Eels – End Times
The drawing of E on the front of End Times should give you an indication of one of its main themes: himself. It’s the most autobiographical Eels album yet, as he comes to terms with ageing and a recent divorce (he’s even dubbed this ‘the divorce album’). He’s supported by only a few fellow musicians on this self-produced effort, with his song titles pretty direct and to the point like In My Younger Days, Unhinged, and I Need A Mother.
From the first track, suitably titled The Beginning, you get a sense of what’s to come as all there is is his weary and stark voice and his guitar playing. Another track that works well in a similar vein is Little Bird. He is for the most part ponderous and reflective but there are flashes of his more up-tempo blues rock on songs like Gone Man that don’t feel out of place. The best of these numbers though is Paradise Blues. It feels like a song that has been about for years but saved until the right time (though it probably isn’t the case), and, as Pitchfork said, how come there wasn’t an Eels song called Paradise Blues until now?
Put simply, this is yet another brilliant Eels album that is a good counter to last year’s lustful and character-based Hombre Lobo.
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Posted on January 19th, 2010 by Max
Filed under: Albums, Reviews
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