Blinking Lights And Other Revelations

Eels

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 26, 2005)
• Original Release Date: April 26, 2005
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Vagrant Records
• ASIN: B0007Y8AMO
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,297 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Blinking Lights and Other Revelations is a big, important record that's also devastatingly somber. Which, depending on how serious an Eels fan you are and the sturdiness of your psyche, can be taken as an endorsement or a warning. Shades of the band's superb sophomore effort, Electro-Shock Blues, recorded after the suicide of Everett's sister and the death of his father, show up here on such wounded tracks as "Checkout Blues," "If You See Natalie," and "I'm Going to Stop Pretending I Didn't Break Your Heart." Permeating those are instrumental snippets, some sad and ponderous ("Theme from Blinking Lights"), others bordering on bright ("Theme for a Pretty Girl that Makes You Believe God Exists"), and a handful of ironic exercises in straight-up pop (the winking "Going Fetal" and the cynical but upbeat "Hey Man [Now You're Really Living]"). Spread over two discs, the mood of Blinking Lights burns in fast and builds in its ferocity, so that when lighter moments like the funny "Whatever Happened to Soy Bomb" surface, they seem like ominous breaks in the storm. Though these songs make it easy to forget that Everett's gruff, fuzzed-over vocals have also graced fare breezy enough to be included on the Shrek soundtrack, their beauty delivers a thoughtful listener from caring. --Tammy La Gorce

Product Description

A homemade epic, 'Blinking Lights'is an imaginative, emotional reflection on the condition of living, recorded mostly in Everett's Los Angeles basement over a period of several years. Sprawling over it's two discs are songs about faith, responsibility, growing up, dignity, disappointment, comfort, hope and renewal. It's the most personal eels album since 1998's Electro Shock Blues'. That album dealt with the nearly simultaneous suicide of Everett's sister and terminal illness of his mother, from the subjects' points of view. This album finds him a few years down the line, now battling some of the family demons himself, with the after effects of past tragedies becoming more of a personal issue in his adult life, sometimes fearlessly autobiographical, and other times built around the related stories of others. Vagrant. 2005. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tales of Vulnerability, Candor and Courage, April 30, 2005

By	Juan Mobili (Valley Cottage, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A number of reviews that precede mine have already addressed how "Blinking Lights..." compares and rates within Eels discography, so I will not even attempt to do that, since I could not do it better nor offer much of a different opinion.
What I do want to share here, because the power of its music took me there without much of a choice on my part, is how this album stands so firmly and beautifully on its own, and it takes Eels music even farther that it has managed to go so far.
You've probably read already about Eels' "E" Everett's tragic family losses -her mother and sister dying within a short frame of time several years ago, her sibling by committing suicide- and about this double album being a diary of sorts of his coming to terms with these events, written and worked on for close to seven years.
I assume that some people -whether out of empathy, solidarity or morbid curiosity- may have been attracted to this music given reports of his mental fragility and their love for this man's music. In my case -nothing I'm necessarily proud of- when it comes to any art form, the artist's life is secondary: neither something I believe to predict the beauty or value of their work, nor a guarantee of depth because their subject is apparently serious.
Bottom line, I want to hear someone who can say something ... anything -that although very personal- has the capacity to be relevant to my life and help me learn something about the world that I was too busy or too dense to have noticed by myself. In other words, I don't want to read someone else's "journal" but make more sense of mine.
This is where Everett has succeeded so much. Whether you've been through similar or so much grief as he has or not, this music is going to educate your heart and bless you with some of the most moving songs you may hear all year.
As he sings on "The Trouble With Dreams," "the problem with dreams is that you never know / when to hold and when to let go," yet Everett chose, perhaps, the hardest path: to take on every dream and find out which ones keep close and which ones he was ready to say goodbye to.
In that sense, these songs, at times, may be somber but not depressing. There's no wallowing in pain but a diary of personal healing. Honest and sad, hopeful and tender, Eels' songs make his experience matter to anyone human and willing enough to hop on for the ride.
Musically, you can expect the depth and variety he's already shown in past albums: hushed folk confessions, gorgeous pop moments, timely strings and disturbing passages. All in all, this is further proof of Everett's impressive musical breadth and remarkable depth of feeling.
Even if you are a long time fan of Eels, "Blinking Lights ..." is bound to hold surprises for you. If not new sounds perhaps, there will certainly be special moments, where the vulnerability, candor and courage of these songs will take you over, and leave you seeing with new eyes.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Honesty from Eels, July 9, 2005

