Accept Cookies...
By TIM DAVID HARVEY
Defying death, both literal and critical, the Eels are back again, slippery when wet, for 'Cookie Happened'. Inspired by the Sesame Street monster that loves chocolate chip baked goods, complete with a neon green, slam-dunking skeleton. 'Cap In Hand' ("here is the church/here is the steeple/open the door see, all the broken people" reminding me of games with my Gran), at your door with the lead single for their sweet sixteenth set, Mark Oliver Everett (E) and the boys in the band are still as fresh as the day they went to 'Susan's House', with 'Novocaine For The Soul' spluttering out as 'Beautiful Freaks' in '96. And that still must be her sister. It must be her sister...right?!
Two years ago, the Eels showed us in a scorching summer that it was 'Eels Time!' once again in a powerful and profound comeback album for the 'Daisies Of The Galaxy' legends. The subtle sonics of 'IF I'M GONNA GO ANYWHERE' and the simple notion of the lyrics, "love, what else is there, but love/What else is there?", still on my playlist, remains my personal favourite track of 2024. And despite being 'Clobbered', 'Bamboozled Again' and 'Lost and Barking', E knows it was all worth it on a beautiful break-up album of sorts whose disc would have either been in your stereo, or on top of all the other jewel cases next to it, back in the 90s, for how much you'd play it. "All of this will be forgotten. Every joy, accomplishment and hardship will one day become so irrelevant it will be as if none of it occurred," Everett tells us. "But as the great philosopher of our times, Cookie Monster once said: ‘Me no cry because cookie is finished. Me smile because cookie happened.’ This will all be forgotten. But isn’t it still a beautiful thing that it happened?"
Now, making a mark and taking a bite, it's not 'All Forgotten' on the single with the beautiful B-side of 'I'm On Standby' which is really here for you, even when the record doesn't play. Lyrics lingering like, "They broke your heart, looks like the end/I'm on standby/Your car is broken, your dog got sick/And it's cold/The boss can't wait to fire you/I'm on standby." The kindness, that like a friend, we all need in these troubled times. 'Taking Pictures' sharpens the focus with Mark Oliver putting us in the frame of "No one loves you in New York/Don't try making her go up north/And no one gets you back in Hollywood." The Los Feliz, Los Angeles, CA band bring back the 'New Story' with pages of guitar breaks and Hollywood like orchestral strings that show us their sound is timeless, "never a bore." On a swing, 'Congratulations To Me' offers that same celebration of joy in harmony with harps. Freakishly beautiful these indie legends and the rock alternative you forgot you were waiting for to come back.
'One Razzle, One Dazzle' continues that sleight of hand, one-two punch. "You gotta wow them, zonk, biff, and pow them/That's what my dad used to say", Mark Oliver E advises like a caped crusader in Adam West era, 60s tights. All you Burt Ward's will love the 'Dum Dums' that come shooting next, picking up that electric bright red telephone. Engaged with the lines, "I wish the world was just a beautiful place/A generous smile upon each and every face/Good-hearted people sharing all the riches/But the world's chock-full of dum-dums and little b#####s." The inspired instrumental break helping you put this all in perspective. In the end, 'The Way I Was Made' curtain does it E's way on electrics strummed like acoustics with the soars. "The gifts that I possess/Don't come without duress/It's just part of the deal/It's the way I was made/I didn't ask for any of it/But I try to make it work." In a day and age where New Music is forgotten way before the next Friday, we have another subtle classic on our hands that we should refuse to allow to be slept on. Don't reject all this happening, Cookie.
Playlist Picks: 'Cap In Hand', 'Taking Pictures', 'I'm On Standby'.
Spin This: Eels - 'Eels Time!'
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