The title a play on--and tribute to--singer-songwriter Nick Drake's second album (Bryter/Layter), this Brighter/Later surveys Sheik's three Atlantic Records CDs (Duncan Sheik, Humming, and Daylight) as well as the Nonesuch release Phantom Moon. Of the set's concept, Sheik says: "I wanted to have these two CDs where you would kind of stay in a particular mood and wouldn't be sent back and forth-where, as you listen to each CD, you could get into one headspace and stay there for a while." Disc One, "Brighter," showcases Sheik's more energetic pop-oriented songs, while Disc Two, "Later," highlights his more contemplative compositions.

In addition to singles, album cuts, and concert favorites, Brighter/Later contains a number of rarities and previously unreleased tracks: a studio recording of "Lost On The Moon" (from the international-only version of the Daylight CD); "Wishful Thinking" from the Great Expectations soundtrack; an unreleased recording of Joni Mitchell's "Court and Spark"; an unreleased remix of "For You"; and a new live recording of "Home." The collection also offers the "hidden" tracks from Humming (the epic "Foreshadowing") and Daylight ("Chimera"), available here as stand-alones for the first time ever.

Sheik's latest CD is White Limousine, released earlier this year by Rounder Records. His most recent project, the German Expressionist play Spring Awakening, for which he wrote music to Steven Sater's lyrics, moves from Off Broadway to Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theater, opened December 10.

Here, Sheik talks about the genesis of Brighter/Later, the thrill of composing a Broadway musical, and the new gay fans he's garnered on the Great White Way.

Q: Did you actually choose the songs on Brighter/Later yourself?

DS: It was a collaborative process. Originally, the label wanted a single disc of mostly my singles. I was afraid of that. The more popular songs--"Barely Breathing," "She Runs Away," "Half-Life"--have been kind of a cross to bear. Most people have just heard those songs, and for me, it was important to tell the other side of the story. I was very intent on doing this 2-CD thing. That way, it just feels a little less throwaway. Best-of albums can be great, but in a way, they're often so surface-y.

Q: So, does this album signify the end of an era?

DS: It's definitely the end of a period-it's a nice way to tie it all up in a bow. For me, I feel like there's this body of work, and it kind of feels like it's done. It's been interesting to listen to some of these songs, a lot of which I really haven't listened to in years. It was a nice trip down memory lane.

Q: You've done cover versions of songs by Morrissey, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, and of course, Nick Drake. How did Joni Mitchell's "Court and Spark" end up on the album?

DS: It was meant to be on a Joni Mitchell tribute album-a bunch of people like Bjork and Seal were also going to be on it-but it never came out. I thought it would be nice to give that version a home.

Q: Last time we talked, we discussed you making the transition from your singer-songwriter career to writing the music for your Off-Broadway musical Spring Awakening. Tell me about your shift in perspective as the show has moved from a little Off-Broadway theater in Chelsea to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on Broadway.

DS: It's kind of enormous. It's big enough that I don't really realize what's happening most of the time, except at moments when you see that there are 1,000 people in this gorgeous theater on the Great White Way, and they've come to listen to your music. Just to be a small part of that-along with Steven Sater, who wrote the lyrics, [director] Michael Mayer, and [choreographer] Bill T. Jones--is an honor. I kind of didn't realize how much I love it until recently, when I was standing at the back of the theater watching previews. It's an amazing feeling.

Q: Do you feel that the success that Spring Awakening has had so far is any way a kind of vindication for difficult times in the past when you felt your music wasn't necessarily getting the kind of exposure that you would have liked?

DS: Totally. 100%. I would be the first one to admit that there was a period there, after I left Atlantic Records, where I felt like I was doing the best work I could, yet I was not getting the kind of audience that I hoped I would receive. It was very frustrating. The other night, at the show, there was a full house, and they wouldn't stop clapping. I couldn't help but compare that moment to some of the frustrations of the past.

Q: We've talked before about the fact that you have a large gay following. They will be very glad to know about Brighter/Later. I know this might be a silly question, but have you seen your gay following increase as you have become more visible on the New York theater scene?

DS: Look-that question is totally appropriate. Every night, I'm standing in the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on Broadway. There's definitely a gay audience to see the show. Its funny, I was at Grey Gardens a couple times this month, and that show more than ours is a show for theater queens. But I did see some faces from Grey Gardens that had been in our audience too. I have to say, my favorite scene in our show is when the character of Hanschen, a schoolboy seduces his friend Ernst in this very predatory way. It's a really sublime moment.

Q: As a musical composer on Broadway, how does it feel to be in the musical company of legends like Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim, and Kander and Ebb?

DS: You definitely get into that I-am-not-worthy frame of mind. Stephen Sondheim actually came to see Spring Awakening Off-Broadway, and he really seemed to like it. In a way, I feel like the work that Steven, Michael and Bill have done really deserves to be on Broadway. And in a way, it definitely pays tribute to everything that has come before it.

Q: I hope Brighter/Later doesn't mean the end of your singer-songwriter career.

DS: No, not at all. I have another musical that I'm working on, and there's also a play with music that's in the works. But I will definitely always be recording and touring. I have an idea for a true covers record that I want to do. But whatever music I'm doing, I will always be a singer-songwriter at heart.

More on Duncan Sheik at www.duncansheik.com.