Reviews (page 9 of 9)
Not for me.
This is another pretty generic nineties rock record. Saw flashes of Nirvana, Shrek and Gorillaz, but they weren't all that bright. 2.5
Not insulting, not noticeable, not anything
I expected to like an emo indie album more than this. Really liked Susan's House, but nothing else stands out.
Thoroughly bored
Not my cup of tea at all. Was a real chore going through this album.
Just too indie/Neutral Milk Hotel-kinda vibes for me. Flower and Mental are favorites but not bangers
Wasn't too keen on this one. A couple of good tracks but the rest were forgettable. I will give it another listen just in case.
Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this one, but this dude's detached attitude and sprechstimme schtick wore thin after the second song.
A few decent songs but wouldn't listen to the whole album again.
Novocaine was that enjoyable ubiquitous song on the radio that one 90s summer. The rest of that album does not score as high as that one song.
Honestly there wasn’t anything necessarily bad about this album, it was just morbidly boring. I thought the voice was sleazy and almost careless. It wasn’t awful but I wouldn’t listen again.
I need to re-listen to this; It was alright though... Too sad and mopey for my taste.
I liked that it had a different feel than most 90s albums we've heard on the list but ultimately nothing really stuck out or would draw me back fot another listen
Kinda feels like a lot of decent ideas just thrown together. Some good stuff here and there but really bogged down by some very fleshed out bad ideas. Susan’s house.
This was nostalgic at first, and rapidly became confining.
Okay, so VERY 90s sound, and also, I'm shocked at how many of these I knew. OR DID I? Is it just the sound of the 90s that has lulled me into familiarity? Any way, sometimes familiarity breeds nostalgia and stars, and sometimes it doesn't. Nothing wrong with this album, but nothing I'm going to come back to.
This album is such a bummer. Every tempo is set to depression. Kinda like a tedious version of Sparklehorse. Enjoyed a few songs, but overall not a record I'll be returning to.
Idk kind of an abrasive sound.
Honnêtement long à passer au travers. Pas foncièrement mauvais, mais juste fatigant à écouter. Trop un son "typique" 90s que ça en tombe sur le coeur.
Even though I knew several of the songs on this album, I wasn't a fan.
Very 90s but forgettable
This feels like a student attempt at performance art. It's extremely amateur and basic both musically and lyrically. Plays like a highschool kid who's really into Cake trying to make something "real" in his basement because nobody will be in a band with him. Did not enjoy.
Very repetitive and didn't catch me
It's not bad. It's not great. It just is.
Not really my thing to be honest but I understand why people like it. It does sound dated, as you might expect with a mid-90s album. Still, its got its high points. The songs are well written and the album is cohesive.
I was not familiar with this band or any of the songs. It was just ok. Totally unremarkable
Generico album alternative di metà anni '90. Nessuna canzone spicca per originalità e tutti i brani sembrano scopiazzature da altri artisti. Bonus: la copertina è una delle più brutte che abbia mai visto.
I remember loving 'Novocaine For The Soul' when I first heard it. I find the rest of the album interesting with a couple of good tracks, but overall a little disappointing after that first hit. I always feel they need winding up a bit as songs tend to just meander and generally don't get anywhere.
This is the debut album by the American rock band Eels - whose only permanent member is Mark Oliver Everett, and he is the main contributor to this album. Reviews were mixed for the album and it ended up being more popular in Europe than America. The alternative rock on this album was musically great, but the lyrics were self-absorbed and patronizing which turned off some listeners. I liked listening to this album in the background while I worked, but I don't think I need to listen to it again. It was just alright.
Lite svårt att gå igång på den här plattan. Egentligen inte så dåligt men den tilltalar inte mig. Tyckte en låt var bra.
Other than Novocane, meh
Maudlin and basic, spending time in the company of Eels is a tiresome affair and the worst of sixth form poetry.
i liked some of the tracks but overall a pretty dry experience
A completely inconsequential album. The musicians are fine, and there are even some nice moments, but the lyrics are almost painfully vapid, cliche and shallow, and the singers voice is fine for a song or 2, but too monotonous to carry a whole album. This was gonna be another 1-star, until Mental came on, if they had only pursued the sound they had on this song and maybe pushed it even more, this would have been a much more memorable album.
