Eels (band)
Eels | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 1991–1995 (E) 1995–present |
Labels |
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Members | E (Mark Oliver Everett) The Chet (Jeff Lyster) Koool G Murder (Kelly Logsdon) P-Boo (Mike Sawitzke) Knuckles (Derek Brown) Big/Krazy/Tiny/Honest/Upright/Royal Al (Allen Hunter) Joe Mengis Jonathan "Butch" Norton |
Eels (often typeset as eels or EELS) is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1991 by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Oliver Everett, known by the stage name E. Band members have changed over the years, both in the studio and on stage, making Everett the only official member for most of the band's work. Eels' music is often filled with themes of family, death, and unrequited love. Since 1996, Eels has released fourteen studio albums, seven of which charted in the Billboard 200.[2]
History
E solo records
In 1991, Everett signed a contract with
Beautiful Freak
Eels were officially founded when Butch and E met
Eels became one of the first groups to sign a record deal with DreamWorks Records, followed by Elliott Smith.
In 1996, the band released their debut album
Released in May 2001, the motion picture soundtrack for the movie Shrek included the song "My Beloved Monster".
Electro-Shock Blues
Following the success of Beautiful Freak, E experienced a difficult time in his personal life. His sister died by suicide, and his mother was diagnosed with cancer. These events inspired Eels' second album, 1998's
The single "Last Stop: This Town" saw minor success, while "Cancer for the Cure", the second single from the album, appeared on the soundtrack for American Beauty (1999).
Still a three-piece band on stage, Tommy Walter was replaced by Adam Siegel. Part of the American leg of the tour was canceled after the death of E's mother.[citation needed] They returned to tour Europe later in the year, to open for Pulp.[citation needed]
Daisies of the Galaxy
In 2000, Eels released Daisies of the Galaxy. The album, which was recorded almost entirely in E's basement, is lighter and more upbeat than its predecessor.[citation needed] Everett noted, "if Electro-Shock Blues was the phone call in the middle of the night that the world doesn't want to answer, then Daisies of the Galaxy is the hotel wake-up call that says your lovely breakfast is ready".[8] He was joined in the studio by Michael Simpson (Dust Brothers), Grant-Lee Phillips (Grant Lee Buffalo), and Peter Buck (R.E.M.).
The first single, "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues", was co-written by Simpson. The song was not intended to be on the album, but the record company insisted on its inclusion. Therefore, it was not featured on the track listing but was instead listed on the cover sticker as a bonus track, separated from the rest of the album by 20 seconds of silence.
To promote Daisies of the Galaxy, another tour took place across the United States and Europe, with the band also playing their first concerts in Australia. For these performances, Eels were transformed into a 6-piece orchestra, including Lisa Germano and Probyn Gregory. E also played some solo shows, opening for Fiona Apple.
Souljacker and Shootenanny!
In 2001, Souljacker was released, an album with a heavier feel and more rock-oriented sound than Daisies of the Galaxy.[citation needed] John Parish, previously of PJ Harvey's band, co-wrote most of the songs and played guitar on the album and first part of the tour. After Parish became a father, he was replaced with Joe Gore for the American leg of the Bus Driving, Band Rocking Tour.[citation needed] Koool G Murder played bass and keyboards and joined Eels on tour.
2003 marked the release of the album Shootenanny!. E now refers to the album as a break from recording the following Blinking Lights album.[citation needed] It was recorded live in the studio in only ten days. "Saturday Morning" was released as a single.
Butch was replaced on drums by Puddin'. In 2003, Eels embarked upon another big tour, called the Tour of Duty. The live band consisted of E,
Blinking Lights and Other Revelations and Eels with Strings
Eels' next album, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, was released on April 26, 2005, and was the band's first release for new label Vagrant Records. It is a 33-track double album. Contributions were made by Tom Waits, Peter Buck, John Sebastian (The Lovin' Spoonful), Jim Jacobsen, and Butch.
