CD: THE EELS: HOMBRE LOBO: 12 Songs of Desire (2009)
In college, my roommate introduced me to the Eels. I have one of their CDs, but they have not always been on my radar. This of course all changed when I heard E, the lead singer, interviewed on NPR.
The beauty of this new album struck me hard when I heard it for the first time. The music alternates between soft and hard, but the lyrics stay consistent along this theme of desire, hence the subtitle of the album.
What strikes me on this album is a distinct voice singing about the universal thoughts of love and pain, yet it seems so fresh. One of my favorite parts of hearing new music is when I hear one song and must hear the rest of the album and am then pleased with its entirety. With Hombre Lobo, you have just that. Every other track goes back and forth between beautiful melodies and heavy guitars, and for anyone who’s ever felt desire, there is no better way to illustrate it.
