Reviews (page 6 of 9)
The album cover is definitely one of those things Album is fine though
Liked the vibes, hated the album cover, didnt absolutely love the lyrics. Pretty split about this album.
Wasn't really impressed. Feels '90s in a corny and dated way. This schlock definitely belongs in like some Miramax romantic comedy from 1997 or something. I have a soft spot for that hence the 3 but it's not actually good.
Helt bra album med vissa memorable sånger och stunder
"Life is hard, and so am I." , that part about the 17 year old pushing a baby carriage, the mind-numbing repetition on "Beautiful Freak" - the lyrics, in places, have the feel of something scribbled in a notebook while the author was in middle school. Still, I listened to it all twice and never skipped a song. Guess it's not all bad.
Ágætt. Ekkert sláandi að neinu leyti en alveg kósý. Fín vinnutónlist en ekki mikið meira en það imo.
Good album, not a fan of all the tracks. Some iconic tracks on there I didn’t realise was the eels.
It's ok. Not a huge fan of the Eels sound, but overall it's a decent album.
Nice album. Catchy tunes and some storytelling that makes for some memorable lyrics. Very 90s musically though.
I find The Eels similar to Beck or Billy Bragg in that I always anticipate not knowing any songs, but a couple turn out to be surprisingly recognizable. In this case it was Susan’s House, which I added to playlist of favourites. The album overall certainly isn't spectacular, but I didn't mind it.
Perfectly solid, light emo. Songs are alright, music is good.
The vocal performance is a little grating by the end of the album. Good dynamic range, a couple of good songs
Some interesting musical ideas on this. Some of them worked, some of them didn't (RE: ukulele). The hushed singing (which has unfortunately become prevalent these days) may have been interesting at the time, but is nevertheless terrible - just as it is today. 2.5/5.0: Mixed
this one is a mixed bag. one great song, a few more good ones and the rest are best left in the 90s. the vocal delivery on the first track reminded me of len's steal my sunshine which came out a few years after this.
Kinda into this. Weird in a good way. Bit catchy.
Recognised a few of these tracks but don't think I've had much of experience if Eels, only vaguely recognise the name. Didn't mind it, was a bit Beck-ish. Some tracks were a lot better than others but overall still enjoyed it.
Another band that I knew of when I was younger but was never into. I knew the opening track, but unfortunately I was a bit disappointed by the rest. Thought it would be more up my street than it was. Might give it another go but 3 for now
I hate this cover so much.
Not my cup of tea
Susan's House is pretty amazing when you think about it. About as bleak as you can get lyrics and tone in the verse (apart from the young mother being 17, rather than 14 - which would make the lyric work), before the schmaltzy 80s/early 90s US drama jingle breaks in, going over to Susan's House it's all gonna be alright. I can't believe they played that on the radio all the time. Found out that piano bit is Gladys Knight. Feel bad calling it schmaltz but that's the effect of its use here. Novocaine for the Soul is a banger of a hit. I don't know any of the rest as for some reason I never got the record. I went out with someone once who absolutely loved Eels, and I'm aware he had lots of albums that were rated, and that one where he's dressed as the Unabomber, but it didn't last long enough for me to really get I to them. I don't even recognise 'the Shrek song' and I must have seen that more than once. Anyway, really good. Always planned to listen to some Eels records. Maybe I will. This record definitely loses momentum as it goes on (Lucky Day in Hell is good though), I'm going to listen to Soul jacker.
I wasn’t listening to this in 96. My 2nd kid was born that year, and I was spinning Raffi and the Wiggles. No that was a good fucking year for music!
I’m aware this is a band but it sounds like it’s made by one dude in his basement who has never seen daylight. Beautiful freak is probably about the poor prisoner he has in his basement.. Good album though. 3.5
This had some decent songs on it. But I really thought I would like it more than I did
It had a pleasant jingly fairytale feel but mostly forgettable. I didn't find it very engaging. It was fine.
Not bad, but not great. Had not heard of the Eels before "Fresh Blood" was used for the intro of "The Jinx". One of the best series intros of all time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAST6SgLmQg
I bought this when it came out, but I don't think i ever listened to it beyond 1996; I quickly tired of it. It's not that bad in retrospect, but it sounds quintessentially 90s.
Alternative rock that really is alternative, it's out there but in a good way.
Meh
Here's an album from a band I thought I had never heard before. I didn't really know what to expect with Beautiful Freak, the 1996 album debut album from the LA rock band Eels. Fortunately, what I got was pretty good! I like this album. It's nice. It's a fairly modern-sounding album as far as alt-rock is concerned. I enjoy it. The instrumentation is pleasant. The singing and writing courtesy of the band's front man and mastermind Mark Oliver Everett, otherwise known as E, is pretty good as well. Now I'm thinking about that weird "E" meme from like 2018. You know, the one that had that edited image of Markiplier and Lord Farquaad from Shrek fused together. Speaking of Shrek, you know how I said I "thought" I had never heard anything from Eels before. Well, as it turns out, I was wrong. I've heard one of the songs from this album plenty of times, and it's all because the song "My Beloved Monster" was included in Shrek, a movie that I have seen more times than I can count. I had a bit of a Shrek phase around late 2019-2020 or so. It's pretty weird that I got this one right after that Tom Waits album with the song from Robots (2005) in it considering both Robots (2005) and Shrek are movies that dominated my life during different points in my childhood. Well, okay, I don't know if Robots (2005) dominated my life at any point, but Shrek certainly did. I'm well past that phase of my life, but I still thoroughly enjoy that original movie. Oh yeah, the song is pretty good, as is the rest of the album. Good job Eels. High 3/5.