Interesting production with some early highlights in 'Novocaine For The Soul' and the catchy 'Susan's House'. I'm not quite sure that the lyrics hold up, like on 'Guest List' which sounds like a sad RHCP song. There is a fine line between naïve and simple lyrics. That cover still gives me nightmares.
Oh I love the sound of 90s alternative. The drums, the fuzzy guitar, the vocal delivery. Starts and ends on high notes but the middle gets a bit hazy
I've heard of the Eels, but I'm not familiar with their stuff. In an odd coincidence, I *just* heard "Novocaine for the Soul" yesterday. I remember the opening lines catching my attention, but I can't say the same for the rest of the song. It's possible I heard it back when it came out, but if I did, it obviously didn't leave much of an impression. The spoken word bits of the album remind me of Nada Surf's "Popular," which apparently came out a handful of months before this album, so that's an interesting bit of synchronicity. "My Beloved Monster" has a whimsical charm and "Mental" isn't bad either, but the rest literally just blended into the background as I went about my morning. Feels like the answer to "What if Beck had less personality and was trying way too hard?" It's a shame we can't give half-stars, because I liked this album more than the ones by The xx and Travis (both of which I gave two stars), but I can't bring myself to give it three stars. 2.5 stars feels about right.
C’est très « de son temps » comme album. La voix du chanteur fini par énerver à mesure que l’album avance. Il y a pleins de bonnes choses, mais c’est dispersé dans l’album en entier, ce qui fait qu’aucune toune est vraiment excellente.
I found the lyrics, although interesting, to be too doomsday-ish, pretentious, and a bit too terse (Susan's House, Flower, Guest List . . . etc.) This album left me seeking songs that are more positive-in-a-profound-way. Favorite track: Rags to Rags
Kinda boring rock would not listen to again but not bad
Ja känner att de finns int rikit makten å känslan i musiken här för att de allvarliga ämnena ska kunnas tas på allvar… tbh!
Låter som att det inspirerade ett visst LUM album men det här är inte alls lika bra.
2.5/5
I liked the song from Shrek. Other than that it's pretty boring music, honestly.
2, I like but not as much as other stuff
First time really listening to Eels. I feel like maybe I would of enjoyed it more if I have a past connection to it. I didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it.
Eh. 5/10
Beautiful Freak is just okay, radio paint-by-numbers soft indie rock. Vocals are compelling, rest is meh, 2/5.
Don't actually have a huge amount to write about that one. Opening track is good, but goes a bit beige after that. Not unpleasant to listen to, but in no way memorable. Could have waited until after my death. 2/5.
Listened to on 3/31/22 1.5/2 Favorite song: your lucky day in hell Absolutely not - I’m worried for all of their mental wellbeings
Just flat out odd and depressing.
Hmh, hetkittäin ihan kaunista kitarointia, mutta aika vaisua menoa keskimäärin. Ottaen huomioon, kuinka kovia indie-levyjä ysärillä ja nollarin alussa tehtiin, on tän listan valinnat kyseisestä genrestä ollut tähän asti ihan kummallisia.
Hmm, tää levy oli tullu mulla jo kertaalleen eli ilmeisesti tää ryhmä sekoittelee uudelleen näitä mulla jo tulleita levyjä. No, tän suhteen on kyllä kääntynyt mielipide aika voimakkaasti kun on kuunnellut enemmän näitä levyjä. Aika laiskaa eikä juurikaan puhuttele tämmönen "cool" apatia, joten 2/5.
Not sure why but not the biggest Eeels fan
Nothing here for me to grab on to. Nothing stands out. Dull.
Forgettable.
