Album Review - Eels - End Times

This review is part of the "Over Flow" Review Series. For various reasons these past reviews were not published anywhere else. I am tagging them as "Overflow Reviews" and may add some extra information before or after if needed but will keep the ratings and reviews just as I originally wrote them. Enjoy:

 Eels

End Times 

* and a 1/2 out of *****

Eels or rather Mark Oliver Everett, has been through a ton of hardships in his life and they consistently weigh him and his music down.  That weariness coupled with the straining honesty in his voice lends added gravity to all of his songs.  However, on past efforts an ironic, smiling-into-the-shitstorm flicker has off balanced the grim thoughts, not on End Times.  There is no irony in this title; Eels are speaking on the end of relationships, the end of life, the end of civilizations and the end of the world, yet at the end of it's run it is the album that has  failed.

Much sparser sonically then the recent (and superior) Hombre Lobo, E just wallows in the rut of despair waiting for these End Times which seem to be coming in the next gasp.  “Unhinged” has an organ and tambourine that off set some mean lyrics directed at a crazy ex-lover, “In My Younger Days” plays with simple electronic backing over suicidal thoughts.  The emptiness is all consuming and serves to drown the listener while E regresses into himself and the songs almost border on pitying. 

Let’s face it, Eels can convey pain brilliantly and the short heartfelt “Little Bird” sounds completely forlorn and devastating with the refrain “God Damn/I Miss that girl” but in context it is just another bleak song.  A full album of downers is tough to swallow unless recent breakups or hardships have clouded your life, if that's the case then I am sure this album will ring completely true. When Eels splashes in a bit of variety into the overall product he/they achieve better results, hopefully E cheers up just a hair for the next album.   


More thoughts, comparisons to other reviews and a video after the jumparooni

Album Review: Being Dead - EELS

Being Dead

EELS

***and1/2 out of *****

On their debut, 2023's When Horses Would Run, the Austin, TX based outfit Being Dead crafted oddball tunes that shifted between loveable and ominous. That combo continues on their sophomore follow up EELS.

Album Review- Eels - Wonderful, Glorious

Eels

Wonderful, Glorious

***and1/2 out of *****

There is a line on Eels newest release that sums up when Mark Oliver Everett is at his best, "In the ring so long/gonna prove'em wrong/I'm not knocked out/but I'm on the ropes".  The song is aptly titled "On The Ropes" and it is this space between defeated and just OK where E seems to thrive. 

On past releases (the bleak End Times) he was all but smothered and out for the count, dishearteningly and disturbingly so. Here Eels and crew aren't exactly as elated as the title suggests, but there is a fighting spirit that seeps into the tunes, giving slight hope and elevating this collection of songs over any E has recently contributed.

The opener "Bombs Away" never delivers the musical bomb alluded too, instead it goes hymn like with a church organ delivering texture instead of devastation.  Moods and mental states are at the forefront lyrically and they range all over as any listener to past E records will surely recognize. 

While the lyrics may be a touch schizophrenic the music stays remarkably constant. There is a slinky guitar that dominates, and can elevate the groove nicely.  Electro pulses and flourishes color "Kinda Fuzzy" and the confident "New Alphabet" with its big chorus are highlights, but the pianos and layered strings that seem to drift in an out of songs keeps things fresh.  The title track closes the album with a shake and shimmy, going for the spiritual love aspect with a wordless chorus of oohs and aahs before a crescendo that ends things on a positive upbeat note. 

Everett has never sounded closer to Tom Waits vocally and musically then on Wonderful, Glorious.  Who knows if this trend will continue or E will move onto other things next time out,  all we can do is listen to this one and enjoy it for what it is; a solid album. 
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We have loved Eels in the past and hated him.  We are always excited to check out his work though and this one is a goodie. 

Support the artist here, grab the disk here and peep some sample tracks below:
"New Alphabet"

"Kinda Fuzzy"

EELS New Album Extreme Witchcraft Coming in January

The fourteenth studio album from EELS, Extreme Witchcraft is coming at the end of January. 

RtBE has reviewed lots of EELS in the past and E crafted an amazing album in Blinking Lights and Other Revelations.  The first single off his new album has also been released and can be heard below, it is called "Good Night On Earth". 

EELS leader Mark Oliver Everett, aka E, co-produced the record with PJ Harvey producer and guitarist John Parish, marking the first time the two have recorded together since 2001’s Souljacker album. EELS are also set for a spring 2022 tour of Europe and America, starting March 11 in Belfast. 

NYPL Blog Post - Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations

Hey all, got a post up on NYPL.org, give it a gander and feel free to comment.

