Oddly electrifying

Review Score: (8/10)
Bought this CD back in '96 for $6.99 (a price the store was charging for 'new and upcoming' bands); it still gets airtime in my CD player. Too bad it only peaked at #114 in the Billboard Albums chart. Doesn't matter, it's still a great CD. Even though E's lyrics can get depressing and morbid, the oddly bright music always manages to lift them up. This album can be thought of in the vein of a dysfunctional 'Pet Sounds'. If you like your music a bit off center, but still accessible, then I highly recommend this CD. I can't see dreck like N'Sync, Britney Spears, or any other Star-Search-like bombast ever getting to this level of pop-rock.

More Reviews:

• memorably beautiful
• Debut, a little up and down but a classic
• Today could be your lucky day...
• I am impressed
• This album is its own littler microcosm.
• one day the world will be ready for you.
• Not electrical EELS
• Strange but lovely
• THE EELS--FULL PROOF PLAN TO SUCESS
• Tried to get into it, but....
• One of the most beautiful, sad CDs I own
• Not a masterpiece.
• You Must Hear This Record...You Must Hear This Record...
• incredible, depressing, oddly beautiful musical achievement
• A Revelation
• A Must Have
• The eels Rock!
• the cd that complete's any music lovers collection.
• ...
• Anybody who wants creativity check this album out...........
• One of my favorite CD's ever
• Beautiful
• Brilliant Debut!!!
• Beautiful E
• Good beats, bad guitar
• Amazing
• Outcast
• It deserves 10 stars!
• Beautiful Freak
• Strangely fascinating, give it a listen
• One of the best albums ever made. 6 stars!
• A real pleasant surprise
• In My Top Fifty of All Time
• Eels For The Soul
• A truly excellent unknown group.
• Excellent debut from Eels
• The most unknown genius of music is the group Eels
• The most important album that I have ever listened to
• One of the best unknown groups out there
• Beautiful indeed.
• absolutely beautiful
• spontaneous buy proves life saving
• melancholic, but still strangely uplifting
• Wonderful!
• The best
• Beautiful
• brilliant
• Breathtakingly smooth and depressingly uplifting
• This is pretty so-so...
• Original and very cool.
• This is one of the greatest albums I've ever heard.
• Very good the second time around
• This is the best debut album i have ever heard!
• Beautiful
• Beautiful! A masterpiece! Awesome lyrics!!
• Masterpiece
• best album of late 90s