Wel lekker alternatief zweverig sfeertje maar niet echt herluisterbaar
Best Song: Susan's House. Down-earth lyrics that don't tread so heavily on cliché ideas. Worst Song: Beautiful Freak. Cheesy and massively overplayed lyrics. I think the writer thought the juxtaposition of "beautiful" and "freak" was a lot more unique and poetic than it is. Overall: Sounds like the soundtrack to a movie I wouldn't like. Feels as though the music derives its whole purpose from believing it is counter-culture.
Ja, richtig, diese Kritiker Darlings gab es auch noch. Anfangs ganz schön catchy, aber nach 2 Songs sind die Strukturen doch zu einfach gezimmert. Indie Rock halt zu einer Ben Folds/Beck‘schen Post-Crossover Zeit ehe Neues von Dandy Warhols oder Grandaddy den 90er ins neue Jahrtausend verhalfen. Die letzten beißen auch Super Furry Animals’ Golden Retriever. 2.3
Hat mich schon bei Erscheinen nicht sonderlich interessiert.
Wasn't crazy about this one -- a little too indie for me I think. Almost sounded like Wilco but I didn't find as many songs I loved. Cool cample of that Gladys Knight song that Atmosphere samples -- and I didn't hate the two songs at the end.
Sounds a bit like Soul Coughing making a Babybird album, but without being quite as good as either.
Like it for the first minute and a half, then meh.
Novocaine for the soul is a classic 90s slacker tune - and definitely the highlight of the album.
Pues está entre masomenos a chafon ... Cómo llego a la lista?
Another one I've never heard of - album cover is creepy. It's indie rock, first song vaguely familiar but that could mean nothing, it's suuuuper generic alternative rock. I kept thinking the next song was gonna be going the distance by cake. 2/5.
Life is hard and so is this guy
4/10 eh
The album has a juxtaposition with the dark lyrics and melodic instrumentals and chorus’. The chorus’ seem too repetitive. The album has a sense where it’s easy to listen to but it’s hard to enjoy. 5.6/10
Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Susan's House, Your Lucky Day in Hell Cutting Edge: Flower, Guest List Overall Notes: Very mellow indie rock. Some of the lyrics are fun and cute, others are just odd. Not really my thing.
Meh. One or two good tracks.
Thought it was alright. I could hear glimpses of music I like but not enough. No song got above a three.
2.5 Everything was just kinda alright... Better that System of a Down because I could actually finish it
Feels like a 90s emo album. Nothing to write home about. Novocaine For The Soul really only hit.
Ok, a few good songs
I remember the opening track. Brings me back to when I first started driving. Mostly forgettable.
Grungy/rock, Nirvana feels Its good, but not amazing. Will need to listen to again.
La pochette est pas seulement moche, elle est aussi carrément dérangeante. Les instrumentales sont diversifiées mais semblent toutes assez moroses et neutres. Le son a globalement assez vieilli je pense. Les chansons sont assez répétitives, ce qui amplifie la morosité. Mais si on ne rentre pas dans la chanson ca rend l’écoute longue. La voix du chanteur y est pour bcp. Globalement l’écriture ne m’impressionne pas, c’est très littéralement « le monde est méchant ». On a quand même des tentatives musicales éparses dans les morceaux, qui captent l’attention, et l’album se tient en 45 min, c’est loin d’être le pire. Quand même je souligne : le chanteur parolier a 33 ans quand l’album sort, c’est impensable à la lecture des texte ! Parfois les paroles sont pas juste immatures mais juste mauvaises et énervantes, elles gâchent des chansons potentiellement sympas (Guest list ?). D’habitude je peux très bien écouter un album sans porter particulièrement attention aux paroles mais là c’est carrément distrayant. Et pour finir car ça ne suffisait pas de commencer par ça : c’est quoi cette pochette infâme, avec le titre « beautiful freak » à côté : eurk
Like Beck but more uncomfortable.
Blast from the past. Remember it being a bit better if I’m honest.
I wanted to like this so much, but it was too grungy for me. Kinda bummed me out to listen to it, and I felt like I couldn't relate to the content at all.
