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“Kids know what's going on,” wrote Eels frontman Mark ‘E’ Everett in his superb autobiography ‘Things The Grandchildren Should Know’. “They always respond to The Beatles, for instance. Doesn't matter when they were born, they always seem to respond.
“Show me a kid who innately doesn't like The Beatles, and I'll show you a bad seed.”
And therein lies the brilliant thing about Eels. For each of E’s idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, you can never escape his love of a simple and universal hook or melody.
‘Wonderful, Glorious’ is no exception. There’s no pretence here. E’s weirdness never outweighs his warmth.
E’s intent is laid bare on the table immediately as he croaks “I’ve had enough of being complacent, I’ve had enough of being a mouse” over the fuzzy, rumbling Tom Waits menace of opener ‘Bombs Away’ – kicking off yet another consistently ace but wonderfully diverse record of bizarre mental blues from Eels.
He’s got that brilliant knack of juxtaposing a dark sound with simple and sweet child-like lullabies to paint a compellingly optimistic and uplifting picture. You heard first on ‘Novacaine For The Soul’ and ‘Mr E’s Beautiful Blues’ and you hear it here ‘Peach Blosson’ and ‘You’re My Friend’.
‘Kinda Fuzzy’ is a fierce little tale of persevering through confusion – a theme repeated on the slow-scorcher of ‘New Alphabet when E spits: “When the world stops making sense, I make a new alphabet”. That line really strikes a chord. After rising to fame in the US alt-rock scene of the mid-nineties and then going through all kinds of awesome and awful adventures, E has outlived countless musical trends and carved out his own little cult corner in the world. ‘Wonderful, Glorious’ is just another monument to why E has survived.
You can’t help but love the twisted imagination of E that runs through every fibre of all that he does. Show me a kid who doesn’t like Eels, and I’ll show you a bad seed.
