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A founding member of Commander Venus – which disbanded in 1997 – guitarist / vocalist Conor Oberst turned to focus on his new project, Bright Eyes.

The name of the band comes from the Bonnie Tyler song " Total Eclipse of the Heart.

" 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.

The album saw 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.