No like
A tough one to judge. Pleasant enough but not much caught my attention, even after two listens. Sounds more like the work of a solo artist than a band. I liked Mental. I would have given this a higher mark, but I didn't like to title track, especially the lyrics.
Je débuterais en me plaignant de la voix du chanteur, ark. Les pianos, banjos, et autres sont souvent wack. Je l’évite, la maison de Suzan, n’y aller c’est pourri, beautifull freak Je lévite, not ready yet, c’était bon
Nope
Not terrible, just not for me.
Manchild and Novocaine For The Soul were the best. Mental was ok.
Ehh
Ducking stupid
Creepy
2.2
I thought this list was 1,001 albums ... not 1,001 one hit wonders from the 90s? Saw these guys a few years back at some free food festival. Still not impressed.
Mmm didn't like this - some moments were hints of music I do like but couldn't get past the pop punk American voice! Also horrible album cover
Boring
Snoooooooore 😴
1. zoul - 0 2. houze - 0 3. ragz - 1 4. freak - 1 5. ready - 2 6. monzter - 0 7. flouuer - 0 8. guezt - 0 9. mental - 0 10. zpunky - 0 11. hell - 1 12. child - 0
Sing. Or don't.
creepy
Mild
2/10 Aside from two songs that weren't too bad (including the Shrek song) I actively disliked this.
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.
Like if Coldplay was worse.
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.
New wave light from USA
1/5 Sooo disappointed by this album! Cover and title got me excited to listen but wasn’t the vibe I hoped for.
This blows. The drum samples/loops seem out of place. The music is uninteresting and his vocals and lyrics make me cringe.
Nothing stood out, felt very exploratory
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.
Mental was only good song
Meh , odd and depressing
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.
really wish listening to this album didn’t happen to me
It's Radiohead without the intellect. Hard pass.
Amerikansk indierock måste vara den absolut sämsta indien. Det är ju allmän känt. Ändå verkar författarna till den här boken lyckats missa detta faktum gång efter gång. Säger som Nationalteatern, Stopp lägg av, ni fattar ingenting! Som första låt efter skivans slut slumpar spotten fram The boy with the Arab strap. Sannerligen det är skillnad på indie och indie.
I know I was never a Grammy-award-winning lyricist but (and?) this sounds like the stuff that I was writing in 1996–at age 14. How in the absolute fuck did this album get on the list?
Stinky shit
Snoozer who picks the albums for this list?
I really didn’t like anything about this
Nei
non merci, ça ne me parle pas mais alors pas du tout
One good song.
Why?
How have I had 132 albums so far, 28 from the 90s, and not gotten a single one of the great rock albums from that decade yet? I haven't seen either of Weezer's first two, haven't seen Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, no Nevermind, no Colour and the Shape, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, or Pearl Jam. No Red Hot Chili Peppers or Stone Temple Pilots. I don't get it. This often sounds like twee 90s film soundtrack rock. Doesn't sound like anything people would play just to listen to. I'm thinking of like Teenage Dirtbag or In Too Deep, but if they weren't any fun. Other songs sound like they're massive Lou Reed fans stuck in the context of 90s alternative rock. I'm tired of this "conversational" vocal style that really just sounds like they couldn't care less whether or not they hit the notes over uninteresting instrumental tracks. It's boring.
This is mean, but I found the lyrics across this whole album embarrassing and sometimes condescending. "Life is hard/and so am I"? Get the hell out of here. "This paint by numbers life is fucking with my head once again"--I've heard too much (better, more exciting, more thoughtful) music about the drudgery and isolation of modern life to accept this as some profound admission. There's no real vulnerability here. I think it's lazy. 'Urban dream or urban nightmare, amiright?' type of shit. Angst that doesn't reveal anything about the interior life of the writer besides the things that bum him out. "Flower" is particularly egregious. "And one day I'll come through/My American dream/but it won't mean a fuckin' thing." Dude, whatever. Join the club. The instrumentation and melodies are fine, but not interesting or dynamic enough to elevate this album to something I'd be interested in listening to again. I'm doing my best to not keep harping about the writing. I could go on all day. It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't take itself so, so seriously. I couldn't even enjoy the song from Shrek.
