End Times
Eels
Imagine for a moment how tough it must be for a musical artist to negotiate the ever shifting landscape of fickle fans and recording label executives all in the pursuit of putting out a quality record. They need to placate the fans who may have followed them from the beginning yet manage to continue to sound fresh. They must offer a product that is sellable while making sure the critics are pleased with their efforts. Mark Oliver Everett aka E aka as the driving force behind The Eels finds himself in just such a precarious position with his latest offering “End Times.” Most would say that the disc is a success, while others may disagree. The one thing that probably no one would argue about is that we hear pretty much the same sort of music that E has produced throughout his career.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Gut wrenching lyrics, a strumming guitar, a stark piano, amazing pop hooks, a slightly distorted voice and a music box quality sound are all E trademarks. There are themes present on this disc that appear on virtually every CD in his catalogue. But what isn’t present is a bold take on a style that has served him well for the past 15 years.
Last year E released “Hombre Lobo” to mostly positive reviews, although I found the music to be as easy to listen to as a Captain Beefheart record. With “End Times” E returns to more familiar territory as he leaves the stripped down and guttural yelps in the dust. The agony, inner turmoil and self loathing are all right out there for the world to see. For the person out there who has also created their own private and lonely paradise and lost the best relationship they ever had, what must they see as they listen to this music? Do they also talk to birds hopping along a railing?
Stand out tracks include “Gone Man,” “End Times” and “Paradise Blues” if you’re into the whole “downloading songs” thing.
What is not here is the flat out “must listen” energy that quite frankly used to exist in much greater quantity on earlier records. There is no “Last Stop: This Town” or “Novocain for the Soul” or “Railroad Man” or “I Like Birds.” Some of the songs on “End Times” are really good, but that’s as good as they get.