Jo ShieldsI liked a band in high school, and kept listening through college. Bought all six albums.
Turns out I missed them releasing NINE MORE while I wasn't paying attention.
Turns out I'm old.
This post was specific about the band Eels, which you definitely know from “My Beloved Monster” in Shrek.
Of the nine missing albums I bought five so far, and ONE of them is worthy of “can’t get out of my head” status, with one track on repeat
Honestly for how rare that is for me, it’s an okay success rate
11 Eels albums, reviewed in Emoji
Beautiful Freak: 
Electro-Shock Blues: 
Daisies of the Galaxy: 😻
Souljacker: 🧔
Shootenanny!: 
Blinking Lights and Other Revelations: 
Tomorrow Morning: 
The Deconstruction: 
Earth to Dora: 
Extreme Witchcraft: 
Eels Time!: 
Look, even one awesome album is more than most bands manage
I think I know what’s wrong with modern Eels.
Bad album structure, musically. Especially the last tracks of the last five albums I listened to absolutely failing to provide last track vibes.
There are a lot of ways to end an album - songs which feel like a crescendo, songs which feel like a goodnight kiss. What you can’t end an album with is a song which feels like a middle
Like, Daisies of the Galaxy is a perfect album. The drum roll and brass of Grace Kelly Blues is 100% pure beginnings. Mr E’s Beautiful Blues is a kick-ass-take-names crescendo. The middle is fine! But the middle is strongly supported at both ends, musically, and it results in an *album*
Clifton RoystonDang, I only know a few of these.
Souljacker (Aw yeah) and Blinking Lights are both great, and I think I remember Beautiful Freak but it's been a long time.
@CliftonR I don't think there was any great decision that caused me to drop off after Blinking Lights. I just kinda... forgot? Maybe I assumed they were over, since so many of the formative bands I listened to in my teens in the mid 90s ended
Beautiful Freak is one of the first three albums I listen to loads, on vacation with my extended family. It's one of the three CDs my cousin Jean-Francois owned so it got a lot of play (along with Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and Garbage)
Same here, pretty much.
Getting reminded this way of a band I used to like is always a good push to go and buy some newer music from them.
mcc@directhex okay but how do you feel about Souljacker
@directhex Awww yeah!!!
@directhex ps since apparently (?) souljacker's in that "original six" what's the song in the nine missing albums you thought was "can't get out of head" worthy because i haven't been paying attention lately either lol
@mcc the title track from "The Deconstruction", which is a pretty solid album overall
EELS - The Deconstruction - title track (AUDIO)
@mcc yes I heard that in the 22 Miles of Hard Road voice
Julien W.@directhex which is ? :-)
@julienw the title track for The Deconstruction
@directhex ah yeah, totally agree, it's great !!
fundamental@directhex a mixed blessing for sure
Lee Benningfield@directhex I only really started listening after Blinking Lights, I had only known some of the singles before that.
I feel like the last 5 albums have kind of come and gone. They're all fine, and there's a few really good songs in there, but didn't make that big of an impact.
I liked Wonderful Glorious quite a bit, and the arc of Hombre Lobo, End Times and Tomorrow Morning.
I feel like the last 5 albums have kind of come and gone. They're all fine, and there's a few really good songs in there, but didn't make that big of an impact.
I liked Wonderful Glorious quite a bit, and the arc of Hombre Lobo, End Times and Tomorrow Morning.