A Terse Review: The Eels Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire
It only takes one sentence to sum up the new Eels album Hombre Lobo –best damn album of the year thus far. What puzzles me is why some critics don’t get this when every person I introduce the album to does.
In short, Hombre Lobo does these things:
1. The recording quality seems taken straight out of the Yellow Submarine playbook. Very Beatlesque. Nothing seems too digitized – because its not.
2. The songs are crafted in true pop fashion, again, like The Beatles often did it. None of this fluffy, experimental garbage that some of these indie bands are doing.
3. The lyrics are as honest as they come, and it’s so easy to internalize each message. I haven’t been moved quite like this since my first listen to “Imagine.”
4. Melodies are stellar, song after song.
Are you seeing a pattern here? In a day and age where so many bands are embracing “suck” in the hopes that they’re defining sound will separate them from the pack, Hombre Lobo is an artistic message to everyone. What worked four decades ago still works today. In fact, it works better than anything else!
Listen, read, and watch the media samples below. You’ll see what I mean.
E of The Eels
Hombre Lobo Track List
1. Prizefighter
2. That Look You Give That Guy
3. Lilac Breeze
4. In My Dreams
5. Tremendous Dynamite
6. The Longing
7. Fresh Blood
8. What’s a Fella Gotta Do
9. My Timing Is Off
10. All The Beautiful Things
11. Beginner’s Luck
12. Ordinary Man
Lyrical Sample
“My Timing Is Off” from Hombre Lobo
My timing is off
She isn’t ready for my love
It’s all that I got
But it’s a pretty big thing
That she should recognize;
The truth between us cannot hide
She knows that it’s real
But the situation doesn’t fit
I know what I feel
And I know that this is really
Everything it’s all about
And I don’t have a single doubt
My timing is off
But sometimes that’s how it all works
Believe it or not
We don’t have a choice
In matters of the heart;
Just gotta be brave enough
To love and let yourself be loved
My timing is off
And I’m not worried ’bout a thing
She knows that it’s real
She couldn’t throw it all away
For fear of happiness
This isn’t like that other mess
What “The Critics” are saying:
“Lean and timeless”
4 stars
- Mojo
“Excellent”
4 stars
- Uncut
Critic’s Choice
- Jon Pareles
New York Times
“Superb”
4 stars
-The Guardian
“So sharply executed that it’s hard to compliment without outright fawning”
- The Huffington Post
“There are few songwriters who could handle this material better than E – actually, perhaps there aren’t any”
4 stars
- The Sunday Times
“Like much of E’s work, the album is complicated. It’s both sad and uplifting, dark and humorous, and always worth picking up.”
- Associated Press
“A sad howl in the dark for one or rock ‘n’ roll’s most gifted and underappreciated artists”
- San Francisco Chronicle
“Mordant wit and bare naked honesty”
4 stars
- The Independent
“Desolately beautiful”
- The Observer
“Brilliant”
- Clash
“Beautifully crafted”
4 stars
- All Music Guide
“Throughout Hombre Lobo, E manages to take your breath away.”
4 stars
- Gigwise
“Another tour de force”
4.5 stars
- The Sun
4 stars
- Record Collector
(taken from The Eels Myspace Blog)
Links
Buy Hombre Lobo – iTunes / Amazon / Buy.com / <insert your local music store>
posted June 10th, 2009 at 11:59 am Reviews
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