Eels
Souljacker (Universal)
Christ, where to start? E is a genius of cynical and depressing melancholia, but he also makes some beautiful, often inventive, music that leaves critics slack jawed. Most depressives just make depressing music, but E has this uncanny charisma that just seems to leak into his songs, imparting to them a shiny glimmering joy. Yeah, you know all that already. So Souljacker? The piss take review by DJ Killingspree (I think it's a piss take) which appears on the back cover is hard to beat. Although I don't think I agree with the assessment that Souljacker is "the hardest rocking substance known to man".
E and Butch roped funky pom, John Parish, in to play on Souljacker, and his
presence certainly lends a flint sharp rock edge to some tracks, particularly
Dog Faced Boy, That's Not Really Funny, What Is This Note? and the title track
(part 1 at any rate), which rips along with a simple kind of chugga chugga
rockabilly feel that really does rock. Watch out for the lyrics though; they
are vicious.
But as quickly as a manic-depressive swinging from dancing in the rain to
slitting their wrists, Souljacker slips from grinding, body-shaking, guitars
to chloroform confection such as Fresh Feeling, Woman Driving, Man Sleeping,
or the exquisite Bus Stop Boxer - the sort of sweet, soaring idiosyncratic
pop sound that made songs like Novocaine For The Soul or Mr E's Beautiful
Blues so charming. The honey-dipped World of Shit or the serrated What is
Ths Note? are good examples of how E likes to create a musical sweet and sour
stir fry, juxtaposing icing-sugar coated sounds with lemon juice and salt
lyrics, or vice versa.
E's charismatic genius is also apparent in his lyricism. Often downright silly
("send me some lovin'...send it by giraffe or jungle telegraph"
or "you say a lot of funny things, my little bunny...you bake delicious
pie") but it matches his distinctive sound like lego pieces clicking
together. His subject matter is often similarly frivolous, as typified by
songs like Teenage Witch, Friendly Ghost or Dog Faced Boy ("ma won't
shave me, jesus can't save me"). But really, who cares about minor details?
It's the Eels. You know it's good.
Melanie Sheridan (beat Magazine)
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