The first tour in support of the Blinking Lights album, billed as Eels with Strings, featured primarily performances by E on acoustic guitar,
Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. I and Useless Trinkets
In early 2008, Eels released their first "greatest hits" compilation as well as a compilation of
The soundtrack of the 2008 comedy film Yes Man features nine songs by Eels, including "Man Up", a brand new song.[10]
Concept album trilogy: Hombre Lobo, End Times, and Tomorrow Morning
Hombre Lobo, the seventh Eels studio album, was released on June 2, 2009. The album comprises twelve new songs.[11] "Hombre Lobo" is Spanish for "wolf man" or "werewolf" and references E's unusually long beard, which he originally grew when writing the song "Dog Faced Boy".[12] On March 31, 2009, the band made the track "Fresh Blood" available on Spinner,[13] explaining that the song would be the lead single for the album. A Jesse Dylan-directed music video was released on April 29, 2009, as well,[14] and the track would become the theme song of the 2015 HBO documentary miniseries The Jinx.[15] The album was released as a single-disc CD and a deluxe edition with a DVD.[16] In September 2009, Eels released a music video for "That Look You Give That Guy", featuring Bobby Jr., E and Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi.[17]
While promoting this album, Eels released the live EP
A second album was announced on May 20, 2010: Tomorrow Morning was described as the "final installment of a trilogy that began with Hombre Lobo and End Times." The three albums respectively explore themes of desire, loss, and redemption.[20] A world tour, the first since 2007's An Evening With Eels tour, was announced at the same time.[citation needed] This tour once again featured the Chet on various instruments, alongside Koool G Murder on bass, trilogy drummer Knuckles on drums and a new member, P-Boo, on guitar.[citation needed]
Wonderful, Glorious and The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett
On February 5, 2013, the 10th Eels studio album was released, entitled Wonderful, Glorious.[21] The first single from the album, "Peach Blossom", premiered on SoundCloud on November 6, 2012.[22] A month later, on December 4, 2012, the official video was released on Stereogum.[23] The second single, "New Alphabet", was streamed pre-release on December 12, 2012, on Spinner[24]
On March 25, 2013, the band released a parody music video called "
Eels' eleventh studio album, The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett, was released on April 21, 2014, on E Works Records.[26] In April 2015, the band released the DVD and double live album Live at the Royal Albert Hall.[27]
In 2015, Eels created their own version of
The Deconstruction and Earth to Dora
On January 17, 2018, Eels announced their 12th studio album, The Deconstruction, to be released on April 6, 2018,[29] their first in nearly four years. They also announced a supporting tour throughout the United States and Europe, beginning in Pomona, California on May 28, 2018.[30] The album travels through many styles sonically, but its lyrics primarily deal with rebuilding one's life and looking back on what went wrong.[citation needed] Singles include (in release order) the title track, "Today Is the Day", "Premonition", and "Bone Dry". Styles present on the album include orchestral pop, power pop, psychedelic pop/rock, indie/alternative rock and post-modern pop.[citation needed]
The band's next release was the single "Baby Let's Make It Real"/"Who You Say You Are", announced on September 1, 2020.[31] These songs were featured on the subsequent studio album, Earth to Dora (2020).
Extreme Witchcraft and Eels Time
On September 21, 2021, it was announced that the 14th Eels album would be called Extreme Witchcraft and would be released on January 28, 2022. The album was produced by E and John Parish in their first collaboration since 2001's Souljacker.[32] Eels So Good: Essential Eels, Vol. 2 (2007–2020) came out in late 2023. On February 29, 2024, the band announced Eels Time!, slated for release the following June 7.[33]
Members
Eels have had a number of lineup changes supporting E since their formation, and in recent years the live band has often differed from the musicians on the albums. Koool G Murder has been credited on bass and production on recent albums, although Big Al has fulfilled the role of bassist during the live shows.