I don't get the appeal for this kind of albums, but again I don't get most of the Alternative Rock movement anyway. Still, the songs are pretty well executed and the overall feeling is nice.
While many songs remain forgettable stuff, I really loved the melancholic and introspective aspect of this album, it's overall very cohesive and well done.
It was alright I enjoyed the different sounding rifts throughout the album
3/4
Nothing really memorable about this album feels a bit distant and clean.
A little too much of a downer.
"60/100" - Alexander.
Interesting and fun
somewhat reminiscent of deathmetal by panchiko
I feel strange about this album. On paper, I feel like it's something I SHOULD like. I mean, there's some legitimately good songwriting here. And there are a lot of legitimately interesting elements that I like. The jazzy rhythm section in "Novocaine for the Soul" that abruptly shifts, the strings in a handful of songs that are used tastefully and not heavy-handedly, the jazzy piano in "Susan's House", the weird fuzzy guitar-mixed-with-vocals solo in "My Beloved Monster", the choir in "Flower". When I listen to these things, I really like them. Why, then, when I step back, am I filled with ambivalence about this album? I don't know. I really don't. It's a good album. It does not speak to me. I think it should. It does not. Perhaps, ironically, it's Novocaine for my soul. Fav tracks: Susan's House, Rags to Rags, Flower, Your Lucky Day in Hell
2.83
Freak indeed
Better than the terrible album cover would suggest but not by much.
It's alright, might hit harder on another listen Will I listen to again: 30%
Aika mid alt rokkia. Instrut on ihan kivoja mutta laulu ei oikein nappaa. Parhaat: Rags to Rags, Beautiful Freak, Your Lucky Day In Hell
is somebody gonna match my beautiful freak 3.5
Great singles. Dip in the middle.
Front loaded. Good nonetheless
Eels brings something new to late nineties alternative rock. The best I can do is "intellectual," but that's not quite it. Smart, for sure. Both lyrically and musically, there are surprising twists, sourness, and a droll flavor reminiscent of Cake. Odd and interesting with a cool new approach to the status quo. Not for everyone, but if you're in the mood for a little more to think about, Eels' Beautiful Freak will entertain.
Meh
Now that I think about it, I think I did own this CD at one point. It was recommended to me by a friend. Very good.
A pretty good album, I liked Novocaine For The Soul, My Beloved Monster and Guest Lost the most.
the songs are obviously and unapologetically personal. which makes them pretty universal. you have to appreciate that and i do. the music just didn’t always do it for me and i didn’t love the voice. not a bad listen by any means though
Hljóðheimurinn er næs, röddin aðeins tilgerðarleg en sleppur, lögin hér fín en ekkert er sérstaklega eftirminnilegt. Eels er líklega bara "best of band" fyrir mig, en þetta er fínn þristur.
went through it a couple of times and it was average pretty forgettable however the tracks were cool in someway
Cool
Another surprising album that I didn't know. Perhaps not the most diversity among songs, but good melodies.
3/5
very cool
This album was fun. Their singer's voice took me a long time to get used to, but I did like how their guitar parts sounded very...space-y. Some songs were really not my vibe and others were fun. Also, I think the song "My Beloved Monster" was in Shrek lol. Liked Songs: "Novocaine For The Soul" , "Rags To Rags" , "My Beloved Monster" , "Guest List" , "Mental" , "Manchild"
I don't love it, I don't hate it. Fairly generic mid 90's indie pop rock. Feel they try hard to be unique but really don't lift themselves above other bands at the time. However it does say something about music at this time that even average bands made historically above average music.
A couple of good songs, but mostly sounds like B-tier Beck. 3 stars.
Rock, I guess
Interesting listen 3/5
I need to know more about Lola’s violent past.
Eels is cult Friday Five artiest. Staat 12 (!) keer in de lijst der lijsten! 3x zette jij er een nummertje in, 9x ikzelf. Eels behoort al lang tot mijn favoriete artiesten uit de zeroes. En debuutplaat Beautiful Freak (1996 weliswaar) is natuurlijk een klassieker. Echter zit de kwaliteit van Eels echt verspreid over zijn gehele repertoire. Geen enkele plaat stijgt er voor mij ver bovenuit (zie je ook terug in de FF nominaties). Beautiful Freak begint heel tof, met de hoogtepunten van de plaat, maar is niet over de volle breedte van topniveau. Ach, hij zou later nog veel goeds afleveren, dus dat is gezegend. Eels being Eels zijn voor mij de hoogtepunten. Hij heeft toch een unieke sound weten neer te zetten. Een combinatie van zijn stem, lyrics en wat gekke muzikale dingen. Susan's House is wat mij betreft tekenend. Catchy en mysterieus ineen. 7,5/10 Highlights Novacaine for the Soul Susan's House Not Ready Yet
“Not Ready Yet” is a great tune
The whole album being introduced with "Life is hard, and so am I" was great, it really set the standard really high. Overall, it was a nice album to listen to in the background while you're doing something else. Definitely more thought has gone into these songs than some of the other albums that we get on here. The album artwork is a bit weird but that's okay.
To get over with the 90ies Beck comparison: this didn't click with me in '96, it doesn't now. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the more I listened to the album, the more these words formed under my fingers: mopey, languid. A damp cloth. Weirdly cold.
Pop as heck but quirky and original enough sounding to make me smile. 3 stars
Novocaine For The Soul // Beautiful Freak // Not Ready Yet // My Beloved Monster //
I kind of liked this and I’m not sure why. Depressing sounding, but also interesting. 3.5/5
Favorite Track: My Beloved Monster
fake beck does a rock album 2,5 para mi
Media estrella más, me gustó
Good but not great. One of many "7 out of 10" albums that are very much worth listening to, but there's so many of those, so as usual rounding down.