By	C. Johnson (Orange County, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been on the fence about Eels for many years. The raspy voice of frontman Mark Everett has kept me from buying their albums. I was torn, because I think the songwriting has been quite good, but I can only take so much of his harsh vocals.

Everything changed for me with the release of "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations." The stark and honest material is complemented by Everett's emotive singing. The listener joins Everett through his melancholy journey through life. The trip is broken up with several "rest stops" with reprises of the "Blinking Lights Theme," always presented in a slightly different form. This helps the double disc album hold together as one cohesive piece of work.

Their current sound reminds me a lot of older Wilco, alt.-country/folk/pop, hard to categorize. Everett is like Bob Dylan without the metaphors, his feelings are presented in a plain and concise manner. I don't mean to imply that it's simplistic stuff, just not flowery.

This album is the uncorking of raw emotion without any trace of pretense. Although the band experiments with many unusual timbres, the album does not feel over-produced or self-indulgent. Could this have been cut down to one fantastic disc? Sure. But the passing of time is an important part of the experience. Plug your headphones into your stereo or iPod and take this trip with Eels. It's worth it.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Awesome, Sprawling 2 Disc Set, April 26, 2005

By	Dean Van Nguyen (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't give five stars very often and "Blinking Light and Other Revelations" is the first five star album to be released in a long time. Reportedly recorded over a seven year period, it's probably the most consistent and best 2 disc release since "The White Album".

The man at the center is Eels frontman/songwriter/producer Mark Oliver Everett (usually known as 'E') who famously lost both his mother to cancer and sister to suicide almost simultaneously. His 1998 near classic album "Electro Shock Blues" was a heartfelt and brilliant confessional which had been Eels best album. But it "Electro Shock Blues" was self confessional, "Blinking Lights" plays like a diary of the seven years over which it was recorded which at times reminisces about the past. Even the inlay book contains several pictures from the Everett family archives which cryptically don't reveal the names of the those who appear in them.

Most of the songs are home recorded and stripped down to basics. Gone are the lush, electic guitar driven anthems of "Souljacker". But despite addressing past tragedies, this is an album that rings with hope and optimism. Songs like "Losing Streak" show E in a positive mood. On "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living) he cheerfully declares 'It's not such a bad world'.

Everett shows amazing output by pulling 33 songs out of his hat, none of which could be described as 'filler' making it almost impossible to pick out some standouts but here goes... "Son of a B***h" is trademark E. An upsetting story handled with wit and dark humour. "Suicide Life" is more gentle and serious track driven by a piano. It's immediatly followed by the wonderfully uplifting "In The Yard, Behind The Church".

In contrast 'Trouble With Dreams' is a slightly heavier song featuring a Door's-esqe organ sole. It's still dark enough however to fit the album's themes. "Old S**t, New S**t" is far brighter and could pass for being written by Coldplay. There are also a few nice instrumentals thrown on for good measure. "Theme for a Pretty Girl that Makes You Believe God Exists" and "Bride of Theme from Blinking Lights" for example are particulary beautiful.

"The Other Shoe" would certainly contest the prize of being the best of the 33 songs. It starts as an acoustic masterpiece before winding into a multi layered song where E's voice sounds hopeful as he screams over the middle section.

But of course this is merely an overview. Every song on this brilliant album demands attention. If there is any justice in the world, it won't be long before Eels are accepted by everyone as one of America's greatest contempory bands.