Great Albums You May Have Missed Eels Blinking Lights and Other Revelations 

It is a continuation of the Great Albums You May Have Missed series and it is of Eels classic Blinking Lights and Other Revelations.

I love this album, and think it is Eels crowning moment.  I ranked it 29th best of the albums from the last decade and am constantly amazed at its honesty and ability to affect me while listening to it.  It has an emotional connection to September 11th so I wanted to write about it this week, my small tribute I guess.

The other thing I want to point people towards during this time is this Hunter S Thompson article regarding the attack that was published on ESPN Page 2.  I am not  huge Hunter fan, I like what he stands for but have never been a massive fan of his writing, no matter what your opinion of him it is scary how correctly he nails this one...I go back and read it yearly to keep it in mind.     

Anyway, grab the album is you don't have it (you can take out of the library here) and enjoy some heart wrenching, honest tunes.

"Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)"

"Trouble With Dreams"

"Railroad Man"

Album Review: Eels - Extreme Witchcraft

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!

It is of Eels newest album Extreme Witchcraft. 

RtBE has reviewed Eels in the past and loved some and disliked some, Extreme Witchcraft is closer to the love column. 

Support the artist, buy the album, read the review and peep some video below:

Full Show Friday: Eels @ Pukkelpop 2019

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing). This week...Eels!

This week we focus on Eels show from Pukkelpop from 2019. A cool set with lots of covers tossed in. Pro shot, Pro sound, full setlist below. Enjoy!

1:15 Out in the Street (The Who cover) 4:00 Raspberry Beret (Prince cover) 7:41 Bone Dry 11:04 Flyswatter 14:04 Dog Faced Boy 18:29 That Look You Give That Guy 24:07 Prizefighter 27:12 My Beloved Monster 31:46 Little Joe! 33:28 Today Is the Day 36:27 Novocaine for the Soul 40:27 Souljacker, Part I 45:27 I Like Birds 47:47 Fresh Blood Fresh Blood 53:40 Love and Mercy (Brian Wilson cover) 58:07 The End (The Beatles cover)

New Eels Album, Tune and 2013 Tour

While I wouldn't say I am a huge fan of Eels, I always feel the need to check out his work.  He is an artist that (in RtBE's opinion) can fluctuate all over the map from some of the toughest to listen to (in a bad way) albums, to some of the most engaging and emotional ones we have ever heard. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stincodiporco

He is coming out with a new disk that you can pre order here, you can check out his new song here.

Tough to get a lot out of this one.  It's got some good funky breaks and cool interludes, so far so good. 

If you are interested in checking Eels out live you can also find out if he is coming near you with tour dates right down here:

Album Review: Chris Staples- Golden Age

Chris Staples

Golden Age

***and 1/2 out of *****

Sometimes in these fast flying twitter times a good back story really helps open up an album to more than it seems upon first listen. Golden Age by Chris Staples is one of those. The former loud rock guitarist has been writing more introspective softer songs and in the last few years have had a ton of crushing issues hamper his life. Internal organs literally stopped working, relationships ended and a horrible accident left him broken and hugely in debt.

He took all of those experiences and put together this album that reflects on past mistakes and hopes for a better future. It is a completely honest straight ahead work that reminds to a lesser degree of Eels Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. The brief opener "Relatively Permanent" is simple honest and contains great word play. This trend would continue with various instrumentation and levels of pathos from track to track.

The title track gets relatively funky and off beat with its backward looking and questioning sense of if things were really better in the past. If "Golden Age" looks back, "Cheap Shades" gets in a time machine to Staples birth in a dour affecting way. "Missionary" reflects on schooling with banjo and horn flourishes while "Full Color Dream paints a brighter picture over solid instrumentation.      

The fatalistic sense of realism comes through clearest on "Park Bench" as living everyday to its fullest becomes the only goal. The piano leads "Always On My Mind" while "Time Square" duets a loving personal travel story before a cold plea for Vacation" and escapism.

The elephant in the earphones is Staples vocals. It is just not the sense of loss that equates him to Eels, it is also the vocal delivery that can be clipped dry and average at best. With songs this personal though the singing cuts right through to the heart of the issues and works perfectly. Would a better vocalist improve these songs? Doubtful.

In the end of course, Staples himself describes the album best:

"It's really easy to idealize an earlier time in your life, but it's not useful. It can be a trap that keeps you from finding new good things to live for. Golden Age is about that myth we carry around. The myth of our past being idyllic. I don’t want to waste any more time dwelling on it."

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Support the artist, buy the album, peep some video below:

Album Review: Richard Haswell- From The Fleet To The Medlock

Richard Haswell

From The Fleet To The Medlock - A Collection (1997-2014)

*** out of *****

The Scottish singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Richard Haswell has put together a collection of his work spanning 17 years on From The Fleet To The Medlock. It is to act as a beginners guide to the artists collection as he currently has a daunting 22 records out there. Using the internet as a guide Haswell picked from a variety of songs based on downloads, streams, critical acclaim and personal preferences.

