Artist: Eels
Album: End Times
Label: Vagrant
Genre: Sad Men with Guitars
Eel's latest, End Times, isn't about the apocalypse that is so in vogue these days, but, with plenty of expletives and themes focusing on singer-songwriter E's divorce and broken heart, it's equally depressing. Just to give an idea, here's a glance at some of the tracklisting: "Gone Man," "High and Lonesome," "I Need A Mother." The fun synthesizer noodling of old is nowhere to be found, replaced with four-tracks and acoustic guitars. Opener "The Beginning" is the most arresting: E's croons sound broken (it's easy to imagine him singing between swigs of malt liquor) and carry over the sparse arrangement of guitar and bass. In giving E's lyrics more room to bleed through, End Times is unrelenting and, at times, unintentionally corny. The dichotomy of the rhythmic, hummable hooks and Eel's serious lyricism was always a draw, and that element is lost here. A few grabs at heavier singles fall uncharacteristically flat (Paradise Blues, Unhinged). I'd recommend spending your money on buying these guys some flowers or something, hopefully they'll cheer up and get back to the downer music we can actually dance to.
Bonus Lyrics: "Outside there is a cat in heat, shut up, cat, and leave me alone."
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