Eels The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett (E Works/Vagrant) ⋆⋆⋆
Heavy of beard and heart, Eels's creative force Mark "E" Everett has hovered on the outer limits of commercial success – and, seemingly, sanity – for nearly two decades, shooting a life-affirming twinkle and black humour through quirky indie-rock. Since his previous album, last year's Wonderful, Glorious, Eels courted controversy via a spoof track (starring Jim Carrey) that lampooned gun control in the United States. But, as its title suggests, The Cautionary Tales is altogether more serious. The fuzzy rock edge of past albums is absent and the power here is more orchestral than amplified. The album's thematic spine – Where I'm At, Where I'm From and Where I'm Going – betrays the air of existentialism, blurring boundaries between songwriting fiction and personal fact. Indeed, you're never quite certain, such as on the bedsit squalor of Gentlemen's Choice, how much artistic licence is being applied. Given that Everett skirts two motifs here – loss (the funereal Dead Reckoning) and lost love (Agatha Chang) – wherever he's going next, you can only hope that the poor fella is happy.
