Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
It's not like Mark Oliver Everett (hereafter known as E) hasn't dealt with these themes before. His whole recording career, most of it done under the Eels moniker, has been full of brilliantly crafted pop songs that tour death, terminal illness, regrets, lost dear ones, a veiled belief in better days and times overlaid by thick angst, and now and then, actual bursts of bouncing joy and humor. So there's nothing really new thematically on the 11th Eels album, The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett, and even its sparse, stripped-down, and lightly orchestrated acoustic folk feel is something E has often visited. He turned 50 while writing these songs, so maybe that has something to do with the heavy and regretful tone that washes through these rather muted, weary, and almost whispered musings, few of which even rise to the tempo of a slow shuffle. There's hardly a snare drum or a trap kit in sight. E is obviously trying to present a story here, for the album opens with a brief instrumental called "Where I'm At," touches down on a song called "Where I'm From" midway through, and then closes things out with E doing his best Tom Waits impression on the closing track, "Where I'm Going," which ultimately decides, perhaps not quite completely convinced, that the future looks promising. But in truth, most of the songs have to do with regrets over a lost love, one E wishes he hadn't walked away from, and if that's what this cautionary tale of an album is cautioning, then it's hopeless, we've all done that. Everyone knows how that feels. What saves this album from being just another version of some guy at the bar going on and on about some lady he lost is E's subtle and easy way with a melody, and even though some of these songs are so slow as to barely have a pulse, they flow well and easily into and out of each other. A couple stand out on first listen, most notably the thoughtful "Parallels" and the first single "Agatha Chang," which captures this album's theme of facing up to and resolving one's regrets in a perfect narrative, and it gives off a Randy Newman singing Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" kind of feel. Obviously E felt he had to make this album. Now he has, and the message seems to be don't mess up a good relationship or you'll regret it, but only time will reveal what the future brings, and that future maybe, just maybe, might be better if we actually learn something. Thanks E. Who could argue?
© Steve Leggett /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
Ryan Boesch, MixingEngineer - Eels, MainArtist - P-Boo, MixingEngineer
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Eels, MainArtist - Koool G Murder, MixingEngineer - P-Boo, MixingEngineer
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Eels, MainArtist - P-Boo, MixingEngineer
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Eels, MainArtist - P-Boo, MixingEngineer
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Ryan Boesch, MixingEngineer - Eels, MainArtist - E/Chet, Composer
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Ryan Boesch, MixingEngineer - Eels, MainArtist - E/P-Boo, Composer
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Ryan Boesch, MixingEngineer - Eels, MainArtist
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Eels, MainArtist - P-Boo, MixingEngineer - E/P-Boo, Composer
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Eels, MainArtist - P-Boo, MixingEngineer - E/P-Boo, Composer
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Eels, MainArtist - P-Boo, MixingEngineer - E/P-Boo, Composer
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Ryan Boesch, MixingEngineer - Eels, MainArtist - P-Boo, MixingEngineer
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Ryan Boesch, MixingEngineer - Eels, MainArtist - P-Boo, MixingEngineer - E/Chet, Composer
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Ryan Boesch, MixingEngineer - Eels, MainArtist
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Album review
It's not like Mark Oliver Everett (hereafter known as E) hasn't dealt with these themes before. His whole recording career, most of it done under the Eels moniker, has been full of brilliantly crafted pop songs that tour death, terminal illness, regrets, lost dear ones, a veiled belief in better days and times overlaid by thick angst, and now and then, actual bursts of bouncing joy and humor. So there's nothing really new thematically on the 11th Eels album, The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett, and even its sparse, stripped-down, and lightly orchestrated acoustic folk feel is something E has often visited. He turned 50 while writing these songs, so maybe that has something to do with the heavy and regretful tone that washes through these rather muted, weary, and almost whispered musings, few of which even rise to the tempo of a slow shuffle. There's hardly a snare drum or a trap kit in sight. E is obviously trying to present a story here, for the album opens with a brief instrumental called "Where I'm At," touches down on a song called "Where I'm From" midway through, and then closes things out with E doing his best Tom Waits impression on the closing track, "Where I'm Going," which ultimately decides, perhaps not quite completely convinced, that the future looks promising. But in truth, most of the songs have to do with regrets over a lost love, one E wishes he hadn't walked away from, and if that's what this cautionary tale of an album is cautioning, then it's hopeless, we've all done that. Everyone knows how that feels. What saves this album from being just another version of some guy at the bar going on and on about some lady he lost is E's subtle and easy way with a melody, and even though some of these songs are so slow as to barely have a pulse, they flow well and easily into and out of each other. A couple stand out on first listen, most notably the thoughtful "Parallels" and the first single "Agatha Chang," which captures this album's theme of facing up to and resolving one's regrets in a perfect narrative, and it gives off a Randy Newman singing Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" kind of feel. Obviously E felt he had to make this album. Now he has, and the message seems to be don't mess up a good relationship or you'll regret it, but only time will reveal what the future brings, and that future maybe, just maybe, might be better if we actually learn something. Thanks E. Who could argue?
© Steve Leggett /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 13 track(s)
- Total length: 00:40:19
- Main artists: Eels
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: E Works Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
2014 E Works 2014 E Works
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.