Performer Notes
- Eels: E (vocals); Butch (drums).
- Addiional personnel includes: Jim Lang (conductor); Wayne Bergeron, Andy Martin, Chris Bleth (horns); Mickey Petralia (programming); Peter Buck, Grant Lee Phillips.
- Producers: E, Michael Simpson.
- Engineers include: Wally Gagel, Jim Lang, Michael Simpson.
- Recorded from March-May 1999.
- Eels: E (vocals); Butch (drums).
- Addiional personnel includes: Jim Lang (conductor); Wayne Bergeron, Andy Martin, Chris Bleth (horns); Mickey Petralia (programming); Peter Buck, Grant Lee Phillips.
- Producers: E, Michael Simpson.
- Engineers include: Wally Gagel, Jim Lang, Michael Simpson.
- Recorded from March-May 1999.
- Having used ELECTRO-SHOCK BLUES as a dark musical therapy session in the wake of losing his mom and sister, Eels frontman E (aka Mark Oliver Everett) returned with a more optimistic follow-up, one steeped in gorgeous pop-craft. Utilizing a vocal style not unlike Beck's creaky delivery, E created songs marked by unblinking, Randy Newman-like observations, minus the sardonic edge.
- E touches on a range of subjects--he pays tribute to his late mom's love of winged creatures (the gently bouncy "I Like Birds"), sings of unrequited love (the heartbreaking "Jeannie's Diary") and bemoans the evils of advertising (the irresistible "Tiger in My Tank"). Like fellow pop savant Jon Brion, E calls upon a handful of modern-rock pals, including Peter Buck and Grant Lee Phillips, to season his idiosyncratic arrangements. Among the most engaging numbers are the Nilsson-inspired "It's a Motherf#&!@r," as well as the Vince Guaraldi-flavored "A Daisy Through Concrete" and "The Sound of Fear" The last of these is a classic straight out of the Phil Spector/Brian Wilson school of arranging. The hidden track, "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues," is an optimistic number that nicely ties up this great collection, which finds E emerging from the dark so that the healing can begin.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (1/4/01, p.106) - Included in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2000.
Rolling Stone (3/30/00, p.66) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...a deceptively flowing, folk-happy directness....kaleidoscopic....a stylistic lea for Eels, but it's more about other kinds of leaps - from the tyrannies of time, love and Hot Dog on a Stick."
Rolling Stone (1/4/01, p.106) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Top 50 Albums of 2000".
Rolling Stone (3/30/00, p.66) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...a deceptively flowing, folk-happy directness....kaleidoscopic....a stylistic lea for Eels, but it's more about other kinds of leaps - from the tyrannies of time, love and Hot Dog on a Stick."
Spin (5/00, p.159) - 6 out of 10 - "...A rootsy return to form...making the process of dusting off [E's] weary, wordy heart seem like a virtuous act in a nihilist age. His cutest, simplest endeavors are his most successful..."
Spin (5/00, p.159) - 6 out of 10 - "...A rootsy return to form...making the process of dusting off [E's] weary, wordy heart seem like a virtuous act in a nihilist age. His cutest, simplest endeavors are his most successful..."
Entertainment Weekly (3/17/00, p.69) - "...Ignoring the slightest whiff of trendiness, E sets [his] ruminations to shuffling mini-symphonies built on old-school instrumentation....The results are genuinely sublime pop..." - Rating: A-
Q (1/01, p.90) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000".
Q (3/00, p.100) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...a sepia-toned, reflective and often dryly humorous affair. 'I Like Birds' is throwaway surrealism, 'Jeannie's Diary' is muted and touching, and 'Something is Sacred' dreamy and reverie-inducing."
Q (1/01, p.90) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000".
Q (3/00, p.100) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...a sepia-toned, reflective and often dryly humorous affair. 'I Like Birds' is throwaway surrealism, 'Jeannie's Diary' is muted and touching, and 'Something is Sacred' dreamy and reverie-inducing."
Uncut (3/00, p.88) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...This is E's life-affirming album, a smiling, up-beat but still lo-fi collection of bouncy, pretty pop tunes..."
Uncut (3/00, p.88) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...This is E's life-affirming album, a smiling, up-beat but still lo-fi collection of bouncy, pretty pop tunes..."
Alternative Press (4/00, p.88) - 4 out of 5 - "...a truly quirky style....That this sanity translates easily to everyone else should earn him a place in the history of first-rate pop songwriting."
Alternative Press (4/00, p.88) - 4 out of 5 - "...a truly quirky style....That this sanity translates easily to everyone else should earn him a place in the history of first-rate pop songwriting."
CMJ (3/13/00, p.22) - "...wonderfully preserves the group's lush, beguiling sound and their ability to nimbly switch musical gears without notice. DAISIES is further evidence that Everett is one of the day's most underrated tunesmiths."
CMJ (3/13/00, p.22) - "...wonderfully preserves the group's lush, beguiling sound and their ability to nimbly switch musical gears without notice. DAISIES is further evidence that Everett is one of the day's most underrated tunesmiths."
Melody Maker (2/22/00, p.46) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...random psychological episodes in the life of someone who's prepared to step outside into the sunshine, but who knows it'll probably rain....cathartic..."
Melody Maker (2/22/00, p.46) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...random psychological episodes in the life of someone who's prepared to step outside into the sunshine, but who knows it'll probably rain....cathartic..."
Mojo (Publisher) (3/00, p.97) - "...finds a rejuvenated E gasping lungfuls of life....A fine, subtly-crafted pop record which conveys life's rich tapestry with integrity, self-awareness and a keen sense of irony."
Mojo (Publisher) (3/00, p.97) - "...finds a rejuvenated E gasping lungfuls of life....A fine, subtly-crafted pop record which conveys life's rich tapestry with integrity, self-awareness and a keen sense of irony."
NME (Magazine) (2/19/00, p.33) - 9 out of 10 - "...mixes humor and humility, hope and fear, and stands as quiet testimony to one of modern music's most gifted writers....wonderful life-enriching stuff..."
NME (Magazine) (2/19/00, p.33) - 9 out of 10 - "...mixes humor and humility, hope and fear, and stands as quiet testimony to one of modern music's most gifted writers....wonderful life-enriching stuff..."
