Reviews (page 3 of 10)
Barenaked ladies if they were sad and did drugs
Cool, but found the vocals a bit boring
I do like this album but it's a bit slow at times. Reminds me of Levi jeans..?
J’adore les changements d’ambiance sur les mêmes morceaux. Une harmonie construite au service de l’ambiance et des changements d’images, complètement au service du chant (paroles et toplines). J’adore l’ouverture de l’album, coup de cœur pour Lucky day in hell. 4 car je pourrais réécouter l’album.
Beautiful Freaks 1. this song pretty popular. i don’t like it though. it’s too emo and i don’t like how he talks about being hard. 2. i don’t like this. i don’t like the rhythm and i don’t like the freaky stories. i hate the going over to susan’s house. tbh it is interesting though but i still don’t like it 3. did not care for it 4. a bit strange but not bad 5. I LOVE RHOS SONG ITS SO GOOD 6. meh 7. meh 8. love it reminded me of creep by radio head 9. okay but i don’t like the lyrics only the way they’re sung 10. bleh 11. creepy but i liked it 12. eh
I liked this significantly more than I thought I would. Based on album artwork I was fully expecting it to be hard rock. This is more similar to the type of rock music I like.
I’ve always been interested in this album, so I’m glad I finally got a chance to listen to it. It’s deep. I like the themes, but it can be a downer if you’re not ready for it. It’s really good though.
I thought I was going to hate this from the album art but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.
Not something I would listen to on the daily. Could be good background music while reading though.
Favorite track(s): It's a bit of deviation from the typical indie mill because the lyrics were so bad that I felt truly angry at points. Get me back to the Clone High theme song ASAP.
This was an okay listen, but definitely not outstanding. I was familiar with the opening tune, which had a vastly different sound/feel from the rest of the album. You can definitely tell this is an album from the 90's.
"Beautiful Freak" offers some introspective, lo-fi textures in a generally cohesive and straightforward sound. Unfortunately, that's all that happens in the album; I didn't really connect to it, and its sound is quite uniform across all its songs.
Melodic grunge. I remembered the song My Beloved Monster from Shrek, which was an inspired choice.
I’ve always loved listening to Eels, and it’s been a while since I have properly, so I was excited to see this come up today. It’s been so long since I’ve listened to “Beautiful Freak” that I barely remember anything past “Novocaine for the Soul.” Listening back today, I realised that while I love a lot of Eels songs, they tend to be spread across albums. E is clearly a talented songwriter. He writes really catchy indie guitar melodies, and sets them to big beats. That’s the winning recipe of Eels. He does get a bit weird with some spoken word stuff, sound effects and other notions that seemed like a good idea back in the 90s. But that central concept of writing simple, catchy, understated guitar songs and adding those beats on top is what works so well. “Novocaine for the Soul” is the obvious one to call out. It’s one of my all-time favourite songs. E might not be the most nuanced poet with lyrics like “Life is hard, and so am I, you'd better give me something so I don't die”. But he does come out with some really clever concepts, like the idea of “Novocaine for the soul” to describe the use of drugs, entertainment or just general apathy as a coping mechanism for life. Everything about this song is brilliant: the guitar melody, the rhythm section and when it kicks off during the breakdown/solo, a particular favourite moment of mine in music. Unfortunately, the rest of the album doesn’t keep up with the impossible standards set out by the opening track. Don’t get me wrong, everything is very enjoyable, but it starts to get a bit samey and repetitive. I think that’s why I used to listen to Eels tracks, rather than Eels albums. Dipping into any of these tracks by themselves makes them a lot more enjoyable than listening to them side-by-side when they start to blend into each other more and more. I feel a bit conflicted, because I do really like Eels’ music, including a lot of the songs on this record, but there’s not enough variation here. I guess there was a reason that I never really remembered much of the music on this album past “Novocaine for the Soul”. A harsh 3.5 stars.
Pretty good. Worthy of a second listen
capa HORRIVEL de feia, mas tem umas músicas bacaninhas (tem umas 2 ou 3 que são chatíssimas tho).
Jesus christ. This looks like it’s gonna be bad. Honestly for an album with some freaky looking child on the front, not too bad. The songs are not what I expected at all. It contains some very solid rock songs, I like the raspiness of his voice. The songs are quite basic but the songs are good.
It started off SO strong and just eeked out towards the end like a lingering fart
Bit mid
I feel like I'm trying to concentrate on this album but keep drifting away. Also the cover is kinda terrifying.
I had a lot of hope for this after the first few songs but after a while it so blended into a boring, crap mess
Well that's an album cover that will haunt my nightmares. But as for the music? It's pretty good. It's not anything mind-blowing, but it's good rock music. I don't know if I can pick out a favorite, but as a whole it's a fine album.
65 days left..... 5/5
Nice discovery
Interesting what got onto the charts in the mid-90s. A couple of killer singles here (Novocaine For the Soul, Susan’s House), and the rest meanders on without ever coming close to scaling those heights again. Your Lucky Day In Hell marks a slight point of difference from the rest, which often has Mark Everett mumbling in a low voice over some unremarkable indie noises.
Nice clean sound and the band know how to knock out a melody or hook but it lacks the emotion and depth I like from rock. Similar to the Cardigans in that way.
What if Butthole Surfers were more marketable? A decent album, reminds me of Soul Coughing. The mid 90s were rife with a ton of these corporate backed bands as execs were desperate to find the next grunge. It's pretty fun overall, great to visit as a time machine to my youth.
