I've always like Eels, since I first heard them, and have a few of their CDs.
This one (no idea where or when bought, but Eels CDs aren't a rarity on the cheap racks) is their second album, recorded during the aftermath of Mark Everett's sister, Elizabeth, and his mother's lung cancer diagnosis.
Given that, it's not as gloomy as you'd imagine, although it's at a more gentle pace than other Eels albums, and the lyrical content is dark without becoming maudlin. Opening with Elizabeth On The Bathroom Floor and Going To Your Funeral, sad remembrances, soon Cancer For The Cure and My Descent Into Madness are simple, listenable songs, while 3 Speed and Hospital Food are more upbeat. But the mood on the rest of the first half is still sombre.
The second half starts gently with the instrumental Going To Your Funeral Part II, and if I'd been hoping for it to get more optimistic, then I'm afraid not. However, Last Stop: This Town is a good song, very much more lively, and others are pleasant enough, but the sadness isn't an easy listen. There's a bit of light at the end in The Medication Is Wearing Off and PS You Rock My World, which is welcome, but the mood of the album is still a sad one.
It's not a bad album, but it's not Eels most accessible. It seems to fulfil the role of exorcising Everett's demons, rather than uplifting the listener. And knowing that lots of good stuff follows, that's good, not self-indulgent.
3* - an uneasy listen, but not an unpleasant one
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