Eels, aka Mark Oliver Everett, has had a twisting career stocked with 16 confessional albums of songs that range from soaring orchestral pop to quiet minimalism. Everett, starting from Eels only major hit, "Novocaine for the Soul," had a unique brand of quiet pop song-writing that came from a dark place but never relied on brash or overly dissonant noise.
The songs were always beautiful, almost hopeful sounding with melodies played out on bells and other instruments that can draw up memories of childhood. The combination of meloncholia and undercurrents of youth could draw one to the conclusion that these songs are a sort of fairy tales for adults. (Not the kind with happy endings, but the ones where unspeakable things happen to Little Red Riding Hood.) Stories for sad adults. Drunk adults.
You could argue that every Eels album was cautionary tales of one Mark Oliver Everett. Well, the next album from the Eels is literally The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett. CTO MOE will be released on April 22 and you can check out a teaser trailer for the album with a 61 second excerpt from the album.
via Stereogum