Bandet bag soundtracks på Shrek (!!!), American Beauty og Yes man, har jeg læst mig til. Har en dejlig genkendelig, nostalgisk 00'er film-lyd, jeg kunne godt lide det faktisk. Ville give 3.5 ish
kooky, unremarkable
259/1001 Eels - Beautiful Freak Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❓ I've heard the singles from this album, but I've always liked them and nothing more. I'm not sure this album has proved to me to invest more time with them.
Wow. This album was utterly amazing and a complete surprise.
I got sushi for dinner and got eel because I was so hyped about this music I've never heard before.
3.5
Like if Coldplay was worse.
I’d never heard of this band before today but I really like this. The album feels like a mix of Wilco, Counting Crows and Tommy Guerrero. Some clever, groovy songs with lovely melodies. I definitely want to check out more of Eels’ stuff.
Had some reservations about this album but pleasantly surprised all the way through definitely an album you wanna listen to when you’re in a funk. I feel like it does have emo tones to it, but also some genuinely good storytelling on majority of the tracks here good job great lyrics like like flower and guest list good fine four out of five
This might not be a good thing but I’ve been enjoying more “emo” music lately. I actually connected to some of the songs on here. Solid sound and it was well put together!
Lyder rigtig lækkert faktisk, positiv overraskelse fordi coveret er rædselsfuldt
Lød ret cool, fed produktionsstil
This really grew on me and had a lot of sounds that I liked. It was a solid listen. Will try it again in a few months to see if I feel the same.
Not terrible
pretty chill, denk wel dat elk liedje een beetje hetzelfde gaat klinken door die zanger, als dit te vaak luistert
Previously unknown. Sounds sometimes like Beck, sometimes like Wilco, but not quite as interesting as either.
meh. angsty. airy.
"Beautiful Freak" refreshed me after enduring LTJ Bukem's long album. 2.5 hours of DnB wasn't for me. I loved "Novocaine for the Soul" from the first second. The tracks that followed were really good. "My Beloved Monster" was on Shrek, so that's a bonus. 4 stars for "Beautiful Freak".
Eels: noted contributor to multiple Shrek soundtracks.
Allison was way into Eels back in the college days. So they earn some nostalgia points. This is good but not great for me, though.
Ooooooooh, yeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhh. Reminds me of high school.
Never heard this album before, but I liked Souljacker. Beautiful Freak sounded very familiar overall, probably because it fits in so well with the 90s alternative zeitgeist 3.5
quite boring, prefer eels the animal
Good mellow alt sound.
Save:0
Only recognized My Beloved Monster, which I had forgotten about! I liked the rest of the album as well!
After the first track I thought I'd uncovered a hidden gem. Turned out to be just okay.
One of those mid-90s albums that had a really silly single, yet the rest of the album is better. Pretty interesting musically, but man I can't get past the lyrics that were obviously written by a dude in his 20s.
Shrek music caught me off guard. And sadly I really only like that one.
I thought I'd be ogre this one, but it really surprised me with its layers. Not like a cake mind you. This one had me feeling some shreksual feelings, so I've gotta give it 3/5 onions.
Boring sad alt rock
I'm on a bit of a downer today and this was not what I needed to listen to. I knew some of it from the first time round, however listening to it again it's pretty depressing stuff.
Good but needs something
Shrek
very lyrical/romantic, stays in the head, love his voic, chill
This album felt like it was ahead of its time. Could have fooled me for a 2000s album, I was not familar with the group until this listen and enjoyed mostly, but there were some questionable parts throughout.
#870. Dull and repetitive. Definitely not something I'd class as worthy of a second listen. 2/5: meh
A fun late 90s album which embraced the sound of the time!! I could imagine listening to this with both my dad and my friends lmao Top Picks: Novocaine For The Soul My Beloved Monster Mental Your Lucky Day in Hell
Distinct cover, distinct sound, just not for me
Definitely 90s alt-rock. For better or worse.
Had no idea what to expect from this but the weird ass cover art doesn't reflect the music particularly well. Some thoroughly decent songwriting on offer here. I was entertained throughout the full 43 minutes.
Finde es relativ mid, mental het mir aber sehr gfalle. Eifach nöd so wük mini musig
Solids rockalbum. Paar geili songs aber au chli filler
Surpreendeu positivamente pelos climas, pitadas pontuais de guitarras e pelo vocal. Um disco com uma sonoridade cristalina e que revela sensibilidade.
This is a phenomenal album. Not very one-dimensional like many albums from the 90s could seem. Blends suprisingly many genres together and the songwriting is very good.
This was a nice listen. I had always heard that this was an underrated semi-classic; it didn't blow me away or anything, but I think I would have been really into it if I had discovered it around the time it came out.
This one deserves to be on the list. What a beautiful album.
Nothing wrong here, but nothing all that special. Had I been in college in the mid-90s when it came out, I imagine I would have some fond memories of it. There are worse ways to spend 45 minutes. But ANY Warren Zevon album would be a more enjoyable way to spend that time.
Was introduced to the Eels in high school by a friend from church and became an instant fan. I would listen to him almost religiously for years. Solid musician. Solid album. It was such a dramatic change from the grunge and nü metal sounds of the time that it was refreshing. Absolutely love this album, and listening to it for the first time in years turned that nostalgia meter to 100.
Nothing outstanding but ok.
Beautiful Freak is an album that i am a bit mixed on. There are things i like about it and things i don't like about it on nearly every aspect of this album. The vocals are probably the only exception due to them being able to remain consistently good throughout the whole thing. The lyrics can be smart in some places but kinda creepy in others. The music is probably the part I'm most divided on. I would definitely be lying if i said there weren't any songs i did enjoy a fair bit as there were quite a few. There are a few parts where the songs get identity crises though, especially the first two songs. This album is far from perfect but there was still enough on offer for me to like it. Best Song: Novocaine For The Soul Worst Song: Susan's House
kind of boring but I like my corny and edgy music from the mid 90s so
Awful
Didn't like this at all. Weird and a bit creepy but not in a good way. I knew Novocaine for the Soul already. The spoken bits were cringe and weird.
