Bright Eyes - Noise Floor/Casadaga

This week, we return to our roots, revisiting Bright Eyes just a little over a year since our first episode. While the first episode reviewed a double release, --2005's I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn -- we are reviewing two albums that are as opposed to each other but from different times in that decade. 2006's Noise Floor is a collection of "B-sides and rarities." Despite being a grab bag, this record has meaningful standouts for Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and company. It is emblematic of the bedroom records era of Bright Eyes, soaked in mundane, personal mellodrama. 2007's Casadaga leans further into lush country and folk production. Closer to I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning yet eclipsed by that album's legacy, Casadaga is a gem to rediscover.