EELS - Wonderful, Glorious

Reminiscent of the debut from the EELS, it sounds like E has went full circle with 'Wonderful, Glorious'.

That's no bad thing though, as Beautiful Freak is the album that most would consider the artists most accessible, and I suppose there's no harm in reminding people why they were initially drawn to the music all those years ago.

As a timely reminder it certainly does the job, and does it well.

While I've personally been happy to tread in his shadow as he has explored new musical territory, it would be fair to accept that it's possible that others maybe fell away over the years, and if that is the case, then what we have here is an impressive flag being waived at them so that they can find their way back to indulge again in the music that the EELS make.

As with much of the material that E writes it is his prose that drags me in.

As a songwriter he's what I would describe as an A-Lister.

Let's just say that it's a bit of a bald fact that clever lyricism never grows old around these here parts, and there's ample proof of it on each and every song that Everett sings on this.

'Small thinking people with their small thinking ways. I don't have time to hear what they say, this is my world I'm staking my claim. Thanks for the invite, no thanks just the same.'

Yeah that's right. Tell it like it is E.

Some may well be calling it a real return to form, but I would disagree as to claim that would mean that the material preceding it could be considered to be of a lesser quality, and it's simply not.

Instead, it's as I have said, not so much a return to form, but more a return to a certain sound that some can look to engage more comfortably with again.

Now you may consider that what I am getting at is that E and his musical cohorts have went out of their way to do this, but I really doubt it has been a calculated move.

It's more about how when we all go on journeys that sometimes we visit places where we have been before, or that have an uncanny resemblance to a previous stop off point that we know well.

So while all the Beautiful Freak signatures are there that make it instantly recognisable as the EELS, it's a through the looking glass experience to an extent.

The same, but very slightly different, and very very worthwhile.