Music Review
With Strings - Live at Town Hall
The Eels
Recorded live in New York in 2005 With Strings is exactly what the album title says, Eels music with strongs. Mark Everett, 'E' to his friends and the man behind Eels has created some of the most overlooked pop music of the last ten years.
Apart from Novocaine for the Soul which had a fair amount of airply on MTV a few years back, his music has slipped way under the radar and that is too bad. It might be the subject matter of most of his songs--death, pain, cancer, heartache--it might also be simply that he is too creative, inventive and challenging for mainstream tastes. Whatever the reason, this new live recording offers a glimpse into the simple artistry of his music and the emotionally dark and yet always uplifting natrue of his songs.
The string section adds a depth and beauty to his music. It is not an unplugged concert as much as a reconfiguring of his music based on instrumental permutations. Most of the songs are from the last Eels studio recording, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, but there are also some classics. Novocaine sounds refreshed and reminds you of why it was a hit in the first place, Dirty Girl and my particular favourite, It's A Mother f@#ker, sound simply beautiful. A Bob Dylan cover gets thrown into the mix and if you buy the album via iTunes, there are three bonus tracks.
Apart from Novocaine for the Soul which had a fair amount of airply on MTV a few years back, his music has slipped way under the radar and that is too bad. It might be the subject matter of most of his songs--death, pain, cancer, heartache--it might also be simply that he is too creative, inventive and challenging for mainstream tastes. Whatever the reason, this new live recording offers a glimpse into the simple artistry of his music and the emotionally dark and yet always uplifting natrue of his songs.
The string section adds a depth and beauty to his music. It is not an unplugged concert as much as a reconfiguring of his music based on instrumental permutations. Most of the songs are from the last Eels studio recording, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, but there are also some classics. Novocaine sounds refreshed and reminds you of why it was a hit in the first place, Dirty Girl and my particular favourite, It's A Mother f@#ker, sound simply beautiful. A Bob Dylan cover gets thrown into the mix and if you buy the album via iTunes, there are three bonus tracks.