The sound of Eels' Electro-Shock Blues, the follow-up to the band's intriguing Beautiful Freak, reflects a year in which leader Mark "E" Everett suffered the loss of his sister to suicide as well as the illness of his moth... more »er and other tragedies. The music's hushed, sometimes dark sound and Everett's earnest vocals are often more convincing than his diary-entry lyrics, despite the power and daring inherent in describing illness in alt-pop settings that recall everything from hip-hop to Tom Waits. --Rickey Wright« less
The sound of Eels' Electro-Shock Blues, the follow-up to the band's intriguing Beautiful Freak, reflects a year in which leader Mark "E" Everett suffered the loss of his sister to suicide as well as the illness of his mother and other tragedies. The music's hushed, sometimes dark sound and Everett's earnest vocals are often more convincing than his diary-entry lyrics, despite the power and daring inherent in describing illness in alt-pop settings that recall everything from hip-hop to Tom Waits. --Rickey Wright
"Everyone who knows the Eels knows their frontman/leader/ect doesn't flinch from writing songs about the darker things in life. Even so this is probably the bands darkest album too date. Starting with a song about his sisters suicide and then a song about her funeral its hard to imagine a bleaker start to an album, especially when its backed by the Eels twisted alt pop. Its pretty accurate to describe 'Electro-Shock Blues' as being a concept album, all about death, depression and even the light at the end of the tunnel. In the hands of another band like Marylin Manson or Pink Floyd this might by an unbearably selfrighteous, indulgent and wallowing experience, but E has just enough off kilter humor and quirkiness to pull it off without every giving unto those tendencies. Who else could write a song about watching your world crumble around you and going insane and include line like "voices tell me I am the sh*t" as E does on 'My Descent Into Madness'.
Probably the least 'rock' of the Eels albums, 'Electro-Shock Blues' is all twisted jazz, occasional drum loops, distorted violins, and breathy vocals. Like most Eels albums its got weird nursery rhyme quality, but this time its darker and more nightmarish. Theres only one real break for a pop song in 'Last Stop: This Town' which lightens up the gloomy mood and direction the album is taking up to this point. From their it quitely builds until finally there is relief at the end with 'PS You Rock My World', which its lucky because the confessions of E are so depressing that by the end your in desperate need of relief. Its not an easy album to listen to, and take really appreciate it it needs to be listened too in full, but as E will tell you the good things in life never come easy."
The eels have me Climbing to the Moon
gapskank76 | 02/01/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the 3rd or 4th time I have reviewed this record, and I will persist until one of my reviews gets posted. I will persist because this album is worth raving about. the eels have been compared to Soul Coughing and even Cake. I have a hard time seeing the similarities. The eels have a fresh, original sound. (Yes I said original). Sure, lead singer and songwriter E has his influences, but he brings something all his own to these songs. He has an intruiging voice, and a knack for writing a pop song that doesnt neccessarily fall on the ears as such... It took me a couple of listens to really dig my teeth into ElectorShock Blues, but It quickly became one of my favorite albums. Some might say that the lyrics are melodramatic. They might be, but this is a concept album about sickness and suffering (if you dont know, you should read up on what was going on with E before this came out). E captures the feeling of being powerless and alone perfectly. Check it out, give it a careful listen or two. You wont be sorry."
Greatest Album Ever?
Chris C | USA | 08/19/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I gotta start off by saying that I'm no music critic. In fact, most of the reviews that I've posted have gotten an overwhelming amount of "no, this review was NOT helpful"'s. But this is something I have to do. I HAVE to keep on getting people to buy this gorgeous album and rate it so that the average user rating is 5 stars. Get it? Buy this album, and rate it 5 stars because this is perhaps my favorite cd of all time.It wasnt until last summer that I started to listen to the eels religiously, and this is the album that started my rampage. It's gorgeous from beginning to end (even baby genius, probably the most hated track on the cd). Mark Oliver Everett (or E), vocals for Eels, wrote this album about death, or death around him, and how he dealt with it. When he was 18 (or 19) he saw his father have a heart attack and die. I believe that year his sister also tried to kill herself. She succeeded years later during the Eels tour in europe. E's mother was also diagnosed with cancer and he was soon to become the last remaining member of his family. I love this cd, not only because of the beautiful lyrics, but because if flows so perfectly together, from the haunting first tracks to the powerful accoustic numbers near the end. And its also really cool to see the change, musically, that the eels went through with each of their albums. Truly Beautiful."
Masterpiece of sorrow
Kelly EC | England | 10/01/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Eels" are such an over-looked band. This second album is particular beauteous. The opening song is iced and fragile- it transports you directly into an atmosphere of devastation. What follows is wave after wave of naked emotion. Some crackin demented tracks like "Cancer for the Cure" and the stonking "Hospital Food", are balanced by delicate acustic pieces like "Climbing up to the moon" and "3 speed". The title song and "Baby genius" are brilliant momonts of pause. But the key song here is the perfectly balanced, catchy "Last stop: this town"- possibly the definitive "Eels" tune.Yes...it's disturbing. Listen to it at night and you'll feel haunted. Especially lookin at the sleave with a child drawing of someone crying over split milk and a tomestone which reads "Sing along at home". But this makes the final track "PS you rock my world" all the more uplifting- a peaceful light at the end of an insane tunnel."
An amazing journey...
Rid_Or_Ride | Detroit, MI | 12/10/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow...what can be said about "Electro-Shock Blues" that other people on here haven't said about it yet? Well, I'll start by saying it's truly one of the greatest and most beautiful albums I've ever heard and for that, it's in my Top 5 list for sure. Unlike alot of other people, this record took no time to grow on me at all. I immediately fell in love with it. Everything about it. I loved the idea's and feelings that ran throughout the entire album, the way the songs flowed together, how the tracks were listed as a "side A" and a "side B", even the way it was packaged - and it hit me at just the right time in my life. And I know it sounds kind of dumb, but during some troubled times when things weren't going that great, it really felt like this album was there. I'll never forget the first time I layed down on my bed and listened to this album all the way through. That's when I noticed the most beautiful thing about it - All the sad feelings and thoughts of death expressed early on in the album gradually change into feelings of hope, happiness, and life towards the end. It takes you on an incredible journey. Please do yourself a big favor and pick it up."