The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett
Another nonconformist, if slightly more mellow, contribution to an extensive back catalogue from rock’s singular free spirit “E”.
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.
Being an Eels fan really hinges on whether or not you buy into the myth of Mark Oliver Everett, a myth Everett himself created over the dozen or so records he's recorded as Eels.
Eels' Mark Everett has never been known for his optimism. Even in its sunniest moments, his music is always cut with an element of spiraling introversion.
<p>The Eels frontman returns to more familiar territory after the rockier sounds of Wonderful, Glorious, writes <strong>Phil Mongredien</strong></p>
The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett is a roughshod batch of breakup songs too fragile to support the conceptual weight of its title.
Mark Everett's got a broken heart again – and he's venturing nowhere new with this regretful collection
[xrr rating=2.75/5]Don’t look now, but Eels’ Mr. E is beautifully blue again.
Eels - The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett review: Uncomfortably essential.
The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver EverettArtist: EelsGenre: AlternativeLabel: E Works/PIASNever shy of coming forward about topics such as public heartbreaks and private struggles, Mark Oliver Everett – Eels’ benign dictator and chief bottle washer – once again airs his personal grievances within the context of his art.