Review Summary: The Los Angeles based alt/indie rock band Eels returns after a 4 year hiatus to search for the light in these times of darkness.
Last edited 6-9-2018: Score changed from 3.5/5 to 3/5.
When we last left frontman Mark Oliver Everett (also known as E) four years ago, he was exhausted from the pains of the emotional exposure from his last album (The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett) and from touring. He decided to take the energy he puts into his music and push it into other outlets (appearing in Judd Apatow's comedy series Love, getting married, having a child, and getting divorced). It was during this hiatus that Everett began recording songs in the spur of the moment, with frequency varying for even months at a time. Everett began to assemble a collection of these songs into an album with one unifying message: optimism in the time of extraordinary confusion and dread (from late 2016 onward).
One major change in this album is that the Eels shift away from their traditional rock style seen in their previous work. What we are left with is an album that, on the whole, is gentler and more soothing (with a few exceptions). The usage of the Eels choir over the course of many songs in this album reinforces this image.
One issue with this album is that it feels relatively lacking in terms of the amount of actual songs. The Eels frequently dabble in wordless songs that set a tone or a shift in their albums. On this record, there are 3 such samples (arguably 4 if you count the short lullaby Archie Goodnight), which is a significant chunk on a record with 15 tracks. Fortunately, most of the remaining songs are strong and memorable tracks.
Individual Track Reviews
The Deconstruction: This track is fairly minimal, sparce and desolate. Soft spoken vocals, frantic strings and the outcry of "I break apart" during the chorus (especially with the drumming) combine to make a memorably eerie track. 4/5
Bone Dry: A major exception to the overall calm feel of this album, this is probably one of the more vicious tracks to come from the Eels discography. Everett spits out a barrage of raw, growling vocals over the aggressive guitar, drums and chilling strings. The chorus and calls of “Shalala” also make this one of the more catchy Eels songs on the record. 4.5/5
The Quandary: The first of several mood-setting, wordless tracks on this record. This piece is minimal with electric keyboard synth and guitar. This piece isn’t particularly memorable, but will be revisited later in the album. 2/5
Premonition: The first song to feature Everett’s signature ballad style is the first of the truly excellent songs on this album. The gentle guitar is a pleasant accompaniment to Everett’s singing. The first appearance of the Eels choir offers an encouraging, hopeful vibe to the song. 5/5
Rusty Pipes: This is one of the most unorthodox and bizarre tracks to appear in the Eels discography in a while. The whistle sounds, choir chants and guitar offer a very Southern feel. The excellently penned lyrics and raspy delivery by Everett, however, are fairly ominous, which offers a contradictory paradox to the mood established earlier. While not the most catchy song on initial listen, this one is definitely a grower that will keep the listener coming back for more. 5/5
The Epiphany: The dull strings and unmemorable, poorly written lyrics on this song combine to make the only outright bad song on this album (which unfortunately clocks in at an agonizing 2 minutes and 18 seconds. The sample of music heard in this song will be revisited later in the album as well. 1/5
Today is the Day: This is another one of the more catchy, uplifting songs on this record. Everett delivers an upbeat, hopeful set of vocals, which mesh beautifully with the catchy guitar, drumming, quirky flute and clapping (especially during the chorus). A simple, happy and hopeful song. 3.5/5
Sweet Scorched Earth: This is another ballad that delivers a juxtaposition of calm instrumentation (guitar and strings) with an ominous set of lyrics. The lyrics combine cheesy, romanticizing reflections “I love the way your hair falls on your eyes” with a backdrop of doom “there’s poison in the water and the sky”. There is some endearment in this song that reflect changes in his life (his marriage and birth of a new son). Unfortunately, the tender songwriting has been done better many times over in previous Eels records, and it just isn’t as strong in this track. 2/5
Coming Back: This is an instrumental retread of The Epiphany. This version is the preferred of the two because it focuses more on the combination of strings and strange, other-worldly noises (which only played for the first few seconds of The Epiphany before giving way to singing and strings), while clocking in at a much shorter time. Overall this is a decent addition to the mood-setting Eels songs. 3/5
Be Hurt: This track is a return to classic Eels form. This band has a reputation to throw in musical curveballs and subtle humor to dark, serious topics; both are executed wonderfully in this triumph. In this case, Everett in his (admittedly cheesy) lyrics encourages the subject of this song to “be hurt.” Acknowledging that it’s fine to feel sad once in a while is a very powerful message that is not commonly encountered in any media these days. The guitar and drumming sets a pleasant mood that meshes well with the tender vocal delivery. The appearance of the subtle glockenspiel-esque notes during the chorus is enamoring, relaxing and genius. There are a few appearances of nonsensical harmonizing during the bridge and end of this song, which add humor to offset the seriousness of the song. All these features combine to make one of the more precious Eels song in a long time, not just on this record. 5/5
You Are the Shining Light: You Are the Shining Light is another one of those catchy, upbeat tunes. It’s essentially a repetitive combination of fast-paced lyric delivery, drumming and clapping, followed with a guitar heavy offset in frequent intervals. This is a fairly energetic and pleasant song (although it becomes quickly repetitive with repeat listens). 3/5
There I Said It: Everett delivers raw, desolate vocals in this instrumentally minimal track. While this type of ballad has been done many times before in the Eels discography (for example, True Original from Wonderful Glorious is very similar), it still has a strong kick to it, with sincere songwriting and delivery “I love you, there I said it”. 3.5/5
Archie Goodnight: This is an emotional, sweet little melody for Everett’s new son. While it is personally endearing for the artist, it will not be a memorable song in the Eels catalog. 2/5
The Unanswerable: This is a revisit and expansion of The Quandary. What really gives this song a boost is a crescendo that is achieved during the latter half of this song. The inclusion of drums, strings, and harmonizing gives an emotional kick and payoff that the former song was lacking. 3.5/5
In Our Cathedral: The final track on this album is an effort to provide solace to the listener from all the external forces that try to break them down. Unfortunately, this song doesn’t really muster up a great impression. This song is very similar to the lyric delivery from “Ordinary Man” on “Hombre Lobo” and the instrumentation/musical flow from “In the Yard Behind the Church” from “Blinking Lights and Other Revelations”. This retread of old material is quite noticeable in this song and gives this soft closer less power and kick than intended. 2/5
Conclusion
Overall, the album is a roller coaster with a very strong opening, a middling mid-section (“Today is the Day” helps to offset this area), a buildup to a strong end starting from “Be Hurt”, and an anticlimactic finish. The inclusion of several mediocre tone-setting pieces, one fairly bad song and a weak ending bog down this album from joining the stronger entries of the Eels discography, and put it around the middle of the pack (which is still a decent placing considering the strength and consistency of this band's releases over about 22 years). 3/5