Not bad. 90s totally.
"Life is so full of unpredictable beauty and strange surprises. Sometimes that beauty is too much for me to handle. Do you know that feeling? When something is just too beautiful? When someone says something or writes something or plays something that moves you to the point of tears, maybe even changes you." Mark Oliver Everett - Things The Grandchildren Should Know In a nutshell: warts and all. It's good but E's best is yet to come. I'd start with Daisies of the Galaxy and Electro-Shock Blues first. Overall: 6/10
Bien eels sin mas
Not as awful as I thought it may be. Torn between 2 and 3. Feeling generous.
I didn't love this at first listen but it grew on me. There are some really beautiful tracks on here and it just encapsulates 1996 alt energy so well. Felt like a mix of Flaming Lips, Eliott Smith, and Beck all rolling around. I might listen again, 2.8/5 Listening notes: Not familiar with this band or album at all. Alright starting a little creepy. Oh yeah this is big 1996 energy, sounds like early Flaming Lips. "Beautiful Freak" is really pretty. Ending with Manchild giving some pretty Elliott Smith energy. Fun to learn Jon Brion helped produce this.
What a horrible album cover! Had really low expectaitions but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Sure the lyrics are pretty self-idulgent and dramatic, really not a fan of the spoken word, but the general feel of it was quite nice. Somerwhere between a 2 and 3. Giving it a (very weak) 3.
Kind of weird? I'm still wondering if I liked it or not
It's decent. You can tell this is from the 90s. A solid 90s alt rock album, but I probably wouldn't listen to it again.
Today I found out the piano in Susan’s house is sampled for Pez and 360’s Festival song interesting. The first half of this album is better than the second half
Nothing really notable except for the one song that was in Shrek.
More music I have zero opinion on except Pez stole Susan's house for Festival Song but that's all right, but then again I feel like these guys didn't write it either.
Was kinda like a lesser Beck. Wasn’t bad but nothing too much stood out Except for the surprise shrek song
I got a lot to say about this album *First two tracks sounded fantastic, pulled me in right off the bat, really high hopes for the rest of it *Third kinda falls apart a bit and by track four it feels like I’m listening to a song with no context. It sounded like all the instruments had a purpose but slowly it faded to the point where they were just making sounds for the hell of it. * Sporadically you see flash’s in the pan but nothing like the first two tracks until you get to your lucky day in hell, the penultimate song. The instruments have found their role again and the song has a nice motion of the ocean and is a nice segue to manchild. *Tonally this track nails it in terms of concluding the journey that is this album. The samples of the conversations and the slow progression of the song push all the right buttons in my brain to at least give me a somewhat happy, if not melancholic ending to the session. You’d think writing out my life story would result in a good rating but, at the end of the day, half of the songs, really, were kinda shit.
A generous 3, why is this on the list?
-not bad but not too many of the songs really stood out to me. I like the cool effects (samplings? idk?) though, and Guest List is a very very beautiful song. I wouldn’t really define any of the songs as “bad” though so that’s a win -Favorites are Beautiful Freak, Guest List, and Your Lucky Day In Hell
Good mid 1990s stuff. Nothing groundbreaking. But still fun. Opening song is great. 3.75
The at time trite high school notebook scribble lyrics prevent this from being a 4
Tim: "That guy's a bucket of cheer." Other than the depression, the music is pretty standard '90s indie rock, not bad but not great.
Really interesting indie band that I'm probably never going to come back to
"Novocaine For The Soul" is a classic banger. The rest is good enough too. That cover is creepy as fuck though.
Indie emo band, it was ok. I thought I'd like it more since I was enjoying the more garage rock vibe, but it just didn't click with me. My favorites are Novacoaine for the Soul, Mental, and Your Lucky Day in Hell.
this was a weird album - at times it reminded me a bit of nirvana but other tracks were just meh 2.5 rounded up
V good
This is just a rock album that is good at what it does. Nothing bad about it, but also nothing truly amazing. 3/5
First listen. Decent.
Eels has some good songs, I like quite a few of there songs. However, I find them to be tiring for a whole album. Eels for me is great for a song here and there but it’s too samey when you listen to an hours worth.
Been awhile since I listened all the way through. Still solid.
Beautiful Freak starts very Cake-y. Slow spoken word stuff didn’t work for me. But the album slowly gets going. Rags to Rags gets it’s going and by Not Ready Yet we are fully there. This album is a grower 7.5/10
Those eyes on the cover say early Photoshop and the music says mid-to-late 1990s which all aligns. The singing has a little Cracker throatiness to it that I can appreciate. Some of the tracks are more of their time than others but overall the album is a solid slice of "alternative" pop / rock.
Takes you across to a strange melancholy
I'm rating this a 3, but at the same time, I want to hear more by the band. Really good music, but it can get too mellow.
Primo pensiero è stato un 2 ma ci sono abbastanza canzoni interessanti da salvarlo, nel complesso però forse è poco memorabile. Nel mio cuore hanno punti bonus perché hanno fatto canzoni per le colonne sonore di Shrek
Freakishly good
Feels like a product of it's time, but solid album overall.
Yeah that was a really pleasant song, all 12 of it.
“Novocaine for the Soul” is familiar, and while it’s not great, I like the slight trip hop feel injected into a rock song. That continues on “Susan’s House,” but it fades away after that in favor of some pretty tame and forgettable mid-90s alt rock.
