Even The Kitchen Sink

With over ten records released in fourteen years plus contributions to soundtracks like “Shrek” and “American Beauty,” the Eels solidify their standing as the band you’ve probably heard yet never known.  Started by Mark Oliver Everett, now referred to as “E,” the Eels bring back some friendly faces from their past like Peter Buck from R.E.M. and some supplementary sidekicks including Tom Waits and John Sebastian for their latest release, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. This concept album spans two discs and will have you wandering through the Eels’ musical world. At points you’ll be bopping your head with electronic beats, then calming down with guitar and strings, and finally relenting from the lyrically accompanied lullabies. It’s rosy, it’s dark, it’s loud, it’s soft; it’s everything under the sun. Ebullience ensues in the “What I Like About You” nostalgic “Going Fetal” and the head bopping “Losing Streak.”

While comparisons to Beck and Badly Drawn Boy could be made, Blinking Lights refuses to conform to any pre-existing notions. This album does have the same dramatic, somber feel as their 1998 release Electro-Shock Blues, which dealt with feelings repressed by E after finding his father dead, his sister’s suicide, and his mother’s battle with cancer. It’s evident that these feelings have resurfaced in songs like “Suicide Life,” “Son of a Bitch,” and “Understanding Salesman” with lyrics like “Daddy don’t let me down this time/ I’m all alone inside my mind/ And it’s no small thing/ That I must prove to you.”

With a total of 33 tracks, it’s anything but luck that the good outweighs the bad, making Blinking Lights a journey not to be missed.