Cool album. Again, one of those albums that the coolest person you know listens to, but not for me. It's almost post-grunge and experimental, so not a bad listen overall. If the instrumentation or the lyrics (not necessarily both) were more interesting, I would have liked it more. "Mental" and "Your Lucky Day in Hell" were the favorites this time.
a man named E!
I remember in college I told someone my favorite band was Ween. So they told me if I love Ween, I would love Eels. Got the album and was extremely disappointed. That person was an idiot. Listening to the album for the first time in nearly 3 decades… I don’t hate it as much, but I am not sure why this is on this list. I would put the Mollusk up against this any day.
Veldig bra! Synes det høres veldig ut som Sparklehorse, bare mer rocka. Tror dette kan bli en fremtidig favoritt!
Hadde det ikke vært greiest for alle hvis han bæsjet seg ferdig før han begynte å synge? Det høres så rart ut når han trøkker og spiller inn vokal samtidig.
Altfor mange år siden jeg har hørt dette albumet. Hørte mye på det i samme periode som jeg oppdaget Beck, men etterhvert ble det bare Beck og ikke noe Eels. "Novocaine For The Soul" og "Susan's House" er favoritter, men det er egentlig ikke noen svake partier å bemerke. Det er interessante vendinger, fint, catchy, melodiøst, interessant og et sound av de sjeldne. Og jeg syns dritevokalen funker ganske bra
Dette er grunnen til at jeg går gjennom denne lista! Et knallgodt album som jeg ellers aldri ville ha hørt. Gøy!
Its fun if a little clunky with some interesting parts that bring down the overall enjoyment it might feel a bit of a copycat of similar music of the time period.
New wave light from USA
Middle of the road album. Songs towards the end were interesting
в целом неплохо, местами даже прикольно, но пресновато. альбом норм
392/1089 - Awful voice and rudimentary instrumentals one level above most country music on this list.
Sound sample for Atmospheres song about his Dad, "Yesterday"
Quite a fun and enjoyable listen!
Pretty generic alt rock
If it weren’t for that shrek song it would be a 1
just ok
the cover of this got me hyped, album was pretty good! some better than others but unsure if i’ll listen again
The biggest compliment I can give this album is a firm 3/5 stars. Despite how painfully 90’s it is sometimes (“Susan’s House”, I’m looking at you), there’s still some substance here. “Beautiful Freak” has its cheesy 90’s charm too. This HAS to be the worst album cover though. Worse than that Bowie one from the 2000’s everyone dunks on
great sound, alright lyrics, awful album cover. i liked it but it wasn't anything special
So fun and nostalgic
Always loved Novacain, but never went any further with the group. Love the feel of this entire album, it has a nice bass/warm tone. Songs are uniformly good. Solid 4
Unremarkable
I want sure I knew any Eels tracks, then it started and I was immediately hit by a rush of nostalgia for mid-90s student days. I really liked this, there's something about the style and arrangements that just appealed to me.
Much better than I anticipated after seeing that creepy cover
Unusual 90’s rock
More of a 2.5 but a couple of standout tracks saved it from a lower rating
Don't really feel too much like listening to this again, tired of this indie shit. Still feeling generous enough to give it 2 stars, cause it could always be much worse. Ok, on the 2nd listen it's not bad, def at least 2.5 on RYM, still not sure about 3 though.
Wat een vet album is dit toch. Hele goeie muziek, ook al is eels niet een van mijn favoriete bands.
it's weird, listenable, not stellar
A real disappointing downer of an album. This one could really pack a punch but it feels like it’s holding back.
This mainly has mellow tracks and very few upbeat ones. It's enjoyable for the most part. Favourite Track(s): Spunky Least Favourite Track(s): Rags To Rags
Never heard this album or band before, but it was lovely <3 vocals and instrumentals were great and I loved the experimental elements. 4.75
Music to do heroine to
Shrek
Listened Before? No Pros: Classic 90s grunge, some good moments, didn't totally hate listening to it Cons: Truly fugly album art, "life is hard and so am I", just overall not my favorite, got boring in parts Songs Added to Playlist: None lol
BEST SONGS: - Beautiful Freak - Mental - Manchild
5/5, I loved it, reminds me of the Strokes
Mid
Cool Album
Parts of this album were interesting and "pretty", if that's the right word. For example, I thought Not Ready Yet was a strong song, and liked how it had quiet, soft parts mixed with harder, louder moments. Also there were some nostalgia fuzzies from My Beloved Monster thanks to the number of times I watched Shrek in my childhood. Unfortunately, I found a lot of the remainder bland and unimpressive. I feel like this album may have been a better listen when it came out rather than now, 30 years later. It has a bit of Butthole Surfers meets Beck sound to it, and that fits in with the release time. Now, though, I get stuck thinking of it compared to light indie more like Bright Eyes or Death Cab. I don't really like either of those bands, which probably explains why I am not overly into this one. By the time it was over, I was over it. I don't think it was bad, but it didn't do much that really stuck with me. There were a few highlights and then a lot of boring parts. It's probably fine more than anything. Overall: 2.7/5
This is like you messed up the Recipe making Built to Spill. Still okay, but not quite right. It could do with rocking a little harder. Totally unrelated, but the girl on the cover reminds me of the 1970s short British horror film Lost Hearts which I watched the other day. Go check that out.
Liked it, but I was feeling down at the time of listening and it deff didn't help.