Even though I enjoyed hearing this album, I’m not going to remember it after today. Amongst the grungier, harder popular alternative sounds of the 1990s (Nirvana, Pear Jam, and Green Day for example) Eels came along with an interesting, lighter, unique sound. I can understand how the mid 90s backdrop helped this album standout, but I feel like it doesn’t stand up.
Nice album
2.8 Ok album. Some of the songs felt unfinished.
It was a decent album overall. Nothing to write home about though.
Interesting album, strange album. Might listen to it again, might not.
I never really took into account how deeply the Shrek soundtrack has warped my mind, almost snapped my neck when I heard that guitar breakdown. The rest of the album was solid too
Possibly about the most average record I’ve ever heard
A beautiful freak of an album.
Noteworthy songs - 808080808 Magical Dream - Kinda catchy synth, but the rest is bland. Ancodia - Good background noise. Cobra Bora - Actually kind of cool, reminds me of Bomberman Hero. Pacific 202 - N64 vibes, but melody isn't great. Donkey Doctor - Nothing too special, weird ending. 808080808 - Really cool beginning. A little slow in the middle but stays interesting enough. Sunrise - Nothing remarkable. The Fat Shadow - Eerie. Very short.
Some interesting ideas. Didn’t ultimately stick with me.
Nice enough, got a bit bored but ok
Haven’t listened to this for years , sounds of the time , but still a good album with just a few tracks holding it back .
Better than I expected.
Really liked this album
The first track Novocaine for the soul took me back to the mid-90s. But, the rest of the album was boring.
in my opinion, this album is so much stronger on the second half. from 'My Beloved Monster' (shout out Shrek love scene montage) on, i actually really enjoyed this. the slowed down, more melodic tracks. i think this is a solid 3. good tracks, but would have to be in a certain mood to come back to.
It‘s okay…but nothing incredible
I remember being fascinated by this album cover when I was a little girl looking through my dad’s music collection. Enjoyed but not a top album for me.
OK 90s music with freaky eyes
góðir sprettir. gaman að þessu. 3,5.
I like Eels songs individually usually, but I always lose interest trying to listen to a whole album. Same thing here; first few tracks hold my attention but I was quickly wanting to move on to something else. So I don't think I'd revisit this as a whole often, but in bits and pieces it's pretty good.
Eh. It was fine. I've heard it before, and it still doesn't do a lot for me. I don't care much for his singing, and his lyrics are weird. Some of the compositions are cool though. 2.75/5
I have a friend who traveled to Germany just for an Eels show, but I’ve never listened to them before. Sorry Steven, but they’re just alright. I love good 90s alt, and it’s decent stuff, but not world-traveling good. C
Some okay. Some not so much.
A strong and fun 90s alt rock album even if nothing too much stands out from its contemporaries. The Flaming Lips influence is pretty strong, and there are elements of Beck as well - both of whom are great and it doesn’t quite reach their heights
After the first song I barely realized it was on
a quanto pare contiene una canzone di Shrek. fun fact. per il resto, un bell'album anni '90, che non sono proprio il mio decennio preferito. però carino.
Primo pensiero è stato un 2 ma ci sono abbastanza canzoni interessanti da salvarlo, nel complesso però forse è poco memorabile. Nel mio cuore hanno punti bonus perché hanno fatto canzoni per le colonne sonore di Shrek
Eels debut puts catchy rock/pop with often despairing sweary lyrics and it does a bit of that Pixies loud quiet thing. Good stuff.
This one is a solid 3.5. If I'd heard it when it came out it would probably be an easy 4, but hearing it for the first time in 2024 makes me lean closer to a 3. Really solid 90's pop rock and an enjoyable if unremarkable listen.
It was nice to visit an old friend. But I remember why I moved on. It is fine, but repetitive.
A better headphone listen than a car listen, so I definitely enjoyed it more on my second listen. The writing is strong, it’s got some heaviness, it’s emotional and clever. My hangup with Beautiful Freak is with the vocals, the delivery is a bit too talky at times. I found Susan’s House to be particularly annoying. There are some strong tracks and the delivery can work at times, I thought Flower was a good song. Kinda reminded me of Beck in the sense that it’s both good and annoying. Ah I don’t know I’m giving a cowardly 3.5 stars
I never listened to this album because the cover gives me the heebie jeebies. Which is a shame because the music is solid 3 maybe even a 4.
This was also fine. A bit of a run of mediocre albums this week
Geht so .... Interessant aber nicht sehr abwechslungsreich
Feel like this was trying very hard to be quirky, wasn’t terrible but it just felt a bit off, 6/10
Nice. I enjoyed the style.
Starts off promising with refreshing but typical 90s indie/alt-rock, but then fades into this mediocrity and settles for it. Nothing bad, but it kind of just washes over you.
Quite enjoyed this. This kind of music somewhat passed me by in the 90’s but there is something nostalgic about it.
Not for me I would say. Clearly doing its thing, just bored me to tears.
‘Novocaine For The Soul’ and ‘Susan’s House’ got a lot of radio airplay locally in my hood during the mid-90s, and it’s nice to hear these songs again. Of the rest of the tracks ‘Mental’ is a standout as is ‘Guest List’ and ‘Your Lucky Day In Hell’. Q Magazine (apparently) described this album as a mix of the following (and I quote) “Beck’s Odelay rhythms, The Beatles songwriting maturity, Sparklehorse’s simple production and Brian Wilson’s visionary editing arrangements” It’s none of these, but its solid, sturdy, whiny alt-rock from the mid-90s that still goes OK today.
A pretty enjoyable listen. More so on the front end than the back where I thought the album was a little tired. Overuse of sampling and occasional F-bomb drops I think make this venture slightly into pretentious land, but that was probably a sign of the 90s time.
#1 sehr bekannt. Kann man anhören.
