Eels frontman Mark Everett, better known as E, <\/i>has to be the most unhappy man in the world. His father was an alcoholic, his sister \u2013 long troubled by mental illness \u2013 committed suicide in 1996. Two years later his mother died of cancer. Following these unfortunate events, Eels released Electro-Shock Blues<\/i>. The chain of unfortunate events went on,though. Hombre Lobo <\/i>and End Times<\/i> \u2013his seventh and eighth albums, respectively \u2013 are about Mark Everett\u2019s divorce. End Times <\/i>was released less than seven months after Hombre Lobo.<\/i> \u201cI felt guilty about the long gap between the last two albums so I\u2019m making up for lost time,\u201d Everett responds. <\/p>\n
The album opener is a melancholy tune about how his relationship started and how great everything was. The second track, \u201cGone Man,\u201d actually sounds quite jolly but its lyrics (\u201cTalk to the dogs so I know I\u2019m alive\u201d) are hopelessly bitter again. \u00a0I know seven months is a little short to change style and sound completely, but the first three tracks sound exactly like everything on Hombre Lobo<\/i>. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but songs like \u201cThe Beginning,\u201d \u201cIn My Younger Days,\u201d and \u201cNowadays\u201d sound terribly similar; I\u2019ve heard them all before. Fortunately, End Times<\/i> has its less awful moments too. \u201cApple Trees,\u201d for example, is a marvelous 40-second interlude. The fourth track, \u201cMansions Of Los Feliz,\u201d is very catchy and joyful (though the lyrics are about his troublesome divorce: \u201cWell he\u2019s gone out again and left you all alone \/ Come on over, I\u2019m always home\u201d). Another great song is \u201cA Line In The Dirt,\u201d which features a wonderful chorus. End Times <\/i>is not a dreadful album. It might not be the Eels record I hoped for, but it does contain a few beautiful songs. The problem is Mark Everett is perpetually drowning in self-pity, which makes this a weary listen. Still, it is a welcome addition to the Eels oeuvre, although I\u2019m pretty sure they can do a lot better!