Editing Bright Eyes (band) (section)

===1995–1998: ''A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995–1997''===
After being  a founding member of [[Commander Venus]] – which disbanded in 1997 – guitarist/vocalist Conor Oberst turned to focus on his new project, Bright Eyes. In 1998, he released 20 of the songs he had been stockpiling as the first official Bright Eyes album, ''[[A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995–1997]].''<ref>
 {{cite web
 |last        = McMahan
 |first       = Tim
 |date        = December 1998
 |url         = http://www.timmcmahan.com/brighteyes.htm
 |title       = Growing Up in an Alt Rock World
 |access-date  = April 14, 2005
 }}</ref> The album saw Conor Oberst beginning to experiment with [[drum machines]], keyboards and other instruments. The sound of the album ranges from bleating vocals to acoustic guitar songs and [[techno]]-style synthesizer instrumentals. Critical reaction was negative, with [[AllMusic]] saying that many of "the songs disintegrate as his vocals are reduced to the unintelligible babbling of a child. Any balance the music maintained up to that point, however fragile, is lost and so, more than likely, is the listener."<ref>{{cite web
| url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r488641|pure_url=yes}}
| title = ''A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995–1997'' Overview
| access-date = August 5, 2006
| last = Bush
| first = Nathan
| publisher = AllMusic [All Media Guide, LLC.]
}}</ref>