My Beloved Monster is still lovely, and the high point of this album for me. I like his voice, but the overall mood is pretty bleak. (I think I remember it was about his sister’s suicide.) A difficult listen.
I’ve only ever heard novocaine for the soul and if you ask me about this album in a week and a half I will probably say that I only remember novocaine for the soul. The rest was decent 90s alt but really nothing to write home about.
I like My Beloved Monster, I kind of like Guest List
B Novocaine For The Soul 4 Susan's House 3 Rags To Rags 3 Beautiful Freak 3 Not Ready Yet 3 My Beloved Monster 4 Flower 3 Guest List 3 Mental 4 Spunky 3 Your Lucky Day In Hell 4 Manchild 3 This was good. Much better than expected.
Было интересно, но не зацепило с первого раза. Может стоит дать второй шанс в другой раз. Лучше, чем Оазис для меня. 3,5
The 3 songs I knew are crackers but the rest left m a bit cold tbh. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood
I’m not sure how I stumbled onto the Eels but I did and I’m thankful. I don’t know where to classify the Eels and I don’t know what most of their songs are supposed to be about but I dig it. I wouldn’t give them 5 stars for any album or song but I don’t think they could ever fail. This album keeps you moving and could be the soundtrack for any low key event you may be a part of. Choice cut: Manchild
Kinda weird but not bad
Pretty cool alt/indie rock. Not the best album of its era but an enjoyable listen.
at first i was like "ugh this is so annoying" but then i was like, "i wish more men should process their feelings, like this" this band being in shrek, shrek 2 AND shrek 3 ANDDDD the grinch movie with Jim Carey is iconic favorites: novacaine for the soul, your lucky day in hell
I liked. Way ahead of its time as far as indie/emo rock is concerned.
It was not what I was expecting from the cover, but it was a pleasant surprise. It's not really a big fave, but nothing heinous either. I liked the music a lot more than I liked the lyrics.
Well would you look at that, another generic sounding nothing special album from the 90s. The sad thing is, is that this is actually one of the best albums I've got so far from this decade. Which is really annoying because it reinforces this idea that my dad and people of his generation have that the 90s is the decade that music stopped being good, and after the year 1989 it was all downhill. Which I know is obviously not the case, but the selection of 90s albums I have received so far isn't helping me prove that point. I definitely can't point to anything specific to call bad in this album, but it is very generic. As far as 90s indie pop rock goes, this is actually a decent album, and even though I accuse it of being generic, it still has a charm to it that makes me like it more than I feel like I should. I can't give this album more than a 3 because it's so generic, but it's a generic 90s album in the same way that In Rainbows is a generic Radiohead album. Very typical of that sound and style, but it's a good sound and style to begin with, so generic is still pretty good.
Lol, the Shrek band. Pretty decent; don't know if I'd say I loved any of it, but far from disliked. Top tracks: Beautiful Freak, Guest List, Your Lucky Day in Hell
Surprised that I liked it. Much more mellow than I expected.
Some kind of alternative I guess. Interesting at times, I like this.
This was much better than I expected but still feels generic to me. The theremin was a fun touch, but not stellar by any means. They know how to spin a good track but it doesn't really feel any better than the sum of it's parts. I agree this is a good album, but not sure why it's one of the 1001 albums I need to hear. Best tracks: Susan's House, My Beloved Monster, Novocaine for the Soul
I like the dynamics on the first two tracks, songs segue from section to section elegantly. It’s kinda downhill from there for me though. Fave Tracks: Novocaine for the Soul, Susan’s House, Your Lucky Day in Hell 2.9/5
some nice jams on this record. overall a solid rock album
Like Jesus and his lawyers are coming back
This album was okay, nothing too spectacular. Just a standard alternative rock album from the mid-90s. I am not familiar with the Eels, but I do like the lead singers voice. I highly recommend listening to this album, even if you are not a fan of alt-rock. Favorite Song(s): "Novocaine For The Soul", "Rags To Rags", "My Beloved Monster", "Your Lucky Day In Hell"
Never heard of these guys before. It’s a definite vibe - I came in and out of enjoying it, even within one song. The riff in Susan’s House was sampled by Atmosphere (Yesterday). Never realized that was a sample until now. Ah, and that song from Shrek “My Beloved Monster” sort of stood out as a different style. The more I listened to the album, the more I appreciated it. Quite a variety of different styles in the end. Definitely enjoyable overall.
I came in expecting to hate it, especially after real bad vibes from the cover art. I mean come on. I get the name of your album is beautiful freak but u don’t have to creep me the fuck out. But alas, it actually turned out much better than i expected, especially in the second half of the album. I guess albums, like ogres, can sometimes be like an onion.
Very appropriate title. Beautiful. Freaky. But overall pretty good.
Some really good songs, some ok songs. A lot of the songs seem very one note. I've always liked Novocaine for the soul and the Shrek song.
Slightly pretentious lyrics. Decent pop album. Nothing really stands out. It’s just there and fine.
I probably like this album more than you do. It picks up a bit on side B after some twists and turns.
The whole album/musical style has a warm sense of familiarity to it. Will definitely check outmore of their albums.
Quite fun
There are some definite highs on this album. My Beloved Monster is a great track, and has some good nostalgia factor from Shrek. But much of the album was just pretty average. It wasn't bad, but not something I'm planning to return to.
