (9), mandolin (10), keyboards (10), samples (11), percussion (11)
*
Todd Baechle
Todd Fink (born Todd Baechle – pronounced "BECK-lee" – on March 3, 1974, in Omaha, Nebraska) is the lead singer of the band The Faint. He attended Omaha's Westside High School.
Career
Fink was also one of four members of the band Commander ...
– keyboards (3)
*
Tim Kasher – accordion (1, 4, 6)
*
Joe Knapp Joe Knapp (Joseph Andrew Knapp) is an artist from Omaha, Nebraska. He is the lead singer and songwriter of Saddle Creek band Son, Ambulance. Knapp has also collaborated with friends and musicians such as Bright Eyes and David Dondero.
Joe was Nebr ...
– drums (3, 4, 6, 8, 9), percussion (3), vocals (8)
*
Jiha Lee – flute (2, 4, 10), vocals (5)
*
Andy LeMaster
Andy LeMaster is an American musician, songwriter, engineer, and producer from Athens, Georgia. Now It's Overhead is the primary project for his own songwriting, while he also releases music under his own name and contributes as a co-writer on ...
– guitar (3), percussion (3, 6, 11), Mellotron (5, 6), bass (2, 5, 10), electric guitar (9), vocals (9-11), keyboards (11)
*
Matt Maginn – bass (3, 4, 6, 8, 9)
*
A.J. Mogis
A.J. Mogis is a musician from North Platte, Nebraska. He currently plays bass guitar in the indie-rock band Criteria. His brother is Mike Mogis. Together, they founded Presto! Recording Studios and have recorded almost all the albums released ...
– piano (2), Rhodes (9)
*
Clint Schnase – drums (2, 5, 10)
Charts
References
External links
Saddle Creek Records
{{Authority control
2000 albums
Bright Eyes (band) albums
Saddle Creek Records albums
Wichita Recordings albums
Albums produced by Mike Mogis
Chamber pop albums
Britpop albums