Eels - Hombre Lobo

Mr E’s beautiful freaks return

Mark Everett (or E) is something of an uncategorisable genius/ oddball, many would have you believe. Really, he’s only really “odd” in the way men with beards are odd, or people who don’t listen to the charts are odd. Basically, he’s just a guy with an interesting life who writes wonderful pop. Hell, he even produced Natalie Imbruglia, and you don’t get more mainstream than that.

Subtitled 12 Songs Of Desire, this is nevertheless Everett’s most sharply contrasting, yet accessible, work to date. For every howling rocker there’s a ballad backed with skipping drums and delicious counter melodies. That Look You Gave That Guy Is a beautiful paean to longing and self-loathing that’s sounds like a Beach Boys single. Then the intermittently raucous, scuzzy stomps, such as Fresh Blood and Tremendous Dynamite, seem to intentionally sabotage the lilting tone of these quieter moments.

This is the sound of someone playing around, yet confident in his songwriting skills. Perhaps most importantly, E seems comfortable, even happy at points. But then, love tends to do that to people.

Vagrant | tbc

Reviewed by Jake Kennedy
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