Makes me want to explore more of Eels! 4/5
Like the album - bought at the time - decent listen
I bought this around the time of its release at a point when alternative bands appeared to have become the mainstream. Pretty wild to think of songs as strange as Novocaine for the Soul and zsusan's House both going top 10 in the UK. Despite really liking the album, this is still the only Eels record I own or have listened to properly I think hearing about Electro Shock Blues and the circumstances behind it, it just sounded too bleak and harrowing for even me as a gloomy teen. Sometimes we run away from things that seem too raw and although I liked subsequent stuff I heard it didn't speak to me in quite the same way. Listening back to this it holds up really well, though the dark and morbid themes stood out a bit more than when I first listened all those years ago.
Eels were always somewhat of a mystery to me, so I kind of avoided them. I liked having to listen to a full record of theres. I really loved a lot of this, especially "Not Ready Yet." Some of it doesn't work as well, but I got really into the groove of it as a whole. The noise gate and kind of compressed sound they always use take a little getting used to, but feel very cool in the context of a full album. It can feel a little clinical but E's voice and some of the instrumentation have a really unique human quality that makes the whole thing work.
Didn’t remember the album specifically but definetly some of the singles were recognizable. Good chill vibe for most of the album, with a couple odd spots here and there.
pretty good
I don't recognize the band by its name, but the songs and sound feel very familiar. I'd call this peak grunge and a worthy inclusion.
Oooh, good find. I low-key love most of this album. I was only familiar with the first track. The lyrics match the feel of the music. The title track is absolutely beautiful. Nice mix of edgy and sentimental.
I feel like I'm a pretty big Shrek fan, that first movie was on heavy rotation, it formed childhood nostalgia. It was a surprise to me when I found out one of these songs was in the montage skit. I'd already heard this project twice and it had never rung a bell. The point is that for me to not immediately remember this, it must have been real fucking bland. No disrespect to Mr. E, there is technical talent on here, but the project feels like it's meant for wholesome background music because that's likely what the production team wanted. 2.2/5
My preferred tracks on this album are the first three tracks .
Depri-Rock. Ok zu hören, aber nichts was mich dazu bringt, es nochmal zu hören. 2-3/5
1/5 Sooo disappointed by this album! Cover and title got me excited to listen but wasn’t the vibe I hoped for.
Great nothing else to say
A decent enough standard alt-rock album overall. Given the bands name and that album cover I was expecting something a lot weirder, so was a bit disappointed, but was still worth a listen. 3/5
Erster Eindruck: mag die Pause im ersten Song sehr gerne, guter Eindruck Lieblingssong: „Novocaine for the soul“ „my beloved Monster“ „manchild“ (Lieblingszeile:) „Life is Hard, but so am I“ :) Overall Rating: 10/10 Andere Anmerkungen: Ich muss morgens normalerweise meine musik hören, aber das Album durfte meinen gesamten Morgen laufen (war legit genau durch als ich los musste) , war legit so überzeugt und gespannt wie der nächste Song wird Insane dafür dass ich es das erste Mal gehört habe, also 10/10
This album was a big surprise for me. Not that it is great but it is much more interesting than the lead single and the album cover would lead you to believe, i.e. it is not a Marcy's Playgroud rip off by edge lords. Instead I found this to be a sad and forlorn low fi (mostly) record with some real standout songs.
Raw real & beautifully haunting. Im a big fan of this band & love most of their stuff but this one is the one the instantly hopk me in.
Quite the concept album. Surprised this is a debut album, seems like something a band would do to experiment in their later years, not in a bad way. Themes of drug use and tough emotions through the album, balanced well through the pacing.
Worth playing twice. A third? Not sure yet ...
I'm glad we got an Eels album in this collection, but given that this, their debut album, is the only one (and definitely not their best output or even the best reviewed or popular album), I guess their style didn't jibe with the project's editors. Too bad, as I own a different Eels album, "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations", which would have been a nicer sampling of what they have to offer. Regardless, I enjoyed the album as a whole, especially their hit single "Novacaine for the soul" (and a fun floaty video), "Rags to rags", "My beloved monster", "Flower" and the aptly-titled "Lucky day in hell", although there's a degree of monotony (or perhaps just a lack of differentiation) in many of the songs that makes it hard to focus on them as much as I'd like to. (I suspect this may be part of their calling card, though, as "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations" suffers the same way.)
I've listened several times and nothing sticks except the first two songs and the notion that some guy sounds a little down but loves his beautiful freak and is kind of sensitive. I guess I'd say if you like the album cover, you'll probably like the album. Me, meh.
Meh
some good stuff but repetitive as hell
Eh. It has its moments. Eeriest album cobver art its it +1 star
Thought it was the same singer as either Cake, Pavement or Wilco. Is it a requirement to have this kind of voice to do hipstery alternative rock in a band named after a single word? I liked it but I couldn't stop thinking about this and comparing them
I obviously remember the hype that surrounded Eels when _Novocaine for the Soul_ came out and I remember the 2nd single _Susan’s House_ too but neither really caught my imagination. 30 years on and the needle hasn’t really moved. They’re decent 90s alt-indie-rock whilst the rest of the album is a notch less than that. Fine but not really doing much for me.
Liked it more than expected
Pretty cool. Vibe kinda drags by the end of the album
This is the type of music I would have listened to in high school if I were in high school before Juice WRLD released music. I still like it though. Also Shrek.
Cool
3.5. not 4 because of beautiful freak lol
Heard of the Eels, but didn’t connect them to the first track, which I really like. The rest was good. Not amazing, but definitely something I’d listen to a few more times.
