Eels

Sometimes you need to risk parody to get to someplace deep. E, the singer, songwriter and
guitarist of Eels, takes that risk on Electro-Shock Blues (see what I mean?) and pulls it off
impressively. The album is E's anguished response to the deaths of several friends and to his
becoming, as a press release for the album states, "the last living member of his family." It's
grim stuff – "Waking up is harder when you want to die" is a characteristic senti... More >

Mark Everett is a talented 31-year-old who bravely determined to deal with the dying he's seen in song. But that didn't mean he had to make a concept album. Beyond art-rock fashion, which has rendered the static song cycle stupid fresh again, the strategy suits a detachment he'd be drawn to in any era, a detachment that's devoid of charm--which also goes for the concept it hides behind, baggage doubly distracting for consumers without a press kit. I count three excellent songs--a plighted troth, a teen memory, and an unexpected flight in which Everett invites one of his deceased back for a last look. I sincerely hope they're all covered by singers who can show them the love they deserve. (Grade - B)