Eels

Meet the Eels: Essential Eels, Vol. 1: 1996–2006  | Geffen
By MIKAEL WOOD  |  January 14, 2008
3.0 3.0 Stars
inside_eels---meet-the-eels
Has Mark Oliver Everett ever tasted the agony of writer’s block? Since he started releasing records as Eels in 1996 (following an earlier stint as A Man Called E), Everett has issued work (including live discs, soundtrack stuff, and a 2005 double album about God) at a pace that’s far outstripped the general audience’s ability to keep up. As a result, he’s gone from being an alt-rock novelty maker (remember “Novocain for the Soul”?) to a cult-fave curio (how about I Am the Messiah, credited to Everett’s hip-hop alter-ego, MC Honky?). Two new Eels packages — this overstuffed best-of CD/DVD and the two-CD/DVD Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased — demonstrate that though he’s no longer interested in serving as a Gen X spokesman, Everett’s wry pop-rock stylings have remained pretty sharp despite the overuse. Highlights actually aren’t his point. Which doesn’t mean they don’t exist — even Useless Trinkets has its moments, among them Jon Brion’s previously unreleased remix of “Climbing to the Moon,” which vibrates with delicate chamber-folk beauty, and Everett’s reading of “Get Ur Freak On,” which isn’t nearly as embarrassing as you’d expect.
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  Topics: CD Reviews , Mark Oliver Everett, Jon Brion
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