Misery has always been a source of twisted inspiration for Eels (aka
Mark Oliver Everett), a multi-instrumentalist who had the misfortune of
having both mother and sister pass away shortly after the release of
his 1996 debut Beautiful Freak. On his seventh studio album,
Everett goes the concept album route by basing these dozen cuts on the
self-described notion of “desire … dreadful intense want.” Unlike the
chamber-pop nuances of his 1998 opus Electro-Shock Blues,
Hombre Loco is a more stripped-down affair punctuated by a
trademark creaky vocal style similar to that of Beck.
Yearning wrapped in a blanket of self-pity is a driving motivator,
whether Everett is moaning about how if I were that guy instead of
me, I’d never let you down throughout the airy strum and jangle of
“That Look You Give That Guy” or growls and yelps about his solitude
over a bare-bones rhythm in the sinister “Fresh Blood.” Elsewhere,
disappointment over missed opportunity emits from the otherwise
innocuous gently rocking pop of “My Timing Is Off,” while a springy
Motown cadence and clanging bells adorn the wedding proposal at the
heart of “Beginner’s Luck.”
But while Everett’s creative intentions make for a pleasurable
listening experience, nothing here quite sticks to the old brainpan the
way past triumphs like “Novocaine for the Soul,” “Mr E’s Beautiful
Blues,” and “Saturday Morning” do. (Vagrant)