I guess if the 1,001 list is trying to capture the transition of 90's rock from grunge to more straight-ahead alternative rock (or back to pre-grunge indie rock like REM and the Replacements), this album fits and the timing in 1996 is right. But this album is average at best. Eels also sound like so many other bands of that era, either in vocals and/or softer rock tempos (the Toadies, Marcy Playground, Vertical Horizon, Tonic, The Verve Pipe, Fastball). I'm not convinced that these guys blazed the trail for others and like most of these other bands, these guys had one or two hits, not necessarily on the same album (go check out Eels Mr. E's Beautiful Blues from their 2000 album or Souljacker Part I from their 2001 album). Other than Novocaine for the Soul, which is solid, I don't know a single song off this album and don't think there's anything else overly memorable. If you don't like 90's rock, there's probably nothing here for you.
I've never heard of this band before but I expected something more harder/heavier rock and to my surprise I was wrong. This is a good, consistent and moody alt rock album from the mid 1990s which I quite enjoyed.
Creative, some nice/awesome tracks, but too scrappy at times for my ears.
Very 90's Alt.
Good
This album was a pleasant surprise with how enjoyable it was. A very easy listen even if nothing particularly wowed me. I would gladly come back to this one for another listen. Everyone’s saying the album art is freaky. I like it. Notable tracks: Susan’s House, Rags to Rags, Mental
Je pisse sur les années 90.
Pretty good 90s Alt Rock
3.5
Chill. I can get into this.
1996. Pretty okay alt rock; definitely unique in some songs. Wasn't expecting a song from Shrek.
Not bad - nothing to write home about. Melodic rock with both some heavier and poppy elements depending on the track.
Opens so well with Novocaine for the Soul and then Susan's House. Pretty impressive for a debut album as well. Songs like 'Guest List' and 'Mental' let the album down. More to come from the Eels (though perhaps not for the 1001 list) - this is a good start.
I usually go back and forth on liking an album from song to song. For this one, I was going back and forth within the songs. Rating 3 (I think).
Freakish but okay.
Mid-tempo alt-rock from the 90s with slacker lyrics that pass for thoughtful. No bad songs but nothing really stood out either. Could have used a drum machine (maybe they did). Cover is pretty disturbing tbh
Most of the album was meh but a few songs are great.
This sure is Music! Nothing about it struck me as particularly good or bad, the platonic ideal of a 3-star album. If we could do half-stars I’d bump it to 3.5 for having a song on the Shrek soundtrack, but alas.
I liked all of this except Susan’s House… which was too try hard.
1. Novocaine for the Soul - 2000s alt rock Blink182 sound. Good guitar riffs, vocals are a little boring. Nice strings in the beginning. 2. Susan's House - Don't like the spoken word vocals. Chorus piano and vocals are good. 3. Rags to Rags - Good transition for Susan's house. Solo guitar riff is cool, drum hit, guitar, and chorus drop is pretty good. 4. Beautiful Freak - Piano as soft vocals are soothing, although the vocals don't really change throughout the song. The synth or accordion in the background is pretty cool. 5. Not Ready Yet - Guitar riff is sick, drums kick in hard but both end pretty shortly. The ending was heavy, but a majority of the song I was waiting for the drums to kick in. 6. My Beloved Monster - I remember this song from Shrek lol. The guitar, kicking drums, and the vocals are great. The transition from chill guitar riff to the heavy refrain is a lot of fun. The distorted guitar solo is great too. Favorite song of the album so far. 7. Flower - Chorus in the background sounds good, but once Everett's vocals kick in, they're pretty lackluster. 8. Guest List - Baseline is funky, but guitar, drums/symbols, and vocals are pretty basic. Harmonica seemed out of place. 9. Mental - The kick in this song is good, but I am getting bored with the similar guitar riffs and monotonous vocals in between the good stuff. 2nd favorite so far. 10. Spunky - Nice piano in the beginning. Sounds like violin or chello that kicks in with the baseline. These instrumentals match the tone of the vocals. 11. Your Lucky Day in Hell - Vocals are again pretty lackluster, but the instrumentation is good. Sounds like an organ/flute/synth/strings combo. 12. Manchild - Like flute like notes make you feel like you're floating, soft guitar reminds me of modest mouse. The gradual build up to the baseline is cool. Vocals are different on this song, higher and not as monotone.
Nice music, no show stopper but solid.
Fine, not my style
Was expecting a freak album with the album cover art, but this actually had some pretty good bops. Susans house, Guest List, and Mental to name a few. I saved the whole album.
Hmmm it's fine, don't have much of an opinion either way
Yeah, this is some real American rock, with songs about guns and drugs. Kind of wild and weird, but really consistent, which I appreciate a lot. The album quality doesn't change as you progress towards the end of it.
（。
Very 90s, melodic, but ultimately the material feels a bit tired.
I only recognized the first song of the album. The album was alright, it’s just nothing really stood out to me.
paar tracks ganz gut, aber hitted nicht den spot
This album is better than its cover art would make you think. 90s Rock.
Niet heel tof. Maar vind abdere shit van eels soms wel cool. Misschien timing
I would be really into it when I was 15 years old.
I can hear the 90s and the Jon Brion-y feels, but... it's just not for me.
3/5. Some solid 90's rock songs, nothing crazy original but had a good time listening to them. Not sure I quite understand what's going on with the lyrics but hey, they sounded good and that's the first step. Noticed some songs I've heard before and that was fun. It was a good album just might need some time to click for me if it's great or not.
Have not heard this in 25 years or more…I still dont think it’s very good T-T
Produced. Melancholy. Barely aged.
the eels are obviously talented and they write interesting lyrics. they had a good sound but the only reason im not givjng it a higher rating is mome of the songs stay with me. once they are over it is as if i didnt hear them be aise i can't recall any lyrics/melodies. but i can see why this would be on the list. i actually owned a copy of electro-shock blues which i really liked at the time which may have been their third or fourth album. this being their debut perhaps it just took a couple years to grow as musicians and songwriters.
