IN REVIEW: Eels - "Extreme Witchcraft"
Perhaps most dubiously impressive is that this long and full career has happened almost overwhelmingly under the radar; like most artists who came about in the post-grunge alt-rock frenzy of the mis-to-late '90s, Eels' best-remembered projects are the earliest. Second album, 1998's Electro-Shock Blues, is widely praised as their emotional and artistic peak, and it's hard to argue that it's as close to a classic album as Eels have produced. However, Eels' discography is far-ranging and has featured a great deal of wildly varying styles while maintaining a consistent level of quality songwriting, which may not have resulted in a plethora of highly recognizable or successful tunes but has offered more than enough for longtime fans to chew on over the decades.
Perhaps one of Eels' most beloved sonic detours is their fourth album; 2001's Souljacker found Mark Oliver Everett in full-on scuzzy blues rocker mode and, with producer John Parish, co-creating a gleefully greasy platter of high-caliber songs. So, with Extreme Witchcraft seeing Parish return to work with E for the first time since, the Souljacker comparisons started writing themselves.
The thing is, yes, some of those old vibes are here; much of the music here is vibrant, and this is perhaps Eels' most rock-centric album since Hombre Lobo over a decade ago. It's also a much more energetic record than those who have stayed in touch with Eels' sound over the years might be used to, although there are moments of vulnerability as well (such as the tender, longing So Anyway).
Like Souljacker, Extreme Witchcraft throws it back. There are several callbacks to classic rock, blues and even R&B (I see you, Steam Engine) stylings of the past here; the jangly, guitar heavy Amateur Hour opens the album with the proverbial foot on the pedal, while fuzz punctuates singles Good Night On Earth and The Magic, the latter of which also gets a sprinkle of, er, magic by way of some airy keys on its chorus.
That said, pump the brakes if you're expecting a true successor to Souljacker; this isn't as grimy or against the grain as that album was. This shouldn't be held to the album's detriment, and I don't mean to say there isn't anything weird here (hello, Grandfather Clock Strikes Twelve); I'm just saying, twenty years happened between Souljacker and now, and there was simply no way things weren't going to hit different this time. It offers better-executed musicianship and has the benefit of experience going for it; it just lacks some of the hunger and grit that Souljacker had, as is what generally happens when bands have been going for over a quarter century.
So, I guess what I'm getting at (and what should be obvious) is that it's completely unfair to compare the two records simply based on Parish's involvement. While he clearly brought out a fresh reserve of rocking energy from Eels, Extreme Witchcraft falls far more in line with the measured, mature offerings they've trended toward in the years since; if there's a more telling case in point than Learning While I Lose, one of the album's lightest, brightest tunes being quite possibly the album's best song, I didn't get a chance to hear it.
At the end of the day, this album might evoke the odd twinge of nostalgia for fans of Souljacker or casual listeners who remember a handful of their singles from around the turn of the millennium, but its fullest effects will be felt by die-hards; those who understand that, while it may never get as good as it was back in the day, each new Eels album will reliably give you at least a few new reasons to be happy you stuck around.
January 28, 2022 • EWorks/PIAS
Highlights Amateur Hour • The Magic • Learning While I Lose
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