Eels Time! is the 15th album by Eels, a band spearheaded by Mark Oliver Everett (“E”). A lot has happened since we last heard from E in 2022, including finally going out on tour post-COVID, followed by a serious hospital stay that involved open heart surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm. With his dry, morbid wit, E reflected upon his experience, “If I didn’t replace it soon, it was bound to explode and make me feel symptoms of… death.”
Even with such a life-changing event, E has not slowed down; he believes the creative juices have been flowing as much as ever. Eels Time! finds him teaming up with frequent collaborators Koool G Murder and the Chet, as well as new partners Tyson Ritter (of the All-American Rejects) and Sean Coleman. Given the circumstances, the record finds Eels less contemplative than you might suspect, and they find a proper balance between E’s sardonic and cautiously optimistic moods. That makes Eels Time! an engaging, even if sometimes uneven, listen, but it does deliver on much of what Eels have pledged over the past 28 years, which is to offer a reliable account unafraid of life’s blemishes.
Eels Time! contains a little bit of everything for the fans who celebrate Eels’ entire catalogue. Opener “Time” sounds like something from Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (2005), as it can encapsulate a life in three simple verses. In the middle, when everything is there and open for taking, we hear, “Click clack riding down the tracks / Never worried about coming back / Anyplace looked good to me / Why not stop and see what’s there?” Such straightforward and refreshing vignettes adorn the LP. In addition, “Goldy” would fit right in with the mundane beauty of Shootenanny! (2003); “Sweet Smile” and “And You Run” incorporate sunny melodies heard on an album like “Daisies of the Galaxy” (2000); and “Lay With the Lambs” is sonically challenging like many Eels songs, although maybe not to the extent of Souljacker (2001).
On Eels Time!, the emotional journey is, as usual, an arduous one. Standout track “If I’m Gonna Go Anywhere” pulsates with jaded beauty. E sings, “Coulda been much worse / What with the curse and all / Could’ve been quite the fall,” proving that if he is not miserable, he is at least perpetually melancholic. On the contrary, “Sweet Smile” is all half-time taps and golden bells. With these two polarities, not surprisingly, “Let’s Be Lucky” closes the album with E willing himself toward optimism. Perhaps that’s the best encapsulation of E’s music—an approximation of a man trying to will himself out of bed.
Although it’s up for debate, Eels’ music is usually better when not hidden behind so many effects, and that includes E’s vocals. Although E’s range is what it is, his singing can be tuned for thematic impact (“We Won’t See Her Like Again”) but also distorted beyond all that’s genuine (“Lay With The Lambs”). Even “Goldy” only prevails due to its incredibly catchy chorus and overall concept (about a man who only needs his goldfish in this world). The most memorable songs seem to shine when their leader is at his most vulnerable (“Haunted Hero”, “Song For You Know Who”). Lyrics like “I didn’t become a hero by not going through some shit” and “The ink on your skin isn’t getting any more relevant” are all the better for their authentic delivery.
E once again proves that he is the genuine article and not to be defined by the slacker label attributed to his particular brand of music. Eels have earned their space in the alternative-indie sphere, essentially because E follows his intuition on what makes sense in the moment artistically. Following the curveballs he has thrown studio execs over the years, Eels Time! is a fastball tossed down the middle. It will not have the overall significance of Beautiful Freak (1996) and (in vastly different ways) Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. Nor does it have the instant appeal of Shootenany! But it does reflect a singular talent who just won’t quit in the face of signs that have suggested he may not rise.