The Beat Surrender

Eels...hmmm, sort of like them I have to say, sort of never been bothered about them enough to really follow their career that closely either I must add as well. Instead we tend to float in and out of each others lives like a distant cousin…scrap that, they float in and out of my life, after all it’s not like I occasionally camp out on their lawn or stalk Mark Oliver Everett at his local bar is it.

So although I know that Everett and his ever changing Eels have been around since the mid nineties, it actually comes as quite a surprise to me that this is the 7th album by Eels. Having picked myself up of the floor with that nugget of information retained though it’s time for them to make another appearance in my life, the first time since I was sent the groups odds and sods collection of b-sides and rarities to review.

This time though I don’t think it’s going to be a fleeting visit, because after just one listen I am completely hooked on this album, it’s going to be the first Eels album to make it on to my iPod, I doubt that will send tremors to shake the foundation of the Everett household, but it does tell you how much I rate Hombre Lobo.

Please don’t cringe when I say this, but it is essentially a concept album, twelve tracks about desire. It’s one of the most common human emotions and one that everyone no doubt feels various times in their life time (I nearly wrote each day then…), still it continues to cause problems, conflict and confuse people after all these years, which is why it makes a wonderful subject matter, as Everett describes himself “I wanted to write a set of songs about desire, that dreadful intense want that gets you into all sorts of situations that can change your life in big ways”.

Now I read hundreds of these press releases each week with bands stating what they have or haven’t done, while most are full of shit, Eels have delivered on that promise in spectacular style, it’s not just the music, take lyrics from That Look You Give That Guy “I see you with your man, your eyes just shine, while he stands tall and walking proud, that look you give that guy, I wanna see, looking right at me, if I could be that guy”. It’s desperate and heartfelt, honest and even if you haven’t been in exactly that situation you can imagine yourself in his shoes.

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