The Eels

This is a really good album. Maybe not in a “Hey, it’s Friday night, let’s party” mode, but certainly in a “It’s Saturday morning, let’s put a little brandy in our coffee, sit back in the porch swing and contemplate the beauty and sadness of life” sort of way. A romantic, elegiac vibe pervades the tunes. A hint of pleasant melancholia resides in the acoustic guitar that is complemented by guitarist Joe Gore’s sometimes wildly distorted electric leads and supported by nearly orchestral arrangements filled out by Lisa Germano’s violin and a rock rhythm section augmented by graceful keyboard textures and steel guitar embellishments. Tasty and tasteful throughout. In short, a perfect setting for the pleasantly sandy voice of composer/singer Mark Oliver Everett (a.k.a. “E”), whose 13 intensely melodic and richly arranged explorations of near-suicidal solitude, existential alienation and romantic longing conclude with the line, “Somebody loves you, and you’re going to make it thorough.” Recommended.