Epitome of 90's rock - solid, unremarkable
I feel like this was just ok. Some cool catchy tunes, and some stuff that felt really overwrought.
Never heard this when it came out. What a shame! Skewed view of the world is refreshing and brilliant. I’m going to listen to more of this talented man.
Vraiment très mid. J'haïs le drum. 2.49 étoiles
Solid work here. Many great tracks. 3.5 stars
I've also felt this album came off like a more pretentious, less authentic Wilco... but I like most of it anyway
This blows. The drum samples/loops seem out of place. The music is uninteresting and his vocals and lyrics make me cringe.
😐
No. 336/1001 Novocaine For The Soul 3/5 Susan's House 3/5 Rags To Rags 4/5 Beautiful Freak 3/5 Not Ready Yet 3/5 My Beloved Monster 3/5 Flower 3/5 Guest List 4/5 Mental 3/5 Spunky 3/5 Your Lucky Day In Hell 3/5 Manchild 3/5 Average: 3,17 Alright Indie record. Nothing that really excited me though.
Need to relisten
I was surprised that this slipped through my radar, this was really good
Terrible album cover. -1 star Everything else was surprisingly good. I found something to like about every track on the album. Maybe I'm showing my age, because this is that classic 90s sound that's rooted firmly in the 90s but also timeless and modern at the same time. The lyrics aren't outstanding or that groundbreaking. I recognized some of the songs from the radio (Novacaine For The Soul) and the Shrek soundtrack ofc (My Beloved Monster). But they did have that - again - specific alt-rock/pop 90s quality that I love. Would've been 5 stars except for the awful album cover. I added several of these songs to my 90s playlist.
Sad but great
Listened Before? N This seems like one of those "love it or hate it" albums. The music itself is decent, but the weird art on the cover and strange themes throughout just kind of didn't do it for me. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Novocaine For The Soul
Better than expected!
I bought this when it came out and I still think it's excellent.
Warm, slightly off-kilter grooves built from fuzzy guitars, muted bass lines, simple drum patterns, and softly sandpapered vocals that hover between weary and wry move this alt-rock album like rummaging through a box of odd childhood trinkets—each song a small, crooked keepsake, a little sad, a little sweet, and strangely comforting even when its charm feels frayed at the edges.
I don’t like this at all. It’s like Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, and Tom Waits, but without any of the parts I like.
2000s Indie Rock. I love Eels. Interesting instrumentation, cooky vocals. Weird in a good way.
i didn’t think i’d like this but it was really good. i added four of the songs.
Beautiful, off-kilter pop .
Nice alt-rock, calm vocals and distorted instrumentals.
Not too bad
It was ok, there were a few good songs in there but the rest was a bit on the boring side.
Half the songs are great, half are just a bit meh.
Nothing stood out, felt very exploratory
Des morceaux marquants et une bonne diversité générale 4.5/5
Novacaine for the ears. Well put together, but not a whole lot to retain. Certainly not as good as some of their later work.
I might have had this album at one stage. Pretty good, had an interesting/unique sound back then. I still like it, but might not be the best Eels record. 3.5 rounded up Heard before? Yes Owned: No: 39/149 (26%) Will I get? Maybe
Pretty mediocre. Nothing on here that many other groups from the mid-90's weren't also doing.
Didn't like it. It wasn't unpleasant to the ear, but it was incredibly boring. If Wilco was a lot worse they would be Eels. 2.5/5
I like some Eels ok. not enough to put an album. very 2.5 star.
Album cover is so funny. Hard to get more 1996 than that. I like Eels just fine, there were a couple albums I got into over the years. Not sure I had ever heard this one in full. I enjoyed listening to it but am having a hard time finding much to say about it. I guess that’s a 3 star if there ever was one.
Quite liked this. Flower favourite track because of the backing vocal harmonies. I’d listen again
👀👀👀
I was previously only familiar with Novocaine for the Soul from this album. After listening to the entire album, I would say that is the best song on the album, but the album is fine outside of that. None of the tracks as a whole stood out too much, but there were lots of catchy hooks and melodies that kept things interesting. I would listen again.
edgy and boring
Some essential indie tracks of it's time. love the shrek soundtrack. love the gladys knight and the pips sampled song. Love the closer that was used in Futurama. Good band good band.
would've loved most of these songs when I hated myself
cover art makes me intensely uncomfortable and so does the music tbh. i love it
need to listen again. nothing really stood out but i wasn't paying too much attention
no
This is as good as an album as you can get with a front man that can't quite sing
No
I used to hate this cover as a kid. I ws definitely too young to appreciate Eels back when this came out but I quite enjoyed this in later life.
Eh, it was ok. I liked some of the songs, the rest was kind of dull. Very angsty.
This shit is bad. The vocals barely count as singing. The instrumentals are boring. The only thing I liked about the album was the piano melody in "Susan's House", and it turns out the band didn't even create it. They sampled the melody from another song called "Love Finds Its Own Way". The album cover is gross too.