All that stated it may not be best suited as an intro to the artist as there is a lot to digest here in form of actual songs (17), running time (77+ minutes), and musical styles. Haswell isn't hasn't been afraid to experiement that is obvious as things as varied as textured spacey instrumentals ("Tird Lanark") cozy up next to disco fueled bouncers ("The Undreamed Of") nudging past acoustic moments ("Magnetic North").

To point out some highlights, "Circus Clown" has a nice production for a basic singer songwriter tune, elevating it above some others here. The pulsing/acoustic pairing on "Arise" feels like a lost Pink Floyd number that is exciting as is the Eels sounding "Perfect Parallel" which uses expert wordplay. Things can get over-dramatic on tracks like "Brick By Brick" and "Solid Ground", both would probably improve with a less-is-more production approach.

"Cause And Effect" is the highpoint of the collection with it's winning vocals, uplifting musicality and buzzsaw sounding solo to close things, this song shows Haswell's talent and From The Fleet To The Medlock gives you access to explore even more of his world. 
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You can support the artist here, grab/stream the album directly from bandcamp here, and peep some video below:
 

Glide Top 50 Albums of the 00's

Hey there ramblers, so I recently had the pleasure of working with Shane over at Glide and we came up with the list that was posted this morning.  I will be posting my personal list, but there will be a lot of crossover with this one as we spent a good amount of time on it and we both agreed on the majority of things.

So check it out right here!!!!!

(Full List minus descriptions after the jump)

Album Review- Will Johnson -Scorpion

Will Johnson

Scorpion

**and1/2 out of *****

That busy Texan Will Johnson (Centro-matic, Monsters of Folk) newest release is a personal, folkise effort that is noticeably morose and sparse, like the titled Scorpion skittering along the western deserts.

Whispered vocals that barely rise above the fray at all even where there is little to no backing ("Truss of Ten") are the clear signature here. Johnson's breathy approach forces the listener to strain to hear what he is singing about behind acoustic strings and some well placed unique sounds.

The instrumental "Rosanky" and the overall presentation recalls a somber Eels with less rhythm. The basic acoustic approach plays out in the title track but it is the switches away from the standard that work best.  "Bloodkin Push" is a piano driven tune that contains a weird middle noise section that sounds slowly chaotic before the tune rights itself; add an odd diversion that pays off.

"It Goes Away So Fast" also seems run of the mill until an electric guitar ripple reminds the listener of picking up out-land frequency's on a transistor radio late at night before a banjo plucks underneath. "Riding From Within" contains some acoustic angular strumming that works too. 

When Johnson stays straight ahead there isn't much to really invest in the tunes, the lyrics are so low that tracks like the disk closing "Vehicular and True", while obviously personal, are easily forgettable. The CD comes with the lyrics printed and that is a good thing as it helps the listener decipher Johnson's words.    

Keeping the listener engaged is where Scorpion stings strongest and the ever busy Johnson will no doubt be readying his next batch of tunes any minute now for us to listen to and enjoy.  
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A pretty interesting disk from Will Johnson that is certainly on the downer side of things, but musically engaging at times to really capture the ear. I didn't know he drummed for Monsters of Folk, we love those guys here. Hope Will and he fellas put out some more good tunes this year.

Buy the Album Here, catch him live here, stream some more songs here and peep a few samples below:

"You Will Be Here, Mine" 

Year in Review 2010 - Top 10 Albums - Part 1 (The Just Misses)

Well we are about to complete the first calendar year for Rock The Body Electric, and we have had some amazing times in my brain and chatted about some great music.  I have been able to expand my writing style, delve deeper into The Dead and conduct a few special interviews; here's hoping it's only the beginning of things to come.

I got some ideas for the upcoming year and hope to incorporate a few new voices/threads/topics so we shall see.  Before we stumble into 2011 though we should probably give a look back, and because everyone and their mother enjoys a good list I am going to rattle off my top ten albums of 2010. 

In the instance that I have reviewed the album either on the site or somewhere else I will link to that review and I will also provide a link to Amazon so you can pick it up with the quickness.  I worked with the Glide Team to give input on the their Top 20 so expect some overlap, but not a ton. Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but full releases you can slap on and listen to the full way through.    

Today I am going to focus on the "Just Misses" and unfortunately the "Let Downs" released this year.  Here's hoping you like them, but also feel free to call me an idiot in the comments and tell me your choices.  Expect installment 2 soon, but for now click on the jump homey: