Eels - Shootenanny!

Every time I think of the Eels, I think of E, the band behind the backbone of the band, as a talking carrot. You know, from the video for "Last Stop: This Town". And I have seen E open for Fiona Apple, and I immensely enjoyed the show. Oh, and I enjoyed the big Eels "hit", "Novocaine For The Soul." I liked the black humor in the lyrics, the earnestness of the voice, and the child-like innocence of the music behind the Eels. Well, those are the same things that I really like about Shootenanny. Simple yet elegant, sincere yet enigmatic. Clever. Dry. It's like wine-tasting, listening to this album - You kinda swish the sounds around in your head and try to make out exactly what they mean to you. From the smart breakage in "Love of the Loveless" to the resignated eyeball roll of "Lone Wolf", the album kept suprising me by not suprising me: I never had a moment where I didn't like the album, never had a time where I didn't feel affectionate towards the bard. "Wrong About Bobby" is a great song for those of us who revel in our passive-agressiveness, as is, loosely-translated, "Rock Hard Times." Music that is this fun to listen to is so because it isn't trying to be anything but itself. There's no preachiness, there's no need for "what can I prove/tell/sell/push" onto my listener. Audiences of the Eels have something to be proud of - They are getting genuine fine-crafted product. [www.eelsband.com]