Not particularly a standout but an enjoyable listen. It might not be something I would actively seek out but if it were to pop up again somewhere I'd be happy and fine with listening to it again. A decent recording representative of 90's era music though it has horrible and kind of unsettling cover art.
Nice try
not my thing but I can tell Eels put a lot of emotion into this album.
3/5
Novacaine is a fun track. For some reason I like it. 3.5 goin down to 3 due to vibes.
This was so close to being 4 stars ngl. Novocaine for the soul is a banger. Continue to think about the beginning of Mental. Susan's House is so chaotic I love it. SO FUNNNNN
totally on here due to "Novocaine" but still a decent album, good for toe tapping background music
This peaked too quickly for me. I loved the first two tracks, both of which I had heard before. I hadn't heard any of the remaining tracks and sort of lost interest as they became more and more samey. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't something I'd go out of my way to listen to again. Middle of the road 3-stars from me.
Quirky 90s pop-rock. Not really my thing. Some unusual stuff maintains interest a little, but just not enough there for me to grab onto.
Not my cup of tea
It was OK.
I like this album. Not sure it should be on a classic list but it's nice, inventive, found it moving at times, clever, nice. Yeah.
I bet this music is good for this genre. But I find it incredibly tasteless and void of any feeling
Nothing screams 90s like this album. Reminds me of Ween a tad Jamiroqui, down tempo, fun lyrics
Range of styles, from their big hit (90s electronic) to rock, punk and almost acoustic. Some good funky beats, some forgettable tracks.
Enjoyed the album!
it's alright. not going in any playlists, but it's alright to listen to and parts of it are kind of nostalgic (tho not necessarily for this band, just the style).
Dit album heeft een all-time favoriet nummer van mij (Susan's house), maar tijdens het luisteren voelde het toch een beetje te monotoon als volledig album. Misschien heb ik te weinig depressieve gevoelens om zo'n albums ten volle te appreciëren? In andere reviews stellen mensen de vraag of dit album wel terecht in de 1001 albums-lijst staat, ben het daar een beetje mee eens. Die bass-lijn in de intro van Susan's house zal ik wel nooit beu geraken. Eels heeft zijn eigen herkenbare sound waar ik wel fan van ben, maar blijf toch vaak op mijn honger zitten als ik een heel album luister.
Have heard this album a few times. Nice sound
So 90’s. Really surprised by the quality of the songs here, but nothing incredible.
Mostly mellow rock tunes that manage to be bitter AND playful.
Great song that novacaine the rest hrmph ok, ive listend now to a couple of his albums always the same, one cracker with a pile of duds. But in fairness what a great song
Like this, nice mellow vibe
I'd listened to this a few times before. I tend to enjoy Novocaine for the Soul and Susan's House, then kinda fade out for most of the album until I wake up again with Your Lucky Day In Hell. It's pleasant enough album, good vibes. 3.5
Although delightfully eery and at times heartfelt this album is ultimately tedious and at time sound pretentious. Highlights: Novocaine for the soul, Walking to Susan house, Your lucky day in hell.
Très American mais cv c'est pas chiant
Solid Alt Rock, they get a stoner feel from the loose repetitive drum beat and the minimal use of electronic sounds. Cool young and raspy voice, cool way to have a isolated high pitched instrument - between ukulele, keys or guitar - give the songs a melodic touch beyond the singing.
Enjoyable but forgettable. I enjoyed it but don't remember enough about it to really say anything, except that I have a soft spot for spoken word over music.
Novocaine for The Soul - 7.5/10 Susans house - 7/10 Rags To Rags - 7.5/10 Beautiful Freak - 7/10 Not Ready Yet - 8/10 My Beloved Monster- 8/10 Flower - 7/10 Guest List - 8/10 Mental - 8/10 Spunky - 8/10 Your Lucky Day in Hell - 7.5/10 Manchild - 8/10 TOTAL - 92/120
Not bad. Average for the genre it feels like.
I really like this.
Another mid-90s alt-rock effort, but not necessarily the most significant example of the era, commercially, stylistically, or artistically. Mostly moody meditative lyrics, sometimes bordering on sophomoric, folded into pop hooks with some sophisticated production. It is an album that shows a lot of promise but ultimately sounds uneven in terms of overall songwriting quality. The best tracks on the LP are the collaborative efforts with sessions pro Mark Goldenberg.
Really capitalizes on the esoteric depravity of the late 90's Alt scene. Songs are depraved and depressing, yet still have a quality of warmth. Interesting that Dreamworks studios was their record label, probably how My Beloved Monster ended up in Shrek.
Started a little slow, but the more I listened the more I liked it. Songs would have been better with a little more tempo and a heavier sound, but overall not bad. I added two songs to my “liked” playlist on Spotify- My Beloved Monster and Susan’s House.
A few solid tracks on here I will definitely be having on repeat
Better than I had imagined and I’ve been putting off listening all these years. Another band that I know the singles but they weren’t compelling enough for me to either buy the cd at the time or go back to listen. Great music throughout but a little samey by the end
It's alright.
A nice record with some solid hits. But there are better Eels records
Pretty typical 90s alternative seemed to me. Good but i didnt hear one of the greatest albums ever.
