Let me preface this by stating for the record that all Eels albums are better than great, but I'm going to be talking about one in particular. It's difficult for most people to say exactly what makes Electro-Shock Blues such a great album, but not for me. I like it because it's so personal. Sure, I know what you're thinking; every album by every band is personal. But this album is different. It's personal in a way that makes you, the listener blush. It's "I didn't need to know that" personal. Let me explain; No, E is not singing about his colon operation, or his penis size. He's singing about his sorrow due to the death of important people in his life. And isn't that just as obscene. Death is a dirty word in America (and Canada I'm sure). We don't like to even think about it let alone listen to music that features it as the subject.
But somehow E pulls it off and somehow turns what could be an incredibly depressing album about death into an uplifting album about triumph over sorrow. I don't want to sound to sacrilegious here but if Jesus were to write an album about his experience on the cross I think it would sound a lot like Electro-Shock Blues. |
