Shootenanny!

Blinking lights is the next Eels album, and what I've just heard on their online 2 track sampler, it's going to be incredible.

This though, I think has to be understood as a bit of a side show from the main event. That's not to say it isn't very good, but it's not in the same league as the Electro-Shock or Daisies.

That said, it does go on to showcase how accomplished a songwriter E is. These quick compositions both rock you and move you, and are full of E's infamous wit. It has that great enery that comes from a live four-piece band (including Kool G and other usual suspects) and there's also a real beauty in the simplicity of many of the songs, particularly love of the loveless. Other highlights, Rock Hard Times, Wrong about Bobby, and Good Old Days. Shame Saturday Morning was so quite as a single, at least here in the UK.

It does mean, however, that many of the songs are samey and there's not the usual inventive instrumentation that make Eels such a joy. It's also a bit unsatisfying, if thought of as a proper album. But as a quick fix before the main event (coming April 26 - why can't we get it on Amazon yet if there's a worldwide release date?) it will do just fine. Cheers E.


Best Yet !   October 17, 2004
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I have always had a soft spot for the eels and enjoyed all of their past offerings especially electro shock blues however this marks a high point for me with what I think is their best to date.
Beautiful songs from simple ideas blending emotions, melodies and the subject of life and its complexities.
One of my all time favourite cds.


Eels STILL rock   January 13, 2004
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is one of the best albums of 2003, Eels are on top form on this record. Basically a vehicle for singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, Eels have been going from strength to strength since the release of "Beautiful Freak" way back in 1994. Since then they've released four commercial albums, two live albums, a soundtrack ("Levity") and contributed to countless other soundtracks and compilations including "Shrek" and the recent Disney movie "Holes"... With the release of "Shootenanny!" the band are still exploring new sounds, whereas "Souljacker" was edgy and raw, "Shootenanny!" takes a slightly mellower slant. A brilliant album from a band who are yet to write, record and release a bad song.


A triumphant return   December 13, 2003
 13 out of 14 found this review helpful

I'm an Eels fan, I'd better get that off my chest before I begin. This doesn't mean that I'm biased towards them, but rather that, like most Eels fans, I'm inclined to be pessimistic that any new album is unlikely to match up to previous offerings.

However, in the case of Shootenanny! my first impression is that it is a masterpiece to rank alongside Beautiful Freak and Electro-Shock Blues (an album which the Melody Maker derided as unlistenable and then promptly and amusingly went bust). The subject matter of the new album still relates and appeals to the outsider in society, but the music reverts to the melodic pop/rock of Beautiful Freak.

A melancholic, bluesy influence is apparent in the tracks All In A Day’s Work, Agony and Restraining Order Blues, with its repeated plea, "Everybody knows that I'm not a violent man", contrasting with the touching poignancy of the most beautifully realised song on the album, Numbered Days (the equivalent, if you like, to Manchild on Beautiful Freak).

As for Saturday Morning, E has not created a more wide-eyed, childlike, magical vision of the world since Tomorrow I'll Be Nine on his solo album Broken Toy Shop. The Good Old Days is another throwback to E's solo material, exhibiting a gentle world-weariness, while the laid-back, funky Love Of The Loveless is the album's summer anthem. The dry humour which pervades the album is probably best exemplified by Fashion Awards, a satire on the fashion industry.

From the muso's point of view (and skip to the end of the paragraph if this is likely to bore you to death), Rock Hard Times is the most interesting track on the album. The descending bass line which provides the basis for the chorus is first played in the key of B-flat, and later in F, C and G. I don't know if there is a precedent for a song in which the chorus is stated on separate occasions in four different keys (something by Frank Zappa maybe?), but it's undoubtedly a striking innovation.

The final track, Somebody Loves You, is the happiest, most optimistic closing song on any Eels album to date, and its understated, downbeat last few bars constitute probably the most perfect ending to any album I have ever heard.

Only the uninitiated would deny that E has a serious claim to being the greatest singer-songwriter of his generation. In my mind, Shootenanny! is the album which cements this claim, and an album which is unlikely to be surpassed as the best of the year 2003. It is difficult to choose standout tracks, but the songs which I rate most highly are Saturday Morning, Agony, Rock Hard Times, Numbered Days and Somebody Loves You.

In short, it's a great time to be an Eel.


Intelligent music at its most fun   November 4, 2003
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Those familiar with The Eels will be used to a mixture of dark and uplifting melodies with an injection of black humour and you won't be disappointed with Shootenanny! If you've not experienced The Eels before, I urge anyone who enjoys intelligent music to go out and buy this - E has to be one of the most talented songwriters around who always seems able to make me smile with one lyric but then contemplative with another.

This album is definitely an improvement on the spiky, mixed bag that was Souljacker. It has some of the catchiest tunes I've ever heard from The Eels (Saturday Morning, Dirty Girl and Lone Wolf being highlights) which are interspersed with beautiful, meaningful melodies such as Somebody Loves You and The Good Old Days. My favourite? Agony, which is one of the most haunting, interesting songs I've heard in a long while.

Why The Eels are not massively popular in the UK where you would surely expect their black humour to appeal is a mystery to me. However, maybe its a good thing as their intimate gigs are a real hidden treasure.