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THE REVIEW
This album is beautiful.
Mr. E is crazy.
"Look at all the people with the flowers in their hands / they put the flowers on the box / that’s holding all the sand / that was once / that was once you". This "you" is the mother but also the sister, both of whom died within a short period: the tragedies of his life have not only left marks on his soul but also made his music what it is... or rather what it was in 1998, the year of release of this Electro-shock Blues, after the excellent debut between grunge and Beck with Beautiful Freak (it was '96 and on the cover, the little girl with big eyes seemed taken from the Black Hole Sun video).
So how to describe the music that Mr. E and the faithful drummer Butch express in these 16 tracks? Suitable labels are unavailable. Two-three chords per song, a lot of acoustic guitar, the voice is Elementary Simple Eclectic, violins (later), and a bit of strange sounds (later still).
Mr. E is brilliant.
There are spectacular discoveries: the beginning of Elizabeth On The Bathroom Floor (please tell me why, I can't understand it), the music box of Baby Genius, the falsetto in Efils' God (read it backwards... or hear it sung like E-feels-good... as you like), the liquid/acid confusion (indeed The Medication Is Wearing Off... "gonna hurt not a little, a lot").
The way the lyrics blend with the music is very important, and in 7 titles out of 16, there is a hint of something sinister-sick-dead (I only mention Hospital Food, Going To Your Funeral Part I, and... Going To Your Funeral Part II).
A suicide album then? No. Rather, a convalescence album, to listen to while curled up in a corner licking your wounds. And with an enigmatically happy ending (P.S. You Rock My World): "I was at a funeral / the day I realized / I wanted to spend my life with you / ... / and maybe it's time to live.".
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Summary by Bot
Electro-Shock Blues by Eels is a deeply moving album created in the wake of profound personal loss. Mark Oliver Everett’s raw and innovative musical approach expresses grief, healing, and hope through sparse instrumentation and haunting lyrics. This 1998 release stands as a unique blend of simplicity and complexity, combining acoustic guitars, violin, and unusual sounds. The album feels less like a suicide note and more like a journey toward recovery, ending on a note of enigmatic optimism.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Eels
Eels is an American rock project led by singer-songwriter Mark Oliver Everett (often credited as E or Mr. E). Reviews emphasize confessional, autobiographical writing, shifting between bleak subject matter and flashes of humor and hope, across indie/alternative rock that often leans into folk, blues, and pop forms.22 Reviews
Other reviews
By geek_the_boy
"Pain does not only generate pain, and from it, as horrific as it may be, one can and must always be reborn."
"Eels summarizes and sublimates the achievements of an entire generation of losers."
