Souljacker - Eels

Obviously, the answer is no – it’s 12cm of flimsy plastic. What you need is a hydraulic jack, not a soul jack. No, despite my interest in all matters petrol this is only a CD. Albeit a pretty good one. I own all four eels (studio) albums so it’s a fairly safe bet to say I like them. However, I wasn’t overly keen on this plastic platter to start with. eels have changed their line-up for this album, back to being a three piece after having just been Mr E (Just what is wrong with the name Mark exactly E?) and Butch for two albums. Everyone say hello to John Parish, described as “A PROPER Englishman that knows how to rock”, eels bumped ...  Read the complete review

First there was the birth of the Eels with Beautiful Freak. A bunch of quirky, rocky little tunes that got them noticed for the first time. Then there was the funeral when things took a turn to the darkside with Electro-shock Blues. Daisies of the Galaxy was the wake, stepping out of the shadows and into the bright sunshine. So what would we class Souljacker as? Well the calling it the marriage seems suitable as E himself got himself hitched whilst recording this album. This unconventional path of life has been rewarding to the fans so far and seems to carry on with the latest album. Souljacker is a mix of heavy rock and gentle love songs. The rock is ...  Read the complete review

Well, E's gone and done it again. Most bands only have 1 decent album in them, but here's the 4th from Eels, and they're going from strength to strength. While the themes of alienation and freakery remain pretty much the same, this album sees Eels take on a harder edge. The wierdness is still there, but in places, this album really rocks. The band consists of E on vocals and numerous instruments, Butch on drums, John Parish on guitars and keyboards, and Kool G Murder on bass. And it's primarily John Parish, who co-wrote most of the songs, who is responsible for the harder sound. But fear not - it may be a harder sound, but it's still recognisably an ...  Read the complete review

As a self-confessed Eels fan, I awaited the arrival of Souljacker with the proverbial baited breath. I first became aware of Eels when I spotted an import copy of 'Beautiful Freak' (1996), the band's first studio album, at a listening post in my local HMV. The front cover was appealing, and so I picked up the headphones and pricked up my ears. Within hearing the first 20 seconds of the opening track 'Novocaine For The Soul' (also their debut single), I had put the headphones back on their rack, picked up the album and got my wallet out ready to storm the front counter. Eels' sound was so fresh; I was convinced instantly of their importance in ...  Read the complete review

Looking down the list of things I’ve written about on this site recently, I’ve realised I haven’t reviewed any of the most recent additions to my CD collection yet... until now, that is. Souljacker is Mark ‘E’ Everett’s fourth album proper under the guise of Eels and he has again produced a masterpiece. Strangely for an American bad Eels have been pretty productive over the years and this is their third album in a year and a half. But the quality does not suffer due to the productivity of the man called E. For those of you who don’t know Eels (which begs the question, "why are you reading a review of their new ...  Read the complete review