Editing Bright Eyes (band) (section)

===2000–2003: ''Fevers and Mirrors'', ''Lifted'', and ''A Christmas Album''===
In 2000, Bright Eyes released ''[[Fevers and Mirrors]],'' with new instruments such as the flute, piano, and [[accordion]] introduced into the song arrangements. After "An Attempt to Tip the Scales", there is a mock radio interview that features [[Todd Fink]] of [[The Faint]] doing an impression of Oberst while reading a script that Oberst wrote. In this interview, the fake Oberst presents a strange, contradictory explanation of his attitude towards his music. It acknowledges criticisms of his [[lyrics]] as overblown and insincere, which had begun to appear as the popularity of the band increased, but responds by stating that the lyrics are meant for personal interpretation. Oberst later commented that "It was a way to make fun of ourselves because the record is such a downer. I mean, that's one part of who I am but I also like laughing."<ref name="kittymagik">{{cite web
| url = http://www.kittymagik.com/interviewsViewer.asp?artist=36
| title = Conor Oberst (interview)
| author = Amy Phillips
| publisher = Kitty Magik
| date = April 2005
| access-date = January 29, 2008
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071209000802/http://www.kittymagik.com/interviewsViewer.asp?artist=36
| archive-date = December 9, 2007
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>
The album placed 170 on Pitchfork Media's best 200 albums of the decade.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7706-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-200-151/4/ |title=Staff Lists: The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200–151 |website=Pitchfork |date=September 28, 2009 |access-date=December 23, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016153330/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7706-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-200-151/4/ |archive-date=October 16, 2009 }}</ref>

With ''[[Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground]]'' in 2002, Bright Eyes became one of the year's most celebrated "new" artists, despite having been recording under that [[moniker]] for a few years. They received national attention, including in several notable pieces in ''[[The New York Times]]'', the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'', and ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'', many of which proclaimed Conor Oberst to be a significant new artist. The album was a commercial success and has sold over 250,000 copies,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6822956/king_of_indie_rock |title=Music News: Latest and Breaking Music News |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=May 19, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070428091412/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6822956/king_of_indie_rock |archive-date=April 28, 2007 }}</ref> a breakthrough for the label and for all of the band's peers at that time. Oberst stated that, before making this record, both he and Mike Mogis had an idea for a "sort of grandiose sound" that neither could really put into words. This was also the first album made after Oberst's break to play with [[Desaparecidos (band)|Desaparecidos]]. On December 1, 2002, Bright Eyes released their fifth studio album, ''[[A Christmas Album (Bright Eyes album)|A Christmas Album]]''.