The Bottom Line Shootenanny! is overall very disappointing fare. Looking to explore The Eels? Look elsewhere...
Full Review
Mark Everett is the man. The incredibly talented singer-songwriter-musician has in the span of a decade released eight albums and provided material to a variety of movie soundtracks. Even with his continued critical success, E (as he prefers to be known) has somehow managed to remain a creative, unique, and in the end independent artist.
Everett’s most successful incarnation to date has been cloaked as the “band” The Eels. In the beginning, The Eels probably qualified as a band. E, of course, was in the front and there was an official drummer (Butch—he still collaborates with Everett) and bassist. But that lineup soon grew tired for Everett, a man who works best as an auteur and after the release of 1996’s Beautiful Freak he kept the band’s name but struck out on his own.
The albums that followed have been nothing but eclectic, magical, evocative, and brilliant. This shift toward true genius really began after that aforementioned Eels debut. Spurred on by the suicide of his sister and death of his mother, Everett wrote a collection of strange, painful, sarcastic and witty songs and handed the world his most perfect album to date 1998’s Electro-Shock Blues. It effervesced with the bleak, off-kilter attitude that fans of The Eels have come to know and love. Songs including Elizabeth on the Bathroom Floor, Cancer For The Cure, Efil’s God and Going to Your Funeral demonstrated E’s talent and vision most perfectly.
With each subsequent release, E retooled his sound. It is obvious that he’s never one to be comfortable sitting still for long. His next album, Daisies of the Galaxy (2000) represented a marked change in attitude. Everett remained sarcastic, but instead of dwelling on cancer, death, suicide, and pain in general he spoke about irreverent topics. Crafting his songs around field mice, birds, and a host of other random topics the songs were above all other things fun. But what they lacked in bleakness, they made up for lyrically. Everett is a lyrical genius.
Souljacker hit shelves in late 2001 and once again showcased E’s ear for the strange and obscure. Whereas Daisies of the Galaxy was in all pretty light fare, Souljacker was a loud and bold statement. It on some levels lacked the exuberance of earlier efforts. But in all, the effort was worthwhile.
2003 has been a busy year for Everett. He has, to date, released three albums of new material. Of course, his deal with Dreamworks disallows him more than one official release but E is a creative fellow. He recorded an album of material for the film Levity and also one chock full of samples and strangeness released under a pseudonym. The third is in fact an “official” Eels album. Shootenanny! adds another piece to the mysterious human puzzle that is Everett. It is also the straightest album he’s ever recorded—including even his earliest solo efforts. This isn’t to say that Shootenanny! will be a mainstream success. The music itself might represent alt-rock guitar normalcy, but the lyrics are as per usual edgy and hilarious with fresh, childlike statements.
Even though I am still in awe of Everett, not everything he does is golden. Shootenanny! is in all honesty one of his two worst efforts. But then again a sub par effort from an incredible talent is still tons more appealing than the best thing from so many mainstream/big bucks/MTV pimped acts. Shootenanny! may unfortunately not be brilliant, but it is still worth checking out—especially to loyal fans of The Eels.
The main thing that proves disappointing in regards to Shootenanny! is that E doesn’t seem particularly adventurous. Though, I suspect this is part of the joke. See, as mentioned above he gave us all a taste of true insanity with MC Honky. Shootenanny! is on the complete antithesis. From the first notes of All in a Day’s Work the album takes form. Everett has an innate knack for molding words into pictures. Even if something seems completely average on the surface, further investigation into the lyrics quickly turns up E’s dark side. He is a master of his craft.
All in a Day’s Work really does represent the album as a whole. It seems like the kind of thing that E could write and record with his eyes closed and hands tied. An atypical bluesy guitar piece mixed with the carefree attitude oft exhibited by the creator, it is also clearly an autobiographical piece. E speaks of his childhood with candor. My words here cannot do his justice:
When I was born
The doctor said
There's something wrong
Inside that baby head
When I was a boy
Sunday school
I told them all
That they were fools
Despite being relative lackluster in the context of the Eels discography, the album still is a work of art. It presents and overall picture—something that too many musical types forget is important. Singles are good, but singles don’t make for a lucid album. E has always excelled at writing, performing, and producing extremely cohesive works. Saturday Morning fits nicely into the picture, in fact is probably is my favorite of Shootenanny!. An upbeat, alt-folk-rock piece, the melody and E’s delivery wrap tightly around my heart. Sure it’s no Cancer For The Cure, but it is nonetheless an amazing track.
The Good Old Days demonstrates that E has a softer side. The song, an ode to appreciating the little things in life, is also remarkable. While I’ve always most appreciated the maker while being a cynical joker, he is also a skilled balladeer if given proper muse. E has never sounded better or more sincere than in this airy, light beauty.
Love of the Loveless resonates nicely with a funky backbeat, but light instrumentation otherwise. E’s vocals are appropriately low key with a slightly muffled production value. This is the perfect track to augment any summer mix. Dirty Girl on the other hand returns to a refreshing sarcastic tone. Incorporating honky-tonk elements, it is a bit of a different move on Shootenanny! And while I do like the song, it doesn’t stand out even among the songs even on this album. Agony is equally and regrettably unimpressive. As much as I’d like to enjoy the evocative rhythms and bluesy tenor, it is relatively impossible. This isn’t to say that there is anything particularly bad about it, just not impressive. And with E, I expect nothing less than perfection.
Rock Hard Times is fortunately a change for the better. E is upbeat and optimistic while lamenting about his usual fare: doom, pain, rejection, and failure. Hey, but when he does it somehow it feels less difficult and troubling. Restraining Order Blues continues in the same emotional vein. E speaks of love in his usual back-handed manner. Of course the topic of the song is, and I quote:
Judge made it clear
I can’t be near you
Everybody knows that I’m not a violent man
Just someone who knows he’s in love
As Shootenanny! nears the finish line, I am disappointed with the material. Lone Wolf, Numbered Days, and Fashion Awards are all pretty unremarkable. Wrong About Bobby is fine enough, but by the time it appears it is hard not to be disenchanted with the work as a whole. And even album closer Somebody Loves You is decent, just not worth waiting out the end in order to partake.
Shootenanny! is a hit and miss affair. E seems to have used up all his quirkiest creative juices on his MC Honky side project. I miss his use of unusual instruments, electronic elements, and samples. Shootenanny! will certainly appeal to new fans in that the music is much more accessible, but to seasoned Eels listeners this will sound come across as unremarkable. And this really is a shame, as I’ve said time and time again Mark Everett is incredibly talented. This album however is not a reflection of that.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Track Listing:
1. All in a Day's Work
2. Saturday Morning
3. The Good Old Days
4. Love of the Loveless
5. Dirty Girl
6. Agony
7. Rock Hard Times
8. Restraining Order Blues
9. Lone Wolf
10. Wrong About Bobby
11. Numbered Days
12. Fashion Awards
13. Somebody Loves You
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