CD of The Week

The new album from the ever-rotating cast of the eels, led by always-present frontman Mark Oliver Everett or “E” has arrived. Eighteen years since the release of their first album; The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett is intense and simple, filled with longing lyrics that ground you in the present. You can almost sense yourself sitting by the campfire while he serenades you with songs of missed moments - and perhaps - the growth that accompanies these moments.

A gruff voice welcomes you on the second track of the album that reminds you of Bob Dylan. “Woke up lost in a world I didn't know. I shook it off and I'm trying to make a go. Ever get the feeling that the story isn't done? And you know that you are not the only one?” Everett’s storytelling ability leads you into the album with this verse. It sets you up to wonder along with his lyrics. Tiny sounds that mimic a toy piano in “Series of Misunderstandings” playfully interact with E’s falsetto voice. The record is full of the tension between the complication of his lyrics and the simplicity of the sound.

“Dead Reckoning” is heavy in sound and lyrics. It takes weighted and struggled steps towards the ultimate (and somewhat cliché) statement of, “I can't change you. I can't change anyone.” While most of the album can feel like a dark look back, there is a bit of hope. “Where I’m From” has a breezy reminiscence and a positive retrospect, while the comforting, friendly sound of twanging guitar might remind you of Wilco.

The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett is a straightforward, simple yet elegant album that you will listen to this summer to contemplate the past winter. eels play the Keswick Theateron Friday, May 30th.