Fevers and Mirrors: A Companion

*Fevers and Mirrors* is classic Bright Eyes—the album on which Oberst and Mogis’ shared vision really came into focus, the album that marked their first breakthrough and announced them to the world. Oberst remembers working in Mogis’ basement in Lincoln, Nebraska, as a turning point: “We didn\'t have a lot of nice equipment or anything, but it just became apparent to me that this person was an incredibly gifted producer and could make things sound interesting and amazing. I was so full of ideas, some good and some bad, and he was nice enough to listen to my freaked-out ‘let\'s make it sound like you\'re eavesdropping on your neighbor and the music\'s coming from the apartment next door.’ A lot of producers or just people would be like, ‘What the fuck? That\'s a terrible idea.’” You can hear them bring that idea to life on “When the Curious Girl Realizes She Is Under Glass,” which they’ve reimagined with Bridgers, transforming it from a slightly claustrophobic piano tune (Oberst meant to be said neighbor) to something brighter and lighter. “We started getting into this idea of the music existing in its own atmosphere,” Oberst says. “It’s okay to have, like, doors slamming and static and weird random shit in between songs. We figured out what kind of records we wanted to make, which were very cinematic and—some will tell you—melodramatic and self-indulgent. We definitely let ourselves try a bunch of shit—some of it fell flat and some of it ended up being really innovative and cool.” In reimagining the album for its companion EP, the song choices highlight many of the standouts from its original version, with vocals from Bridgers on four out of the six songs and a cover of Lullaby for the Working Class’ “Hypnotist (Song for Daniel H).” Oberst and Bridgers have collaborated frequently in the past, including their 2019 project Better Oblivion Community Center. As a self-proclaimed fan of *Fevers and Mirrors* who’s known to cover his songs quite often, Bridgers was an obvious choice for this EP. “She\'s an insanely gifted singer,” says Oberst. “Anything she sings on makes it better.”