Mark Oliver Everett, who always wrestles with personal demons in his music, returns with an album characterised with a sparky upbeat energy, buzzing guitars and pace with often wry, but very catchy numbers. Of course there’s always a double-edged element to his lyrics, but it’s still toe-tapping and uplifting in style, from the caustic opener Amateur Hour, the rumbling rock number Good Night On Earth, referencing his birth, or the quieter Strawberries & Popcorn, in which a single man finds solace in small pleasures. Steam Engine is more bluesy rock, while Grandfather Clock Strikes Twelve starts with a low-key sound, but then moves into a funkier groove. The Magic is a rock stomper, and while there’s more gently psychedelic, slow and more contemplative periods on So Anyway, and What It Isn’t, Learning While I Lose still manages to find joy in the downbeat subject by playing the upbeat with a joyful handclap number. As ever, happy miserablism and fine songwriting, and everything you’d hope for in an EELS album. Out on E Works / Play It Again Sam.
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