Eels - Shootenanny!

Give it up for the new modern man

Thump-thump-thump...

A weird Bo Diddley-esque beginning to Shootenanny, which has against all odds has become my second-favorite-but-most-listened-to Eels album. "Daisies Of The Galaxy" is my number one, but I tend to save that one for the moments when I really need it. This one I can just kind of throw on whenever and leave playing in the background, the lyrics and sounds seeping into my subconscious, or alternatively I can listen to it with focus and find some new twist every time. I think that is what makes this album so appealing, and why it has outlasted a lot of things from 2003 to maintain its constant status near the top of my play pile.

My favorite rock n roll has always been the stuff that seems simple on the surface, but upon further examination proves itself to be far more complex than it initially appeared. Here the music is appealing and engaging for the most part, stuff you could strum along with on a guitar without all that much training. But the sentiments expressed in these songs are very complex, a mixture of resignation and hopefulness that comes off sounding realistic, practical, depressing and cathartic all at once. E (or Mark Everett) is as always baring the depths of his soul. However, unlike some of his previous work, streaks of optimism appear across the otherwise gray, overcast sky. Sure he forecasts doom, I mean what else would you expect from E, but he seems ok with it now, something he has made his peace with. "Life goes on," he explains at the very beginning of the disturbing but darkly, ironically funny "Restraining Order Blues," and the tone of his voice lets us know that while his character may have a hard time dealing with life, he IS at least making the effort. Ultimately it's this sympathetic treatment of the characters' (or his) pathos that makes this album so disarming and fresh through every listen.

This is modern-day blues music, made by a truly unique individual who is able to deal with the most difficult of subject matter in a thoughtful and relatable manner. Surely not for everyone but if this sounds like it might just be up your alley, this album is your friend for a lifetime. June 3, 2008

Great Stuff

This is probably the Eels' most accessible album. But that doesnt mean that is not up to snuff with their other work. On the contrary it is one of my favorites of theirs. The mood glides along from happiness, hope, longing, depression etc. (you know the drill) there is no doubt though that all the songs are sincere. This album is perfect for anyone getting into the Eels, and is essential to any fan's collection. July 5, 2007

A really lovely album.

Considering this album was recorded over the space of a few weeks during a break from the 'Blinking Lights. . . ' sessions it's absolutely wonderful. Not that you can tell, however, how much time was spent making it: it doesn't sound at all rushed or patchy, and in fact it's a very coherent collection of songs. The album has a beautiful, fragile simplicity, especially on subdued songs like 'The Good Old Days', 'Love of the Loveless', and 'Numbered Days', but even the rockier tracks, like 'Saturday Morning' and 'Wrong About Bobby', fit in perfectly with the atmosphere.

Two definite standout tracks for me are 'Rock Hard Times' and 'Restraining Order Blues'. The former is a wonderfully catchy song, with brooding but defiant lyrics, featuring some great lines ("Hollywood lies piled up to the sky / Floating your way soon / Hope you like the rotten stench of doom. . ."), while the latter (which happens to be next on the disc) is written from the perspective of a stalker -- or at least someone who's had a restraining order taken out against them, as the title suggests -- and is, oddly, one of the most heartbreaking songs I've ever heard.

Initially I thought 'All in a Day's Work' was one of the weaker tracks, but after repeated listening I think it's a brilliant opener, setting the tone well for the beautiful, sometimes quirky, introspective material that follows. Having said that, though, this is probably eels' most straightforward album, in that you get the sense that E wasn't concerned here with exorcising demons or with overt experimentation, but was simply writing songs for the sake of writing songs (that's not to say that the tracks don't have emotional depth, however; E seems largely incapable of spewing out banality or mediocrity).

The one weak point for me, however, has to be 'Agony'. Usually E has a great talent for matching the emotional content of his lyrics with the music, but here I think he slips into. . . whining. That seems a little harsh in view of the personal tragedies that he's been afflicted with, but I just can't see how this track made it onto the album, because it's lyrically substandard for E and seems to lack tune and direction, and really adds nothing to the album as a whole. 'Agony' is pretty much the only reason I gave this four stars instead of five, because I do really love this album as a whole, but that's precisely why that song's presence annoys me so much; I think it would be almost flawless (at least in terms of what it sets out to do) without that track, and the fact that it sits smack bang in the middle of the disc just makes it worse.

Anyway, that's enough pointless whining from me (hypocritical in light of my above comments). Back to being positive: 'Fashion Awards' is another excellent song; like a darkly humourous lullaby. The chorus ("We'll blow off our heads in despair"), sung as if soothing a baby to sleep, is brilliantly incongruous and. . . well, it's just a great song. The album finishes with the upbeat, life-affirming, 'Somebody Loves You', and coming from E it doesn't seem a cheesy way to end the album at all, but a heartfelt message of hope. Altogether, I'd probably give it four and a half stars, maybe even 4.8 or something; but I've rounded it down to 4 because I'm a very petty man. Don't let that put you off, though; it's a fantastic little album, and maybe you'll like 'Agony' anyway, or at least be more tolerant of it than I am. I'd definitely recommend this to. . . anyone, really. November 10, 2005

Keep Them Coming E

From my first sight of Beautiful Freak two years ago, lead singer/lone wolf band member (not forgetting drummer Butch) E continues to pleasantly surprise me with his increasingly incendiary music. From the poppy edges of BF that attracted me to this band in the first place, to the utter heartbreak and/or soul searching of Electro-Shock Blues (thus far my second fav album by E), to the light at the end of the tunnel of Daises of the Galaxy, to the BUS-STOP BOXER in all of us through Souljacker, and now to Shootenanny! my, by far, favorite album by this great "band" (yeah, I'll call them a band). The first two songs of the thirteen are a bit weak but the remaining eleven are rides you won't want to make just once. From buying this album yesterday I haven't quit listening to it yet there's just something so appealing about the EELS and E that it's impossible to describe in words. This album exceeded my expectations of what E was capable of, hitting me in all of the pressure points, really touching my soul in a way few thing ever do. I thank God for the day he introduced me to E and his little band called the EELS that day two years ago. I've never looked back and look foward eagerly to the band's April release of their new effort: "Blinking Lights and other Revelations." To E: Keep them coming man, keep em coming. February 27, 2005

great album, Eels take a new turn

this new album, which comes after the sometimes criticized 'Souljacker' experimentation, has a far more conventionnal sound ; although easily recognisable as a member of the 'eels' galaxy. I found it a great album because of its melancolic songwriting and melodies, which gives this new release an intime and personnal aspect (a bit like the previous 'Electro Shock Blues') ; and of course because of the presence of the core elements of eels greatest albums such as an original and 'mindcatching' sound and E soft and 'folk' singing. December 9, 2004

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