The Eels

As 2022 begins and New Year's resolutions are made, and just as quickly broken, the first batch of eagerly awaited new musical releases are set to arrive to delight our ears. After a festive fill of Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Jona Lewie, Mariah Carey, Slade, Wizzard, Wham and even The Pogues it's almost a relief to know that there's something fresh on the horizon. 2021 was an incredible year for new music with standout releases from the likes of Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, Little Simz, Olivia Rodrigo, Halsey, Arlo Parks, Tyler the Creator and Nick Cave but 2022 looks set to be just as exciting with new music expected from The Weekend, Mitski, Cardi B, Lizzo, Alt-J, Arctic Monkeys, Avril Lavigne and breakthrough band Wet Leg. Whilst those releases are not expected just yet (we'll have to wait a little longer until we have confirmed release dates) there are plenty of new albums due out in January and the following are the pick of the bunch.

Years & Years - Night Call.

Continue reading: Upcoming Releases: Check Out Our Five Favourite New Albums Due For Release In January

Left-field alternative pop didn't really get any better than Beautiful Freak in 1996 and arguably it's rarely been bettered since. The visionary concept of Mark Oliver Everett, 'E', was a breath of fresh air that fused genres, combined styles and ultimately delivered a fantastic off-kilter album. eels debut full length record is brilliantly sequenced, drawing you in immediately with it's lead single, Novocaine for the Soul, and leaving you wanting more with it's melancholic close out track, Manchild. The array of techniques, samples, instrumentation and inspired production makes 'Beautiful Freak' one of the most interesting, and at the time, arresting debut albums. 

Within the opening two songs of Beautiful Freak there is a sample of Fats Domino and Gladys Knight, static, Jive, brooding strings, killer guitar riffs, a great walking bass line and some truly unforgettable lyrics; no wonder it grabbed everyone's attention and became a surprise top 5 album in the UK. Whilst the NME were not fans of the album, giving it a measly 5/10, they were in the minority as the album was generally well received and critically acclaimed at the time. 

Continue reading: Album Of The Week: The 25th Anniversary Of 'Beautiful Freak' By Eels

Fans and hopeful attendees of Barcelona's Primavera Sound were delighted to discover that the preview app they downloaded was a video game displaying the full line-up for the festival's fifteenth anniversary.

Already announced were Friday and Saturday's headliners Ride and The Strokes, and now they've been joined by a host of other equally incredible artists. Thursday sees The Black Keys leading the bill alongside The Replacements, who are hitting Spanish stages for the first time and Antony and the Johnsons, who've been doing plenty since their last Barcelona gig. Bringing some variation to Thursday proceedings are electronic virtuosos James Blake, Richie Hawtin and Simian Mobile Disco.

Continue reading: The 15th Anniversary Line-Up For Primavera Sound Is Finally Here!

Eels frontman Mark Everett was been given the Freedom of the City of London ahead of his concert at the Barbican Centre on Thursday (July 24, 2014). Everett was previously mistaken for a terrorist in the capital.

Mark Everett performing with eels in Venice [Getty/Frederick M. Brown]

In 2010, Everett, or "E", was questioned by police in London's Hyde Park after they mistook him for a suspected terrorist. The singer, who boasts an impressive and full bodied beard, was taking a break from a day of interviews when authorities approached him after he appeared to fit the description of a suspicious person they were looking for. "Not every guy with short hair and a long beard is a terrorist. Some of us just want to rock," he said at the time.

Continue reading: Mark Everett, The Guy From Eels, Is Given Freedom Of The City Of London

Albums of Note... It’s been a long two years since James Blake released his debut eponymous album and now, the pioneering producer returns with Overgrown, album number two. Peppered with quality collaborations, with hip-hop legend RZA and electronic music’s figurehead Brian Eno, Overgrown is the sound of an artist still trying to find his niche, but releasing high quality, accomplished tracks, whilst he’s on his journey. “Blake really is a talent to behold, as his ingenious moulding together of poles apart genres and production wizardry clearly shows… when you're already as accomplished at all manner of musical exercises as he is then it will obviously be hard to focus all this talent and all this energy into one place.”

Splitting opinion like musical Marmite, John Grant returns with Pale Green Ghosts. This album may sound unrecognisable as Grant, to anyone already familiar with his work. He’s hooked up with Gus Gus’ Biggi Viera and has decamped to Reykjavik. As a result, a new reliance on vintage-sounding synthesisers and a nod to club-land has John Grant sounding like an altogether different proposition to the John Grant of days gone by.“Grant's dyspeptic edge may be blunted, but when called upon the man can make a fine ass post-modern disco song, like we ever doubted that he could, and Blackbelt is a tweaked remix away from the transient world of A Lists, charts and chat shows. Cleverly poignant, its way with knock out disses would give Jake Shears something to think about if it proved to be a permanent change of direction…”

Continue reading: A Week In Music - James Blake Still Seeking His Niche, Yeah Yeah Yeahs Triumph With Lily Cole Video, Eels Stage A Love-In In Bournemouth

Albums of Note... Mark Oliver Everett (better known as ‘E’) returns as eels, with new album Wonderful, Glorious. It’s a return to the form that we saw from Eels in the ‘90s. In recent years, Eels albums have been a rather bleak affair, as Everett has had to deal with the death of his parents, his sister and his cousin, all in a relatively short space of time. Wonderful, Glorious sees Eels get some of the fight back – literally, in ‘Kinda Fuzzy,’ in which he snarls “don’t mess with me I’m up for a fight.”“this teeth-grit, eyes ahead attitude is something we've come to expect from Eels, and Wonderful, Glorious is at its best when he's at his growliest… By the end you even sense a form of happiness has fallen upon this most maligned performer…"

Frightened Rabbit have parted ways with Brighton indie label Fat Cat and release their third album Pedestrian Verse on Atlantic Records. With most of the album’s tracks having been written around the time of Scott Hutchinson’s relationship breakup, it can make for a pretty uncomfortable listen at times. With a new producer at the helm the band seem to have developed a more free-flowing musical ideal, even if the emotions contained within are high in intensity.“In summary, 'Pedestrian Verse' can perhaps best be described as the sound of Frightened Rabbit doing what they do best. Just how many more fall outs and break-ups Scott Hutchison can through to continue the cycle remains to be seen, but for now this is up there alongside 'The Midnight Organ Fight' as one of the band's finest collections to date.”

Continue reading: A Week In Music - Eels Back On Form With 'Wonderful, Glorious, Frightened Rabbit Album Uncomfortable Listening, Depeche Mode's Broody New Video