Weird
Boring. I can't think of why this is on here but Quicksand isn't. PRO TIP: Don't listen to this one while driving. I very seriously had to pause it to put on something else just so it didn't drag. "Your Lucky Day in Hell," huh? Sure feels like I'm in hell listening to this but I'm not lucky if I'm listening.
que album rui
I don’t know what to think about this album. Not sure if it was me, but it just didn’t hold my attention very well. I didn’t enjoy the singer’s voice at all, and the music never carried the songs well enough that I could look past the vocals. It was like a sub-par version of Spiritualized or something.
meh
Tämä kuulostaa tavalliselta duunipäivältä. Osaisikohan artisti suositella hyvää efektipedaalia?
Strange stuff.
Something about this makes me feel uncomfortable. Quirky men who insist on writing songs either about the pitfalls of capitalism or their boners with no lyrical prowess in-between certainly aren’t who I’m listening to in my free time. And Beautiful Freak definitely has that feel, although I think/hope that it’s a bit self-aware, and that Everett knows his focus areas are a bit problematic, like Ghost World or Scott Pilgrim, although maybe not even like Pinkerton. Still, even if it’s satirical with a good ol’ dose of that David Foster Wallace sense of spectrum-driven irony, it’s still focused on these topics, this aesthetic, this type of pre-internet incel vibe. I’m not particularly interested in that, not only as a listener (because duh), but I’m also not interested in it intellectually, because even if you’re being tongue-in-cheek, then like, what the fuck are you trying to say? Am I supposed to find this funny, or insightful, or deep? Because I don’t. So there’s that. But on a purely sonic level, the outsider aesthetics and nerd-core alt-rock genre mashups are really grating to my ears. Like, I get that there’s an appeal and an art to throwing the kitchen sink into a record, but I wouldn’t call the execution on Beautiful Freak artful by any stretch of the word. The soft-loud dynamics were done better by the college rock radio staples that came before Eels, the studio frills are done better by both bedroom artists and ‘60s psychedelic rock bands, and without those elements, you have some pretty bland post-grunge alt-rock that feels like it could’ve been made by any 22 year old man in 1995. It’s serviceable, and maybe almost decent, but it also feels like Eels is purposely writing against what “sounds good.” And that’s annoying. Even at its best moments, it’s far from enjoyable, because in my opinion, passable should be the baseline of a fucking song, and none of these songs are what I would call passable compositions. There’s very few well-composed moments on this album, let alone songs. In fact, Everett can’t seem to last an entire 3.5 minutes without adding in something to make his music soooo quirky and soooo random and sooo original. But it just sounds stupid, like he can’t actually write a fucking song. I tried so hard to find something to enjoy about this album – and I mean a moment, like a chorus or a bridge, not even a fucking song! And while I found a couple (the hook on “Your Lucky Day In Hell,” the chorus of “Susan’s House,” the ukulele-drum machine combo on “Flower”), none of them equate to a full blown song that’s worth my time. So there’s that. I don’t know to describe it, but there’s a smugness to this album that feels like I’m being looked down upon by the artist. Like, if I’m not smart enough for enjoying the eccentricities, then I’m obviously just being a prude and cunt (hard “c” on that one) for finding some of the vibes gross and inappropriately revealing. But I get it, I know exactly what’s happening. A man can put his strange and anti-social worldview on full display in his music and the world will describe it as “raw.” I don’t believe it’s raw. I find it unsettling, and annoying, and downright painful. Like Fiona Apple doing coke with Quentin Tarantino. The more I focused on what little potential I found suggested in a few fine fleetingly moments, the more its aesthetic choices and general vibe gave me the ick. That’s it. This album just gives me the ick. It’s music for a very specific type of man, a man no woman in your life trusts. And maybe that’s an unfair/invalid way to critique music, but it’s the gut feeling that bubbles up in my throat as I listen to this. It’s purposefully pathetic and mentally ill, but it’s not like it’s trying to heal, or be better, or even say anything. It’s just an insecure man blabbing about his insecurities, and just because he’s a man, he anticipates and even expects praise, regardless if those insecurities reveal a toxic, uncomfortable truth about the type of man he truly is. Maybe if the sonic palette was at the very least enjoyable (and maybe if I had come across this album pre-transition as a 15 year old, a la Pinkerton), I would be forgiving if still critical because at least the music would be good. But the music itself isn’t even worth my fucking time! So there’s that. This record is gross. Men are gross, and I don’t respect them. Yuck.
