Notes - The music blog
Notes: An Introduction to... Eels
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The child of bearded mastermind Mark Everett Smith (or just E for his friends), Eels is a band that defines quirkiness whilst still maintaining a vast array of music prowess. The ever rotating roster of musicians allows Eels to always sound fresh, whilst still having an identity.
It all started with Beautiful Freak in the latter half of the 1990s, with a 'Novocaine For The Soul' being a breakout hit, remembered mostly by its great black and white video. Sadly, tragedy struck the life of Mark Everett, as his sister and mother both passed away. Electro-shock Blues was not only his sophomore album, but also the much needed therapy he required to get over those hard times.
Music therapy worked perfectly and two fantastic albums followed suit: the upbeat, lo-fi Daisies Of The Galaxy and the classic rock Souljacker, an album that has Eels sounding like Beck but with a rockier edge.
An acoustic album (Shootenanny!), a "this is not an autobiography (although it is very personal music)" double album (Blinking Lights And Other Revelations) and a comically-named collection of b-sides (Useless Trinkets) led the path into Hombre Lobo, a return to dark themes of unrequited love, desire and longing. His newest album, End of times, kickstarts the decade, keeping true to his tradition of tortured lyrics and interesting music.
Listen to some of his best songs:
Get a free copy of Eels' Myspace Transmissions set:
http://www.myspace.com/
Samuel Valdes Lopez
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