10th album with group. Finally something that isn’t classic rock or classic rock adjacent. The singing is annoying me though. I wish they committed to one style. Good Songs - Novocaine for the Soul, Susan’s House, My Beloved Monster, and Manchild. Bad Songs - Rags to Rags, Beautiful Freak, Not Ready Yet, Flower, Guest List, Mental, Spunky, and Your Lucky Day in Hell.
aha merci alles glöscht. es isch sehr dark sehr ruhig sehr cute au. aber finds eig nume semi spannend. het meega öpis aber najaaa.
hahaha also s albumcover widerspieglet sicher mal de titel mmhhh okee ghör de post-grunge hahahah s isch na cool? hahaha HÄ und jz ischs loungemusig mit gsang?? er druckt d stimm schochli sehr fest für min gschmack DEFINITIV Z FEST DRUCK beautiful freak findi na cool, wenn auchli sehr fest chinder-/guetnachtliedli poaahh es isch so komisch, au not ready yet findi grundsätzlich eeecht geil aber glaub d stimm stört mich glaub chli? oder holt mich iwie usse? d giti findi riiichtig geil ok evt. chli obsessed mit not ready yet, muss mal im album wiiterlose ahh de classic quirky "random echli lärm mache" findi eifach chli wack de chor im hindergrund bi flower findi sehr cool ICH WETT AU ES WALKIETALKIE mit mental gahts wiedermal chli ab ich bin würkli überrascht wie guet ichs find hahaha chli trip-hop bi your lucky day in hell? isches sogar es sample? hmm denn leider doch echli seicht manchild isch na cute so als abschluss bin fest zwüsche 4 und 5, chanmi gad nöd entscheide s isch sehr kreativ, meistens ohni weg dem unnötig quirky oder pretentious z würke jaa hans nomal glost und es isch scho keis 5i. aber han eeecht spass gha, muss vlt mal meh lose vo ihne
3.5, rounded up
Surprised by this album, enjoyed it a lot
Had seen this memorable album cover before, but I never listened to the album itself. Pretty fun alternative rock. Reminds me a bit of Screaming Trees. Don't really remember much of this though. Will probably listen to it again sometime.
Accidentally listened to it on shuffle so had to listen to it again in order… Fortunately, I did enjoy it so it wasn’t a slog. This has a nice line in taking conventional songs and subverting them with a nice variety of instruments.
Some moments in this that really stick out, the lyrics at times (that must be be her sister, that must be her sister, right?) and changeup of tone and instruments in others. A solid piece of work with few lowlights. Was nice to revisit.
This was a big surprise and I enjoyed listening the album.
This is kinda lame. Extremely boring parts and then mediocre pop in others.
It’s not the best album by Eels (the follow up Electro Shock Blues is exceptional and brutal) but I think this gets the full 5 anyway
Very nirvana ish but good
Very angsty and a few good songs
It’s got the Shrek song and is an otherwise interesting album, lyrically and musically, and isn’t as terrible as its album cover suggested. But did I need to listen to it before I died? Nah.
Okay. Svarbios temos, tiesiog nebuvo labai įdomu.
having heard blinking lights and other revelations before this i can see a lot of that classic eels sort of grounded sorrow pouring thru this album
I knew, and liked a few Eels songs before this, but I was really shocked at how solid this was. Honestly, one of the better late '90s alt-rock/"post-grunge" albums I've ever heard. I actually enjoyed every song on at least some level: not bad for a "one hit wonder". The songs are full of pop-hooks, but they never try to trick you. This presents itself as a rock/indie album the whole way, and makes the hooks work by tethering them to understated palettes, conversational vocals, and a sort of approachable vibe. The lyrics are also deeply important here. I haven't decided if they *always* work, but I think they are generally compelling. Mark Oliver Everett is definitely shooting for a kind of bittersweet, even depressing vibe by focusing these songs on tragedy, mental health and more. And sometimes, it's a little clunky or even crude. I'm still not sure if the very first line of the album is great writing or terrible writing. But the way it comes together, even with some off lines, creates a larger picture of someone earnestly trying to connect, and explain themselves, and cope with the world: and the inelegance works in this context. Not the absolute greatest thing ever, but shockingly good, I loved this quite a lot, and even found it sort of weirdly relatable at times. (quick note, I'm more familiar with Electro-Shock Blues by Eels, which is an album I probably owe a revisit)
very interesting, definitely quite a range of influences, I feel like there's quite a lot of trip hop type stuff in here with the atmospheric synths and stuff and drum breaks. His voice is quite gravelly at times, but also very nice at times, both I guess are good for different reasons. There's one song which quite reminded me of Pavement, so I guess its very possible these guys were inspired by that. There's also quite a mix of singing styles, like more spoken word stuff, which I guess is interesting. Favourite songs: all but: guest list. Overall around 7/10
Mental was only good song
Slow, sad, a little boring. Rags to rags is the best song.
7/10 Novocaine for the soul tics this just over the line for 4 stars. 12-4-2025
This was a band that I didn’t catch back in the late 90s. Their first song Novacaine for the soul sounded really good. Really captured that 90s cake type of sound.
I did not enjoy this album at all. I found it a bit boring, tbh. I did finish it, but it definitely faded into the background the longer it went on
This was an interesting listen. I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it, but it was well worth my time to listen. It was unique enough to pique my interest and I respect it being on this list. But I’ll never come back to this album.
I thought I wasnt gonna like this after song one. Pleasantly surprised. Mental had a weird ending though. Good guitar, but the other instrument/sound was odd, especially to go from that into the piano on spunky.
For the first minute, I thought it was going to be a quite dull album for people who want to pretend they’re super indie and niche, but then it picked up. This is good, and I will definitely like it more after a few more listens. That said, I did find Mental a bit poorly written. A bit cringe. Sorry to anyone who relates to that one but it was way too surface level to work for me.
Catchy, dark, but preferred the upbeat moments. 3.5/5. Raising to a 4.
There are a few too many of these albums on the list. Records from the 90s that were pretty good in the 90s but where there is little reason for them to leave the 90s. That said, I quite enjoyed the album and there were 2 or 3 really decent tracks.
Mijn zusje had deze cd. Vage jarennegentigmuziek dus, beetje van het schoenenstaargenre, maar eigenlijk klinkt het best geinig. Best vaag en soms lijzig, maar het heeft enige power en het is muzikaal genoeg om een plaat lang te boeien.