Album luistert lekker weg. Moet wel zeggen dat het niet volledig mijn aandacht pakt, maar ik kende deze artiest niet en moet zeggen dat ik het wel prettig vind. Beste voorbeeld van dat dit album voor mij echt een beetje achtergrond muziek is, is dat ik uiteindelijk 3 nummers heb geluisterd die niet op het album stonden en van een andere artiest waren omdat het album al was afgelopen. FAVO: Mental
Really interesting start to the album with the stark changes in the production, from lofi-ish moments then instantly into full modern rock sections. It's not your typical gradual / tasteful approach but I appreciate it. Definitely unique. The singer here reminds me of Elliot Smith at times. Man, I really love how eclectic the instruments are here. Track 2, "Susan's House" has some Alicia Keys-like piano parts but then goes into this drum n bass Moby~ish spoken word part. Super cool. I really love the simple, incredibly catchy choruses. So good. I liked this a lot. Specifically I enjoyed how you never really knew what was coming next; they didn't have one formula that they rinsed and repeated for each track over and over. Solid 3/5 that with more listens could probably be a 4.
It was okay! Would use as background music
the eels are pretty cool. but no need to listen to their albums. find ur fav songs and stick w those
Pretty enjoyable, high 3! 3.5/5
Exactly what you'd imagine an Eels record to sound like I guess. Nice.
Shoutout to Mental and Your Lucky Day in Hell for mentioning MAMA. Mental is the best song. Sounds like Nirvana.
singer is kinda bad, i dont like the instrumentals on a bunch of the songs. i empathize with the anxiety expressed. not ready yet, mental
Kind of weird but kind of good
I really enjoy this album, but it’s a time and place for me. I like much more than some of the albums on this list, but I’m surprised it’s included.
A pleasant listen with beautiful guitar melodies
I am familiar with this album from when it was released. I liked it then, but would not say it's great. I feel the same now. However, it does have such a unique sound that merits exploration. And a few really great songs.
Beautiful Freaks is one album that encapsulates really well what many alternative bands were doing during the second half of the 90s. Some songs had some radio play, others were fans darlings. Novocaine for the Soul still bangs hard, must say. Beyond that, I don’t know what this work has to offer. I do not find it if innovative or greatly influential. It is fun, thou, like many other good bands from that scene.
Very of its time, which is fine, but it also didn't really catch me. Ok, but not more nor less.
I have never heard of Eels before, and after listening to "Beautiful Freak" I know why. It is just your average 90s soft rock album, with many boring songs, few slightly interesting and many, many average and unnoticeable tracks. 30 years later it sounds like a generic 90s album, created by ChatGPT, or by a parody group. I think, at least in my case, to like albums from 90s, you have to be at least a little bit sentimental about it, otherwise it will be a negative experience. "You should have been there and see it for yourself to understand". In this case I wasn't there, so no appreciation towards it on my behalf.
Fun album.
This was pretty good. One of the songs reminded me of several other songs. It was the song Susan's House. I did a whole write up about this on my work computer and then didn't hit save... so this is what you get. 3 stars. Which makes me feel bad about giving Incubus 3 stars, because this was way better.
Maybe 3.5?
Reminds me of Gorillaz in a way but more focused solely on the indie rock aspect. Finally an indie-rock album that sounds different from the rest that's been generated from the 1001 albums list. There's a few songs on the album that I quite liked and I'll probably go back and listen to. The opening track "Novocaine for the soul" and "Not ready yet" stuck with me. And there's was some unexpected Shrek. But songs like "Flower" was a snooze.
Didn’t know they did Novocaine For The Soul. Pretty good album. I could get into it but it’s nothing especially remarkable to me.
quite right
I knew bits of this quite well. An easy listen while cooking on a Sunday morning. Lots of the drumming was rather good.
I liked some of this. Good alternative 90s rock
Surprisingly not terrible for mid-90s rock, although it is very 90s. Do you think Eels paid Princess Beatrice to use her likeness on the cover? Would rate 3.5.
mostly nice mediumlow energy alternative simmer with some cringe lyrics
*Shrug* Not bad, not great.
Shrek.
This was excellent, really liked this album. Only really knew Novocaine For The Soul but the rest of the album doesn’t disappoint either so a thumbs up here!
Figured I would hate it but it thoroughly surprised me.
Nice album, although it can be a bit whining now and then
This sounded okay, I guess, but not an album I'll likely to put on again.
Boring smoky vocals.
3.5/5
A nice easy album to listen to. I enjoyed it, although I don’t think there’s much here, substantially speaking. Not incredibly original or deep. Not particularly interesting or innovative. None of the songs were necessarily bad, though. 3/5
Some of the songs are engaging. Some are bland. I found myself getting fatigued half way through the album because the overall sound of the songs was so similar.
Average and alright....
Eh was ok.
Heard before two years ago, oh god. Love it already for contributing to the legendary Shrek soundtrack! Back then I liked + Mental + Susan's House + My Beloved Monster
1.) Novocaine for the Soul: 8/10 This is very interesting so far. Very alt rock sounding but that doesn't impede or shoehorn the sound so far. Nice rasp on the vocals ngl. 2.) Susan's House: 8/10 Immediate nice groove. Oooh I like that mellotron sounding flute. Nice spoken word vocals. Sounds like a newscaster honestly. Kinda fits with the tone of the lyrics. Based lyrics 3.) Rags to Rags: 6/10 This whole album has had a nice groove going across the whole thing so far. Kinda Blur sounding ngl 4.) Beautiful Freak: 7/10 Nice electric piano. This sounds similar to Ben Folds ngl 5.) Not Ready Yet: 6/10 Nice distorted piano. 6.) My Beloved Monster: 8/10 THIS IS IN THE FUCKING SHREK SOUNDTRACK OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T NOTICE SOONER THAT'S WHY IT SOUNDS LIKE BEN FOLDS. pretty based song though 7.) Flower: 6/10 8.) Guest List: 7.5/10 The bass end added a lot to this song. Kinda groovy ngl
cool vibe but doesn't stand out