Review by John Cooper
Listen Up Manchester album rating 9/10
The opening lines to the new Eels album “Wonderful, Glorious” (their 10th studio album) set the tone nicely for the rest of the album “nobody listens to the whispering fool, are you listening? I didn’t think so, I’ve been as quiet as a church-house mouse, tiptoeing everywhere I go, I’ve had enough of being complacent, I’ve had enough of being a mouse, I no longer keep my mouth shut, bombs away, I’m gonna shake the house” for this album has a real fighting spirit to it and sounds like E (aka Mark Oliver Everett) stating to the world he's no longer gonna put himself down & he's got something to say. The usual trademark understated melancholic Eels sound is still there beneath the surface, but its given a real boost and a bit of a lift - in particular by the lyrics. The very next track E proclaiming he’s “feeling kinda fuzzy” a reference to his ongoing battle with depression, but he’s “up for the fight”. Talking about the album recently, E commented “It probably would have been predictable if I’d done a bummer album after ‘Tomorrow Morning’, which was pretty positive, but a more interesting curveball was going further with the positivity.”
The lead single form the album sits nicely
after the much gentler “Accident Prone” which gives it (“Peach Blossom”) much
more impact when its rocksteady drumbeat and heavy fuzz laden guitar intro
kicks in. E claiming that its his favourite track on the album along with “On
The Ropes” – which as the title implies is another track that embodies that aforementioned
fighting spirit of this album (“I’ve got enough fight left inside this tired
heart, to win this one and walk out on my feet”).
“New Alphabet” has a Beck-like quality to
it and kicks in to become a bit of a rocker & further tracks “Stick
Together” & “Open My Present” keep the momentum running throughout the
second half of the album. Amongst all this there are some tender moments here,
most notably the track “True Original” a beautiful ballad, (sounding more like
earlier Eels work) in which E states he’d “stand between the bullet and her”.
The album finishes on a high – a very warm
positive song “Wonderful, Glorious”, that rounds things up nicely and tells the
listener everything’s gonna be alright! Give this album the time, attention and
love it deserves (“my love is beautiful and its here for the taking”) and each
listen to it will reward you further.
No comments:
Post a Comment