Ik had Eels eigenlijk in de vergaarbak van de '90's rock gestopt en daarmee wat genegeerd. En ja, het heeft typisch dat geluid. Maar nu ik het nog eens krijg voorgeschoteld, merk ik dat het wel een erg sterke vertegenwoordiger is. De opbouw van de nummers is prettig, het album gaat bijna ongemerkt verschillende kanten op en er is een balans tussen krachtige muziek en een rustige uitstraling. Ik had nooit op de teksten gelet, waarschijnlijk omdat ik er door hun tijdgenoten vanuit ging dat het toch niet te verstaan zal zijn. Maar ze hebben ook nog eens wat te vermelden. Af en toe staat er een wat saaier nummer tussen. Maar in het algemeen lijkt werkelijk alles de aandacht van de band gekregen te hebben. 4,5 ster
Ik zit momenteel niet zo lekker qua albums, het bevalt me allemaal maar weinig. En dan is het toch lekker als je een alto-90s plaat krijgt. Eels heeft een fijne, zoetgevooisde stem. Het beatje is relaxt en af en toe zit er een prima gitaar in. Het was niet iets dat ik in die tijd vaak luisterde, het is iets te veel alto en te weinig rock naar mijn zin. Maar het luistert wel lekker weg en 90s muziek voelt als thuiskomen. Dus dat levert al snel een 3,5 op. Die ik deze keer naar boven afrond, want ik wil geen zure broeder zijn.
kind of creepy but I liked some of them
I remember the release. It was a strange album. Lots of falsetto
The nostalgia upon hearing this was immediate - so nice to hear some of these songs again, although admittedly little desire to go back afterwards. A strong 4 - varied, catchy and fun, without being lifechanging
I assumed I wouldnt really like it but I mesh with the album quite well and I enjoy it a lot, a few songs will be added to my mix
3.75
Love the quirky- ness. I like his voice mostly but sometimes it's like he's underwater or something.
Would be better if his voice wasn’t annoying
Ok'ish
That'll do, Eels, that'll do. 3/5
Best Track - "Novocaine For The Soul"
A good reminder about judging a book by its cover
Enjoyed it more than I thought I would! Sounds better than the cover looks. Still had a few stinkers, but decent otherwise.
actually thought this one was pretty interesting, and that's even before i realized they had a song on the shrek soundtrack.
i don't care for the album art, but the music rocks. this is the exact kind of sorta-weird 90s alt rock that i've always been a fan of. this is great for a debut and it has that song from shrek B) - makes sense since this is apparently the first album released by dreamworks' record label? interesting. favorites: novocaine for the soul, susan's house, rags to rags, beautiful freak, my beloved monster
The music isn't bad, but these guys had to be a drag to have around, right?
paar ganz gute lieder dabei, paar mit denen ich nichts anfangen kann
Listening to a lot more music lately I didnt realize how unique this actually is. One of a kind sound.
It made no impression whatsoever.
No argument here. There are other Eels albums that I like a bit more, but this is an obvious entry point for those unfamiliar with E's work.
If memory serves me correctly, Eels played the loudest show in Beachland history
Very nearly a 5. Everything I love about 90s alt music on one album.
Makes me want to listen to Wilco
"Life is hard, and so am I." Words to live by.
Bit of a mixed bag of an album for me. Hard to say anything bad about it but nothing that I really liked. Wouldn’t call it a boring album either. I guess it’s just got me a bit perplexed?
Moody and odd. Very 90s. Hit me on the perfect day.
Admittedly biased rating... I listened to this album a bunch back in the day, but haven't listened to it in prob 20 years. And dammit, it holds up beautifully. Novocaine for the Soul is one of the most underrated 90's hits. And the rest of the album is awesome.
I know I've listened to Eels before. They're an alternative rock band with elements of trip hop in their sound, fronted by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Oliver Everett. Having established himself under the stage name E, Mark formed the band with drummer Jonathan "Butch" Norton and bassist Tommy Walter. They ended up being one of the first acts signed to the now-defunct DreamWorks Records, meaning there's a good chance you've heard them before in soundtracks for films like American Beauty and Shrek. As for their debut record, Beautiful Freak is very much what it says on the tin, epitomized by the little girl with enlarged eyes on the album artwork. It's a quirky, weird slice of post-grunge with samples, pop-adjacent melodies, and the occasional noise, complete with Mark's fried vocal delivery as he sang about depression, loneliness, unrequited love, and other such emotional and mental complexities. It may seem a tad repetitive in the lyrical themes, but I consider Mark's words to come from a genuine place. I would say this is another debut record that shows potential in the songwriting and construction, but could use a little more refinement in the hooks and more standout moments from the band personnel. I consider Beautiful Freak to be a weirdly pleasant album. I know that the band members will continue to rotate over the years, leaving Mark as the sole original member in the Eels lineup. But even if it's just Mark from here on out, he's shown enough passion and talent to do something great with his music.
Great listen. Multiple radio hits. Cool mellow vibes with a melancholy under current.
34/1001 First listen. Wish the rest of the album sounded as good as the first song. 3 plays and can’t think of anything else to add. Meh. 4/10
7.5/10 3/5
In 1996 I bought 'Novacaine For The Soul' on CD single; remember them? I didn't buy the album, but perhaps I could sense that it might have been a disappointment, and so it came to pass some 30 years on, that after track 1, it's all a bit mediocre. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (5/10)
I've always been a fan of Eels and its founder and one constant member, Mark Oliver Everett. This is a great album and his songwriting is a great example of dark lyrics set to beautiful pop constructions. So many good songs on here and there really isn't a dud on it. Jon Brion's production really elevates it and gives it a distinctive sound. Sad sack odes to LA living never sounded so good.
