Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire

by

Eels

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E is back, sporting a ZZ Top beard and a new wolf-man persona. It's been 5 long years since his last proper album, a somber and inward-focused double-CD set entitled "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations." As is typical for Mr. E, quieter albums tend to be followed by noisier ones. However, no matter what ideas E is trying on for size, everything he records is stamped with his unique and compelling persona. This one is no exception.

Sometimes wearing a mask allows us the freedom to show a side of ourselves that we might otherwise be afraid to reveal. Here, E has assumed a persona of sorts, which differs from anything his audience has seen to date. He's a lusty, swaggering wolfman, carrying a cane and prowling the night. This assumed role seems to allow him to project a confidence unheard in much of his material, displayed most clearly on the opening track "Prizefighter" and the single "Fresh Blood." But what makes this album most compelling is when E drops the guise and reveals his true insecurities, as on "The Look You Give That Guy." That dichotomy makes this wolfman seem all the more human, for beneath the fuzz and fangs still lies a fundamentally reflective and at times insecure person.

The conceptual aspect of this disc is fun and meaningful, but never threatens to overwhelm the content. Song-for-song, this is one of E's best collections. Almost every one of these tracks could stand on its own as a single. The stripped-down sound that E has featured on some of his rawer albums (Souljacker, for example) is in full effect and really works in E's favor. Overall the man sounds energized, mature and confident, always with something interesting and often poignant to say.

E remains the consummate cult artist, and in many ways it's not surprising. His unflinching portraits of insecurity and emotion take some getting used to, especially in the current musical climate. Each project he records is something unique and interesting. This is one of his best to date.

Just wanna start by saying I love Eels. They were one of the first bands I fell in love with once I really started getting into music and since then have salivated at every new album. Every CD they've put out has been either a masterpiece or a near-masterpiece so the bar for "Hombre Lobo" has been set pretty high, but unfortunately I just don't feel they hit it this time.

The 12 songs are a mix of upbeat and mellow, more upbeat than previous albums which is where I think things go wrong. E lately hasn't been that great at rocking out (early Eels albums have awesome go-crazy songs but recent attempts IMHO have felt sort of strained and contrived) I dig his voice but the gruff hoarseness just doesn't make for loud singing or screaming. It's much better on the tender, quieter stuff. All the fast songs also sound pretty much identical which is never good. "Lilac Breeze" "Tremendous Dynamite" and "What's A Fella Gotta Do" honestly just made me wince.

"Hombre Lobo" is saved by the slower, what I feel are the more archetype Eels-songs. "That Look You Give That Guy" and "In My Dreams" are nice breezy numbers that are perfect for bummin around on a lazy afternoon. However everything is overshadowed by the tragic "My Timing Is Off" which I think is the best track on here and can be likened to last album's "Railroad Man". (which not surprisingly is my fav song on "Blinking Lights")

Overall it's a good album, it's just more of the same. E is a great lyricist but how many songs can he possibly write about being an outsider looking for love? Musically it's good, but isn't very creative and creativity is what we expect from Eels given how original they've proven themselves to be. I feel like I could've come up with most of these songs myself. It's a cliched thing to say, but this is a perfect example of a CD that's better than most of what's out there but for what the artist is capable of...it's sort of a miss. "Hombre Lobo" will be in my CD player for awhile, but I'm sticking with "Daisies of the Galaxy" when someone asks what album is the best to get into Eels with.