31 Flavors Of Horror! HOMBRE LOBO.
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Location
Other Music
15 E. 4th St.
Manhattan, NY
United States
Let’s change things up with a music review!
EELS is a rock band. EELS is music for geeks, freaks, weirdos, and sad-faced loners who wish they weren’t. But have EELS done gone and made a concept album about a wolfman?
They may have! The title, HOMBRE LOBO, translates to WOLF MAN en inglés. The album is filled with spontaneous whoops and hollers, and if you’ve ever seen the band’s frontman and lead songwriter (see the album cover below), you know that there’s a lot of facial hair going on. Pictures of wolves adorn the album art.
Let’s go track by track and see how this thing develops…
1. Prizefighter: The first sound you hear is a tentative howl, and despite the title, the song and lyrics sound more like the thoughts of a guy who isn’t psyched in the process of psyching himself up.
2. That Look You Give That Guy: A sweet, timid, unrequited love song. Check out the neat video here – it involves the broad from Top Chef and a dog, both of whom Mr. E is trying to win over.
3. Lilac Breeze: This is modest, charming, high-energy rock that indicates why EELS is selected for so many comedy soundtracks. But listen to those lyrics – the narrator, if he is the same guy from the previous two songs, is getting increasingly frustrated. “Girl I want it bad,” “I’m a desperate man,” etc.
4. In My Dreams: This song is a return to the sweetness of “That Look…” with double the sweetness and optimism – the word “funnest” is employed. But sequenced where it is, the song feels like a bit of a delusion. All this nice relationship stuff, but only in dreams.
5. Tremendous Dynamite: Here’s a white-guy blues stomper reminiscent of The White Stripes that is pretty catchy, even if the vocals are a little oppressive. And if we’re going with our wolfman theme, the lyrics are telling, beginning as they do with “I AM El Hombre Lobo!”
6. The Longing: With this song, the album’s tempo again takes a dive, and so too does the mood. A pattern is forming on the album, for every loud song there is a softer one to follow. It would seem like “El Hombre Lobo” is not exactly bringing home what he sets out on the town to find. E’s raspy vocals are particularly emotive here. (Not for nothing, but that song title would make a decent werewolf movie title.)
7. Fresh Blood: Arguably the album’s standout song, “Fresh Blood” is a trip-hoppy Halloweeny electro-swinger. There are full-on howls on this track. But is the album’s narrator literally becoming a wolfman hungry for blood, or is he just telling himself to forget his one-woman obsession and go find some new stuff?
8. What’s A Fella Gotta Do: An over-excited ‘60s-style Brit-rock kind of a song that breaks the up-down pattern that the album had been establishing, except of course for what’s going on with the lyrics: The narrator was unsuccessful in forgetting that one girl, he’s still fixated on her, and he’s getting impatient again.
9. My Timing Is Off: This song sounds sunny like a California afternoon, evoking some of those ‘70s California bands. The lyrics tentatively reflect that sunny feeling, but they’re also pretty downbeat. The narrator seems to be getting an inkling that it won’t work out with that girl, the timing just isn’t right.
10. All The Beautiful Things: The lyrics here are in direct opposition to the music, although they work together perfectly. A simple strumming guitar is the basis of the tune, abetted by strings and chimes. The narrator has gone back to making his case with that girl as to what a nice boyfriend he’d make, but this approach doesn’t seem to be working either and there’s a touch of melancholy creeping in.
11. Beginner’s Luck: Again, breaking the album’s happy-sad pattern, “Beginner’s Luck” is an anthemic barroom sing-along that’ll get your toes tapping, complete with “WHOA-OH-OH” backing vocals. But what is this song celebrating? Did he finally get the girl? The lyrics head to a moment where a ring is put on a woman’s hand, after all. Hmmm. Considering the way things were working out up until now, that seems like a bit of a leap, doesn’t it? Has the narrator gone away off into authentic delusion…?
12. Ordinary Man: This song strips it all down to the most direct elements: Just a man and his guitar. E’s gravelly yet tender vocals, the hopeful lyrics, and the tentative guitar sound, with synthesizers creeping in around the edges. If this album truly is of a piece, and I feel sure that it is supposed to be, then this song represents the narrator realizing things aren’t going as well as he was acting in the previous tune, but damn it he’s still hoping for a chance. He’s resigned, yet somehow still optimistic.
That’s the thing about this band’s music – there’s a weird innocence to it, a dogged optimism even in the face of insurmountable evidence to the contrary mounted by all of reality. It’s impressive how many different styles EELS can employ in pursuit of a point. Their mainstream and radio chances aren’t good, but maybe it’s better to be interesting than popular. To answer the question I laid out at the beginning: No, this isn’t a concept album about a wolfman, after all. Instead, it’s a concept album about a man who wishes he could be more like a wolfman, because then maybe he could get what he wants, what he probably even deserves, from the sound of it. This is an album for the guys who keep romance in their hearts on a Saturday night even when it’s easier to be a jerk, and it’s an album for those girls who still value such a creature. Hombre Lobo serves sad with a smile, and it’s one of EELS’ best, most cohesive albums yet. A victory.
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