Eels - Beautiful Freak
Another trans-Atlantic offering, and due to the amount of airplay their current single, ‘Novocaine For The Soul’, we’re all curious to see what the Americans are going to send us next.
They sing of a narcotic underworld, dark days and darker nights over light, breezy, quiet melodies. No matter how high you turn the volume, the Eels just don’t come across as loud. They’re simple tunes, they work. Their complexity lies in their ability to sound so contrived but yet original. To categorise them is difficult. Try Beck crossed with.....The Cardigans?! And more than a dash of Radiohead. With a lead singer called "E", they chose to try and break the British market at an entirely inappropriate time, with the whole music business up in arms over recent comments from some of our biggest stars. But E insists he wanted to give his band a name beginning with "e" so it could be found in the same section as his solo material. He just forgot The Eagles.
The album is diverse, yet consistent. An album of contradictions and irony, freaks and yet beautiful. The title track ‘Beautiful Freak’ is amazingly simple and gentle, but it inspires no feeling yet is still a captivating song. It feels like you’re watching a simulated car crash, or in a virtual reality world. You feel no involvement, but you can’t help thinking you’re supposed to feel something, after all, those dummies could be you. Other tracks take you on a helterskelter ride. ‘Not Ready Yet’ with grinding, Radiohead-esque guitars followed by ‘My Beloved Monster’ sounding like an old music box and ‘Flower’ with operatic backing singers.
They’re a cliche, they’re transparent, but undeniably something works.(7)
Soni