I like Shrek as much as the next guy, but Mark Everett deserves to be known as much more than the Shrek guy. Eels are great, and this is one of their best, behind only Blinking Lights for me. The fuzzy and explosive guitar complements his voice so well, but the lyrics are the highlight here. He's a terrific lyricist, writing songs that are vivid, sometimes humorous, sometimes just bleak, but also really down to earth, accessible and human.
Melancholic, sometimes depressing, some other sunk in happy sandness.
Really casual feeling but also really carefully put together.
Records from the 90s have noticeably better production than those from the 80s. This is a good example. The songs themselves are rather monotonous and solipistic. The first and last tracks were the standouts for me.
It's pleasant enough but not very interesting. And again, I question whether it's "important" or "influential".
Boring 90s music.
Hate this album art but honestly enjoy this album greatly :3
This is one of those cases where I thought I loved a band but had mostly only heard their singles, and the rest of the album just doesn't excite me that much. It's not bad, I just clearly prefer their sound in small doses.
I really enjoyed this, worth another listen I think
3.1 2x in Heathrow awaiting boarding to Berlin
This album was really good, I listened in the shower though so I need to give it a relisten.
Meh , odd and depressing
Meh, can’t say I liked this or the album cover
A fan of this album when it came out. Relistened. Enjoyed it again
Very reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem sonically, which is a plus for me. Apparently the lyrics are deep and dreary, so I might need to revisit this with a closer listen sometime.
Loved novocaine back in the day. Rest of the album is pretty good too.
I actually own this album, but I don't think I've listened to it since the 90s. It actually holds up really well! A very good album!
A real head scratcher of an album in that I can't figure out why this album would be included in a collection like this. Its a generic and underwhelming slab of 90s rock and I could think of several albums that should replace it in this collection.
Love this album
Yeah, I like this! Oddly enough, I'd just heard this for the first time about a month ago. Somebody told me that I'd like them based on some bands I said I liked. I thought it was Ok, but nothing worth coming back to. Then when it popped up here and I listened again, I guess the familiarity I'd already had made it seem much better. Long way to say that if you didn't love it, you might want to come back to it and try again. It definitely grew on me! It's good just pre-grunge or grunge-adjacent indie (for the time) rock. Not that goofy, jangly indie that came about 10 years later. At first I didn't love the guy's voice. No good reason. He's not particularly whiney or anything. Just didn't grab me, but again, upon repeated listening, it's interesting. Some strange musical structures and funky lyrics. This is a good album. Added some songs "Novacaine" "Susan's House" and "Lucky day in Hell" to some playlists and saved the album. Quite good. Say 4.5 but I gotta round down. 5's are pretty hard to come by from this guy and it's not groundbreaking enough.
I don't know what to say about this album. I liked it out of the gate and it just rocks for me. 3/5
I do like a lot of more experimental, story telling albums this one specifically isn't my taste HOWEVER I do like a bunch of the beats and bass lines, though simplistic in nature i do appreciate the simplicity. That being said the album Isn't one of my favorites. Not Ready Yet truly stuck out to me and resonated with who i am and identify as. Favorite track: Not Ready Yet (single handedly saved the album for me ngl) HM: My Beloved Monster & Manchild
Big Eye Alien Girl isn't real, it can't hurt you
The album cover sucks. Don’t worry about it. This is a really great album all around. Favorites are definitely novocaine for the soul, my beloved monster, susans house.
I liked this more than I expected to, but I didn’t love it. I liked “Not Ready Yet”.
Started out kind of liking it, but just medium for me. Not bad, but too into it.
This album has zero dynamics. I suppose it has an audience somewhere, just not here.
Novocaine for the Soul fue un trallazo que sirivió para descubrir a Mark Everett. En esa época estaba al nivel de Beck, Manic Street Preachers, Garbage o Suede, por delante aún de Radiohead. Luego publicaron el igualmente exquisito Electro-Shock Blues, que incomprensiblemente tuvo menor éxito. Mr E. no es un cualquiera, un tipo formado intelectualmente y con talento para la melodía y para las letras, de hecho ha publicado varios libros con éxito. Hasta Souljacker se le siguió bastante bien la pista, luego a pesar de publicar con bastante regularidad ha venido a menos, aunque no por falta de calidad. De este debut, destacan los sencillos Novocaine for the Soul y Susan's house, que es un maravilla de canción. Suena muy bien, como acertadamente indica la crítica, se trata de una mezcla de Sparklehorse y Beck de la que tomaron nota Wilco que siguieron sus pasos (basta escuchar Guest Light). Entre la delicadeza de Beautiful Freak o Spunky y la electricidad de Not ready yet, a las que se puede unir la experimentación de My beloved monster o la Flower. ¿Grande? Enorme. No es poco para un tipo que esquivó el destino de morir de forma repentina y tan absurda como el resto de su linaje.
Hey ya know what I wasn’t expecting too much from this. I figured it wouldn’t be awful, but basically just another average mid90s alt rock album. But this is kinda lovely and wonderful and actually made me feel things! Quiet, thoughtful, funny and odd and introspective lyrics. The music zigs and zags in interesting ways without sacrificing melody and catchy hooks and listenability. I listened to it three times through almost trying to like it less, but I can’t. I have no issues with this. And when I don’t have any issues with an album, I think it’s gotta be five stars.
Weird cover. Album wasn't bad. Didn't really retain anything, but it sounded good. 3/5 Probably won't listen again
Me encanto
7.5
really wish listening to this album didn’t happen to me
where's the freak?????