Discography
As E
- A Man Called E (1992)
- Broken Toy Shop (1993)
As Eels
- Beautiful Freak (1996)
- Electro-Shock Blues (1998)
- Daisies of the Galaxy (2000)
- Souljacker (2001)
- Shootenanny! (2003)
- Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (2005)
- Hombre Lobo (2009)
- End Times (2010)
- Tomorrow Morning (2010)
- Wonderful, Glorious (2013)
- The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett (2014)
- The Deconstruction (2018)
- Earth to Dora (2020)
- Extreme Witchcraft (2022)
- Eels Time! (2024)
References
- ^ Greg Prato. "Eels | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
- ^ "Eels – Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- OCLC 213451480.
- ^ Everett, Mark Oliver (2009). Things the Grandchildren Should Know. Picador. p. 110.
- ^ Mark Oliver Everett, AKA E from EELS, September 7, 2023, retrieved September 7, 2023
- ^ Bromwich, Kathryn (January 22, 2022). "On my radar: Mark Oliver Everett's cultural highlights". The Guardian. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ Tedder, Michael (October 19, 2018). "Electro-Shock Blues Turns 20". Stereogum. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ Lucas, Dan (October 27, 2011). "An Album of the Year 2000 – 11yrson: Eels Daisies of the Galaxy". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ "Eels Get Tangled In Strings On Live CD/DVD". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2005.
- ^ "Zooey Deschanel, Eels Affirm Yes Man Soundtrack". Pitchfork Media. November 21, 2008. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
- ^ ""Hombre Lobo" out on June 2nd, 2009". Official Eels Site. March 3, 2009. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- ^ Graff, Gary (May 21, 2009). "Eels Ready Beard-Inspired Album". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- AOL Music. March 31, 2009. Archived from the originalon May 24, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
- ^ ""Fresh Blood" music video". Stereogum. April 29, 2009. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
- ^ Appelo, Tim (March 19, 2015). "'The Jinx' Theme Composer on Robert Durst: "It's Hard Not to Feel Sorry for Him"". The Hollywood Reporter. PMC. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- Play.com. April 22, 2009. Archived from the originalon May 27, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ "Eels, 'That Look You Give That Guy' – Video Premiere". Spinner.com. September 1, 2009. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
- ^ "Eels' 'End Times' Will Be "A Divorce Album With a Modern Twist"". Rock.about.com. November 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ "End Times News". Eels. October 14, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
- ^ Larsen, Peter (August 4, 2010). "Eels Explore New Material at the Galaxy". O. C. Register. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "Wonderful, Glorious announced". Official Eels Site. October 22, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
- ^ "Eels – Peach Blossom by Vagrant Records on SoundCloud". Soundcloud.com/vagrantrecords. November 6, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- ^ "Eels – "Peach Blossom" Video (Stereogum Premiere) -- Song Premiere". Stereogum.com. December 4, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- ^ "Eels, 'New Alphabet' -- Song Premiere". Spinner.com. December 12, 2012. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- ^ "Jim Carrey, Eels Team for Gun Culture Parody – Video". Rolling Stone. March 25, 2013. Archived from the original on March 25, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ Richman, Darren (March 23, 2014). "Mark Oliver Everett: The Eels frontman on lost loves, parallel". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- ^ Goggins, Joe (April 15, 2015). "Album Review: Eels – Royal Albert Hall". drownedinsound.com. Drowned In Sound. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ "Melanie De Biasio lends her voice in Alien – Covenant". Wallonia. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "EELS : Official Website". Eelstheband.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ "Eels : 2018 Tour Dates for The World's Number One Entertainers". Eelstheband.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ Helman, Peter (September 1, 2020). "Eels – "Who You Say You Are"". Stereogum. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
- ^ "EELS : Official Website". Eelstheband.com.
- ^ Rettig, James (February 29, 2024). "Eels Announce New Album 'Eels Time!': Hear Lead Single "Time"". New Music. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-0-316-02787-8.
External links
- Official website
- Eels at Curlie
- Eels at AllMusic
- Eels discography at Discogs
- Eels discography at MusicBrainz
- Eels on SoundCloud