2008 Woodie Awards
Eccentric & eclectic Eels
Mike Desjardin
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Arts and Entertainment
The Eels are not a band known for their legacy. For most, mentioning the Eels does not conjure up thoughts of a complex library of music or a magnitude of hit singles. This loud rock trio has been around for well over ten years, however, and their catalogue is anything but minuscule.
A rock band's canon is typically a chronicling of the band's history as well as a detailed roadmap through the minds of the musicians involved. The oeuvre is tangible evidence of the years of the sweat, tears and rock that went into each of a band's showcases-and on March 31 they'll be exhibiting their cathartic sound at the Somerville Theatre.
With most bands' albums, there is a multitude of material that's either left on the studio floor or shuffled off to the backburner, where it may or may not see the light of day on the next album. Collections of these rare (and often unfinished) tracks and studio B-sides have recently been taking off, and fans of artists like Elliott Smith and Gorillaz are finally being given the opportunity to listen to these once-unofficial songs and demos.
For the Eels, it's been a long time coming. Twelve years and six albums later, the alternative rock band is unleashing Useless Trinkets, a 50-track collection of b-sides, previously unreleased songs and demos, as well as Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. I, a greatest hits collection. The release of these compilation albums is more than just a milestone in the band's history, but a musical journey through the Eels' triumphant (though dark) rise to fame as well.
These days, you'll often find Mr. E (Mark Everett, the band's front man) sporting dark aviators, sharpening his sound, and constantly honing the style of the music that appears on each album. Their music often feels void of any doubt, and while their lyrics are sometimes playful and ironic, there is a distinct assertiveness pulsing through each song. It's difficult not to take every track seriously-to believe in the smarmy rock music that comes spiraling out of the speakers like meat out of a grinder. Underneath all of the distortion and feedback, you can almost see Everett smirk. If it feels as though each track is laced with irony. It's not coincidental given the circumstances of the band's still-growing success.
A rock band's canon is typically a chronicling of the band's history as well as a detailed roadmap through the minds of the musicians involved. The oeuvre is tangible evidence of the years of the sweat, tears and rock that went into each of a band's showcases-and on March 31 they'll be exhibiting their cathartic sound at the Somerville Theatre.
With most bands' albums, there is a multitude of material that's either left on the studio floor or shuffled off to the backburner, where it may or may not see the light of day on the next album. Collections of these rare (and often unfinished) tracks and studio B-sides have recently been taking off, and fans of artists like Elliott Smith and Gorillaz are finally being given the opportunity to listen to these once-unofficial songs and demos.
For the Eels, it's been a long time coming. Twelve years and six albums later, the alternative rock band is unleashing Useless Trinkets, a 50-track collection of b-sides, previously unreleased songs and demos, as well as Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. I, a greatest hits collection. The release of these compilation albums is more than just a milestone in the band's history, but a musical journey through the Eels' triumphant (though dark) rise to fame as well.
These days, you'll often find Mr. E (Mark Everett, the band's front man) sporting dark aviators, sharpening his sound, and constantly honing the style of the music that appears on each album. Their music often feels void of any doubt, and while their lyrics are sometimes playful and ironic, there is a distinct assertiveness pulsing through each song. It's difficult not to take every track seriously-to believe in the smarmy rock music that comes spiraling out of the speakers like meat out of a grinder. Underneath all of the distortion and feedback, you can almost see Everett smirk. If it feels as though each track is laced with irony. It's not coincidental given the circumstances of the band's still-growing success.
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