This was a really mediocre album. Nothing particularly profound or revolutionary was present. Sounded like a derivative and boring version of better music that was coming out at the same time.
Some of these tracks were played incessantly when this came out. I think Nick Harcourt was the pusher of this album, but then a track appeared on the Shrek soundtrack and it seemed like it was everywhere. Admittedly, I bought this and listened to it until I couldn't stand it any longer, which was maybe a couple of days. That cover, with the girl and the bulging eyes was a big fad around that time. The Black Hole Sun video using the same effect. But the songs like Going over to Susan's House was utter cheese and written in a style that even Andy Samberg would pick up on and parody the style in SNL videos with Justin Timberlake. It was all such crap. So, listening to this again yesterday was more of the same. However I did do some digging on the voice behind The Eels' Mark Oliver Everett or 'E' as he goes by and discovered he's one of my favorite characters, albeit a small one in one of the best shows on Netflix "Love" where he plays a newly married hipster with a nagging wife and the struggles of transitioning from an indy musician to family life. This album gets an extra star for that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJheqb6zlHU
listen to a few songs. don’t know how i feel about it. might give it another chance idk
I don't understand why this album is on the list. Replace it with a jazz masterpiece! What about world music? Too much angsty indie/alternative on this list. 1 star for the somewhat decent track Not Ready Yet.
I should like this, it sounds so 90's. Unfortunately its the worst parts of the era with horrible vocals.
Eh. Kind of boring.
Just not my thing.
Susan’s House and the Shrek song alone bring it up to a 2 stars for me. Otherwise, it isn’t musically compelling enough to carry the humor and isn’t funny enough to carry the music. Too presumptuous and relying on the fact that the listener “gets it” as their making their way through the album. Just kidding, the Susan’s House piano is from Gladys Knight. It’s a 1 star from me dog.
Not my cup of ter
Singers vocal delivery is fucking bad
Pretty meh album. Lyrics were dumb at best and super creepy at worst. There are some vaguely interesting instrumentals but they're very few and far between. Very dated, self-indulgent 90's junk.
Bit too depressing for my liking.
Wacky College Rock. Reminds me a bit of Beck. Not a compliment. Susan's House has the air of a Mike Post theme tune about it.
There’s not a single song on this album I like. It’s like wanna-be velvet underground. Woe is me garbage.
Cool Sound, not into the vocals
Booooring omg put me to sleep, permanently.
There is something off about eels. They are snakes who have traded the shifting sands of dunes for the murky sea and its feeder estuaries. Or, they are fish who have bulked up and lengthened, stretched by millennia of water flowing past. They spark and fizzle, electric. But look closely into their dead eyes and see: there is nothing there.
Not my vibe
Sorry... not my jam, like at all.
I don’t like this. The lyrics are clunky. I get the impression that the band thinks the songs are more clever than they are. The vocals and the style of the music sound like a product of the 90’s in a way that grates on my nerves a bit. Very bad album cover too.
The fuck?
Heh jos ironicle tää äijä niin 5 tähteä mutta ei se varmaan ole ironicle...... tähti lisää koska tunnelma pysyy ja pystyy wibailla.. tähti pois koska tunnelma on liiaksi chilling&wibing menoa.. Not art music guys...
Dod not like
Worst album cover of all time.
