Eels are Freakish (In A Good Way)

The first time I saw the Eels was on PBS. It was the TV show Sessions at West 54th. It was a great show. They only played half the show, but they were different. They added cute little sound effects to a few songs and I knew what they were doing was magical. They were quirky and odd, but that made it all the better. I found them like a mix of Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. The lyrics and odd musicianship was a good match. It was odd for it's time. The titles were very cool and most of all just downright negative.

I did not buy the album when it came out. It was about six months after I picked it up. I heard them once again on the college radio station. It was hip and catchy and just addictive. The little snippets of voices or sounds mixed with the general melody of the song. The lyrics were just what I wanted to hear. If you hear "My Beloved Monster" you could get the jest of what Mark Oliver Everett was talking about.

My beloved monster and me
We go everywhere together
Wearing a raincoat that has four sleeves
Gets us through all kinds of weather

She will always be the only thing
That comes between me and the awful sting
That comes from living in a world that's so damn mean

My beloved monster is tough
If she wants she will disrobe you
But if you lay her down for a kiss
Her little heart it could explode

She will always be the only thing
That comes between me and the awful sting
That comes from living in a world that's so damn mean

La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la



The use of celeste, organ, upright bass, banjo and other exotics made the song a perfect match for his lyrics. Even though they were short songs, they did accomplish what they need to say in the time they had. The Eels are a great because in some ways it's only one person. When they first started out they were a trio. This trio included none other then Butch Vig. If you don't know who he is in the band Garbage and most importantly he produced Nirvana's Nevermind and Smashing Pumpkins Gish. So there was some great influence on the first couple albums.

Over the course of the Eels career I got more and more into them. I finally saw them in 2000. I thought the live show was quite intense. I liked the shows so much I again saw them in 2001 and 2002. I did miss the 2003 tour, but I made up for it for a few 2005 shows where they added strings and really acoustic instruments like upright bass and beat box. It was one of the best shows. He covered Dylan, Prince and Daniel Johnston. It was a blast.

So what can I say about Beautiful Freak that has not been said. It's a totally different album from 1996. It maybe be an odd thing to listen to, but the reward is great. It's different and fun and most of all has a little more to offer then other albums. It's not straightforward like general albums. It's layered with good stuff to make you play it again and again. Enjoy! I am sure by the end of the CD you too will be humming these tunes.