Eels squirm with optimism on new album
By JOE LARSON
Scene Music Critic
On the back of the Eels' new album, Souljacker, appears an essay entitled "Do You Like Rock Music?" by DJ Killingspree. In this essay, DJ Killingspree welcomes the listener to the fourth studio album from the Eels, calling it "the hardest rocking substance known to man." Although this boast may be a bit hyperbolic, the album does lend itself to some pretty hard rockin' moments.
The Eels first appeared with their 1996 album, Beautiful Freak, which featured their most popular song to date, "Novocaine for the Soul." That album was drenched in sarcasm towards all things pop and commercial that guitarist/singer, E, could get at. It was an ambitious album that established the Eels as a truly original band with their own distinct sound. Two more albums, Electro-Shock Blues and Daisies of the Galaxy, followed Beautiful Freak and were well received by critics but did not have a radio-friendly hit like "Novocaine for the Soul" and were not very successful commercially.
But, that's kind of the whole point for the band. They rebel against the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears and they've never been afraid to talk about it in their songs.
Though certainly not catering to the average 15-year-old TRL fan, the Eels do not really pen any songs about how alternative they are on their new album. This album is chock-full of grooving trip-hop beats on some songs and also crunching electric guitar on others.
Like their other albums, this album is a conglomeration of alternative music. They jump from heavy rockers like "Souljacker Part 1" and "Dog Faced Boy" to smooth, hip songs like "Fresh Feeling" and "Friendly Ghost" without batting an eyelid. Overall, the album plays like a freaky rollercoaster ride over and around all kinds of alternative music. Some songs sound like Beck while others sound more punk-influenced like early Spoon.
The Eels strength is in their softer, slower songs where E's lyrics and the smooth jams of the band are in full swing. The best song on this album is "Fresh Feeling." After one listen, it gets in your head and stays there. It couples a bouncing bass line and a beautifully arranged string section with upbeat and optimistic lyrics that stress hope and love. The song is so uplifting it almost sounds like a pat on humanity's back. E sings, "Some people are good/ Babe in the `hood/ So pure and so free/ I'd make a safe bet/ You're gonna get whatever you need."
The albums follows up the optimistic "Fresh Feeling" with the downtrodden tale of a couple trying to make it through hard times in "Woman Driving, Man Sleeping." The acoustic guitar and drumbeat provide a mellow, melancholic backdrop for the story of a mundane existence and faded dreams.
Although the soft songs are the most powerful, the Eels make a case for themselves as a band that knows how to rock. "Souljacker Part 1" tears through the story of confused and angry youth with a thumping lead guitar riff and some seriously strained vocals.
They also bring almost a Moby-esque kind of jam in "Jungle Telegraph," which is a song that you could easily dance to. It samples a horn section and follows up with some rocking slide guitar. It tells the story of a character whose mother had hoped he was a girl and is now living in a tree. He asks, "Send me some lovin'/ Send it now/ Send it by giraffe/ Or jungle telegraph."
Another powerful song is "World of S***," in which the narrator tells his lover "In this world of s***/ Baby you are it." The song is a sad and slow cry about solitude and depression. The narrator is begging for his partner to marry him and begin a new life that will change the way he looks at the world and his place in it.
Although the Eels delve into some dark and harrowing places in their songs, the message is always a move towards a more positive life. They discuss the darkness of life with a reverence and an optimism that makes their stories not only tolerable, but also hopeful. They do so either with hard and heavy guitar and strained vocals or with a softer keyboard arrangement and acoustic guitar with jumping bass and drum beats, but either way, their craft is evident and this is an album that gets better each time it is played.
(four out of five shamrocks)
Contact Joe Larson at jlarson@nd.edu
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, March 26, 2002