Would this be considered emo? I never had a great grasp on what counted, but I figure if like Fall Out Boy or Green Day qualify, then this one might be on the board. Any case, hated it. I'd missed out on most of the Angry Disaffected White Guy 90s/00s groups, and while they're all annoying to some degree, some of them are incredibly fun for kind of exactly that reason, and I'd like to figure out what's the alchemy that causes that. Like Eels here never had a chance, too mopey, but NiN was alright!
3deep5me... actively hated this album
The Shrek song was not bad, that is about it.
Feel like we’ve been on a pretty mediocre streak. But of said streak, this is the lowest low. Before Friday I only knew Eels from the Shrek OST CD that invariably found its way into my Mom’s car. On that CD, “Beautiful Monster” was always a skipper. On Beautiful Freak, it is an unfortunate highpoint on an album chock full of skippers. Eels brings to mind 1990s/early 2000s guilty pleasures like Ben Folds, Wheatus, Primitive Radio Gods, Dynamite Hack, even like Sugar Ray to an extent I’m not sure why. Then like, some less-guilty pleasures like Beck or…I don’t even know. This album just seems to have never escaped a hyper specific moment in time. A post-Pixies time when outsider musicians and wannabe artists were inspired by everything from NWA to Daniel Johnston and had all these new musical toys at their disposal to tinker with. This album sounds like tinkering. But where Ben Folds, Wheatus, Sugar Ray, even Beck are fun in their guilty-pleasuredom (ie, pleasurable), this album is a total fkn drag. I feel guilty listening to it *and* it’s depressing. It plays like a Xerox of a Sparklehorse album that re-envisions such artistic integrity and heartbreak as sure-fire radio hits that will someday play on major motion picture soundtracks. It is pretty enough. Just kind of pathetic too. I’m being too hard. Jacob, that documentary sounds special and I will watch it. But for now, I’ve given a lot of 5s and not a lot of 1s. This my friends, is a 1.
Not my type of music, was pretty bored throughout. Wasn't that the music was awful, but beyond the one song from Shrek there wasn't really anything that I felt anything towards. His voice was nice, but I feel like the style of music he paired it with was a shame for me.
Ok but nothing special - production sounds dated.
Feels like this was on the list because someone really liked the first song.
Pretty bland generic 90s alt-rock. "You're not like all the others that's why I love you." Yea, deep stuff, Eels. I should be into this, but I just generally thought this sucked.
I thought I had to save 1-star reviews for U2 and the Doors but here we are
I liked some of the parts on here, which made me think that maybe I should give it a 2, but the lyrics are just so bad.
Everything I hate about 90s rock
Simply does not belong on the list. I remember the single "Novocaine for the Soul," and that is easily the best thing on the album, but the rest is just painfully bad. Every single song has lyrics that make me cringe, his voice is constantly strained and way too high and bright in the mix, and the production is awkwardly dated in that all over the place trying too hard to be eclectic 90s kinda way. Then there's that album cover: I'd put it in serious contention for the worst album cover of all time. I honestly can't respect an artist who would allow that kind of aesthetic nightmare represent their work.
Shit was ass
Any other Beck fans making unconvincing knock-offs on this list I should be aware of? Would help me to know what's coming.
Boring & generic with that one song from Shrek. Terrible.
Steaming pile of poo
Mi fanno venire in mente i Placebo. Però più lamentosi. Anche gli smashing pumpkins. Non penso che siano male, ma mi annoiano.
Mwah, 2 aardige nummers, maar dit is net niks
Må have noget imod diskant på guitar. Det er noller. Über-USA. Emotionelt men tomt.
Hey, it's been almost 20 years since I listened to this. The opener, "Novocaine for the Soul", still sounds good. The rest is boring middle-of-the-road alt-rock. His gruff monotonous voice starts to grate. The music sounds dated and flimsy. The songwriting often seems to aim for the profound, but ends up being the ramblings of a bore. 1.5
Didn’t like this one
Would love it if I was a lot more angsty
Didn’t realise it was on
don't like this one. final result is worse than the sum of its parts, 2/10
Meh.
Dark personal lyrics on the human experience, chill rock vibes. I need some sleep is really good