Say hello to Hombre Lobo, the 7th studio album from Eels. And I must say that I love it. E has once again shown his mastery of his craft and provided us with a delightfully cohesive album full of the bands trademark distortion and catchy little ditties. Let’s delve a little deeper, shall we?
All in all, the album shows a very strong classic rock feel, with comparisons easily made to The Beatles and Beach Boys on certain tracks, specifically “My Timing Is Off” and “In My Dreams”. The whole record seems like a throwback to the 1960s and everything it gave us, moving from Brit-Pop to Beach Rock and even some slight girl-group sounds. “Prizefighter”, the opening track could be likened to something that would have come off of a Rolling Stones album, with a little extra twang thrown in. “That Look You Give That Guy” is slower, prettier and somewhat sad and “Lilac Breeze” is upbeat, driving, and the perfect summertime beach song.
I could go track by track, giving you mini descriptions of each song, but one thing can definitely be said about Hombre Lobo. It sounds like Eels. The basic summary is that it’s a typical Eels album with strong 60s influence, right down to rhythms, chord changes and harmonies. It could probably be likened most to 2000’s Daisies of the Galaxy and just like songs from every other Eels album, you’re likely to hear these tunes in commercials, movies and TV shows abound. I would especially love to see the album’s lead single “Fresh Blood” used in HBO’s “True Blood”. Not just because of the title, but the song actually fits with it’s dark, shoegaze meets industrial feel.
If you’re an Eels fan, get it–love it–add it to the collection. If you’re an Eels rookie, it’s not a bad album to start with. It’s nowhere near the caliber of 1996’s Beautiful Freak, but it’s certainly far from sucking.
Yesterday, Original Signal Recordings releases The Sounds‘ new album, Crossing The Rubicon. The band just recently recorded a video at Brooklyn’s Glasslands for premiere single “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake”, which you can check out here.
Dot to Dot Festival headliners Friendly Fires have had one hell of a year so far. In February, the band played at the NME Shockwaves Awards show; their Carnival-inspired performance of "Jump in the Pool" complete with Brazilian dancers and musicians was easily the most memorable of the night. Through March and April, they co-headlined the "NME Presents" Tour with fellow English band White Lies, traversing North America, delighting audiences everywhere they went, and garnering excellent live reviews. This included playing to a packed tent of adoring, sweaty fans at Coachella. Then they went home to two sold-out shows at North London’s HMV Forum.
In summer music festival land, there is no rest for the weary, and this is also true for Friendly Fires, who have a extremely packed festival appearance schedule for the year that would make any high-level executive's head spin. It’s been a while since dance music of any description has captured my attention, but when I heard their “let’s get away from all of this” anthemic “Paris” last year on British radio, I didn’t stand a chance. I was hooked. In my mission to see Friendly Fires perform in smallish clubs in Britain before they get to the massive stadium level – where I feel they're destined for, if reaction to their first album is any indication – I couldn't have done any better than seeing them at Rock City in Nottingham, headlining the Dot to Dot Festival there, exactly 2 months on from when I'd seen them the first time in my hometown of Washington D.C.
At Rock City, the excitement in the air was palpable as their crew set up their gear. There were the expected pieces: guitars and amps for guitarist Edd Gibson and touring musician Rob Lee, and the synths and mike stand for gyrating frontman Ed Macfarlane. More curious were some other, odder items: a green sparkly drum kit for drummer Jack Savidge, two seemingly innocuous UFO-looking things that later were revealed to be the ultimate in stage strobe lighting, and a small cordless vacuum. The lights went down, and the crowd went mental as the lads from St. Albans bounded on stage to take their places. Ed Macfarlane went to school at Nottingham Trent University, just down the street from Rock City, so it was a homecoming of sorts for him, I'm sure he was stoked being back.
The Fires have this special chemistry that results in creating a crazy, all-out party atmosphere from the first notes played that guarantee the most motionless person will have their toes tapping in short order. I dare you to find someone who doesn't get drawn into the band's kaleidoscope world of feel good, catchy dance music. You can't help but join in the revelry. My favorite song from their debut album, "Lovesick", was a right corker straight out of the gate as their first song in Nottingham. This was followed by a blinding version of "Jump in the Pool"; Ed pumping his fist in the air was just the encouragement the crowd needed to dance wildly, so much that I held on tight to the barrier as to not lose my footing or my perfect viewing position!
One major difference since I saw them in D.C: they've added a brass section – saxophone and trumpet – to their live performance. Several songs have been reworked to incorporate the horns, to fantastic results. In particular, "Photobooth" in its new arrangement was amazing in that it was both familiar and refreshingly new, just as promised personally by Edd and Ed. After their megahit "Paris" and a faked stage exit, the band returned to the stage for "Exlover", a song Ed regards as the perfect set ender because it allows him and his band the latitude to really rock out. And that they did. Ed steadied himself on bass, and sang the refrain of "you're all I need…!" to us, and the crowd responded riotously as if to say they felt the same way. Guitarist Edd got everyone in the club clapping, then later utilized the aforementioned vacuum to make some sonically novel sounds on his electric. And if humanly possible, drummer Jack beat his skins with even more gusto than before.
Then the lights came back up. It was over. After the 40-minute set, I wiped my brow, took a deep breath, and turned to see the crowd already dispersing, the floor littered with bottles and plastic cups. It was almost incomprehensible to me that just minutes before, I had been holding on for dear life amidst a crushing sea of bodies that were grooving to Friendly Fires's every beat, and I loved every minute of it. I can say this for certain: I won't ever forget this night in Nottingham.
Set List Lovesick Jump in the Pool Skeleton Boy In the Hospital White Diamonds Photobooth Strobe On Board Paris // Exlover
