LOSING all his immediate family in quick succession - his mother to cancer and sister to suicide - could easily have finished Eels' elusive mastermind.
But Mark Everett - aka E - spent seven years composing this 33-track double album as a way of dealing with the grief. And in doing so he has created a masterpiece. For an album largely about death, it is wonderfully uplifting.
E's gift for picking out heartbreaking melodies is remarkable and his unique voice their perfect companion. Just when you think he is engulfed by suicidal self-pity, the album throws up an upbeat, maddeningly catchy song of hope. Try Hey Man and Losing Streak.
Haunting instrumentals also pepper both CDs. Things The Grandchildren Should Knows is perhaps his finest track, closing this epic in typical open-hearted style. Grief has never sounded so good.
Updated: 09:19 Thursday, May 05, 2005
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