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*