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Bright Eyes is the musical vehicle of Conor Oberst, a young singer/songwriter from Nebraska who first attracted the attention of the indie music world in 1994 - when he was just 14 years old - as the singer and guitarist for Commander Venus.

After releasing two albums, Commander Venus broke up, but not before the band members started their own record label, Saddle Creek. Since then, Saddle Creek has served as the outlet for such bands as Cursive and Lullaby for the Working Class, as well as Oberst's project, Bright Eyes, of which he and guitarist/mixing engineer Mike Mogis are the two constant members.

The rest of the instrumentation is taken care of by a rotating lineup of players, including fellow Saddle Creek-ers Andy LeMaster and Maria Taylor, although Oberst, as Bright Eyes, has been known to perform solo gigs. The band is anchored by the singer's frayed lyrics and his shivering, unnerving voice, both of which were displayed on their first two albums, A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997 and Letting Off the Happiness, released in 1998, the latter recorded with help from members of Neutral Milk Hotel and Of Montreal, among others.