depth
eels are the criminally underrated pop-rock brainchild of singer/songwriter Mark Everett a.k.a 'E', and definitely one of my favourite bands ever. This is simply due to the fact that I feel few other artists make music and lyrics as diverse, touching and accessible as eels. Whilst I forward my opinions on their work, I feel a little background information will also prove relevant, as much of E's music runs parallel to events in his life.
Working under the name 'E', Everett broke into the music industry via the release of the solo albums "A Man Called E" (1992) and "Broken Toy Shop" (1993). Around 1995, E decided to produce music under a different name and he formed eels as a project for his work, along with drummer Jonathan 'Butch' Norton, and bassist Tommy Walters. eels went on to release four studio albums and one live album in the coming years, and they are still going strong.
In 1996 we saw the first eels album, "Beautiful Freak". This is often seen as the darkest, most depressing LP and it's the very same CD that really got me into to eels after I purchased it subsequent to a friend showing me a couple of tracks. This album was important to me as it helped me through a pretty rough patch in my life. I could relate to messages behind the music perfectly which deals with issues such as depression, mental health, and love. The form of the album, being essentially quite gloomy but with beautifully positive traces, represented me perfectly in the sense that no matter how bad things get there is always a glimmer of hope to hang onto. The theme of love strongly conveys this hope, with songs such as the title track "Beautiful Freak" and the moving finale "Manchild". Then there is the bitter and sarcastic side of eels, portrayed through such songs as "Rags to Rags" and "Susan's House" that kind of have a careless pessimistic attitude, which I found to be amusing and oddly strengthening. There are also the more depressing songs which are packed to the brim with emotion such as "Not Ready Yet" which deals with the subject of not being able to face the outside world, and "Your Lucky Day In Hell". Even from these however, I still gathered immense comfort and musical pleasure.
It was shortly after the release of "Beautiful Freak" that E's sister Elizabeth committed suicide. Incidentally, he had already lost his father at the age of 19 and now his mother was also diagnosed as being terminally ill with lung cancer. Essentially without a family, E decided he should try and convey these tragedies through his work and so was born "Electro-Shock Blues" which was released in 1998. I view this album in two separate sections, which is mainly emphasised through the naming of the two tracks "Going to Your Funeral (Parts 1 & 2)" which appear towards the beginning of each 'part' of the album. The first half encapsulates the pain of E's tragedies perfectly with the sombre opener "Elizabeth On the Bathroom Floor". The second half again has rather poignant undertones, although compared to the dark, decaying feel of "Beautiful Freak", the pain here has surfaced and ultimately seems more subdued and calm. There are even some beautifully positive tracks such as "Last Stop: This Town", the message here being E imagining Elizabeth coming down to Earth for one last time before she leaves. As standard this album is not without its humour as well, with songs such as "Baby Genius" baiting ex-bassist Tommy Walters who left due to differences between himself and E. On the whole I didn't feel I could relate too well to E himself on "Electro-Shock Blues" because I fortunately haven't ever lost anyone extremely close to me through death, but there was still the basic message of rising above the worst.
The next album, "Daises of The Galaxy" written just 6 months after "Electro-Shock Blues" although not released until 2000, was recognisably the most positive work of eels. The music style alters dramatically being more upbeat with a brassy swing type orchestra featuring on many of the tracks. This album is indescribably uplifting, "Daisy Through Concrete" being a shining example of this despite its somewhat cheesy nature. There are still pessimistic views on the world, but it's all about having risen above all this sorrow. That's not to say it isn't without displays of melancholy trickling back in. Tracks such as "It's a Motherfucker" and "Selective Memory" still have a fair bit of emotional whack, but even then you get the feeling of saying goodbye to the pain. Amidst all this there are a few really powerful songs such as "Daisies of The Galaxy" which is simply stunning and of course no eels album would be without some bitter 'novelty' songs, coming in the form of "Flyswatter" and "I like Birds" which are basically just good fun. In short, an inspirational and uplifting record.
2001 saw the release of the fourth eels studio album "Souljacker". The music style once more alters dramatically, this time E goes for a faster paced, alternative rock sound that is yet another great display of his versatility. I'd say this is possibly the most emotionally lacking eels record, but it's still makes good listening. The opening track "Dog Faced Boy" is quite bitter and aggressive, as is "Souljacker Part 1" although conversely we still have a number of mellow and moving songs such as "Bus Stop Boxer" and "Souljacker Part 2". And naturally, "Jungle Telegraph" keeps up the novelty end that any eels album would be lost without. I didn't get much emotional fulfilment out of "Souljacker" and very few of the lyrics touched me as much as those of the previous three albums could, but despite the disappointment, there is still some fantastic music displayed here.
Another thing I love about eels is the fact they produce incredible B-sides and this always give you the prospect of something new to listen to, as I for one am constantly tracking down rare recordings I'm yet to hear.
Unfortunately I've never seen the band live, as they seem to veer from major UK festivals and I've never caught them on local tours so I cannot comment on live performances. I can only hope they come to England in the near future.
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