Offering a novel twist on the post-grunge and lo-fi norms of American indie rock, Eels hatched in the bohemian Echo Park area of Los Angeles in 1995. The band was the brainchild of E (b. Mark Oliver Everett, 10 April 1963, McLean, Virginia, USA; vocals, guitar, keyboards), who had previously recorded two acclaimed solo albums for Polydor Records in the early 90s, and drummer Butch Norton (b. Jonathan Norton, 21 March 1958, USA). After finding bass player Tommy Walter (b. 30 October 1970, Pasadena, California, USA) at LA's Mint Club, the trio was picked up by Michael Simpson, half of the Dust Brothers and an A&R man for DreamWorks Records. "Novocaine For The Soul" was a big US college/alternative hit in 1996, with a tension-and-release structure that seemed a throwback to the rock basics laid down by the Pixies and Nirvana, accentuated by characteristically indie themes of alienation and depression. The single and the follow-up "Susan's House' also made the UK Top 10. Despite their apparently conventional power trio line-up, the band's music evinced a fascination with sonic experimentation. Co-producer Simpson's dance music background and experience of sampling expanded Beautiful Freak"s overall sound with hip-hop rhythm loops, and all three band members brought unexpected textures to play: Norton's cannibalized drum kit included a fire-alarm bell and part of a heating duct; Walter doubled on French horn; and E proclaimed himself a devotee of the ghostly Theremin, the only instrument the musician does not touch.
Walter left the band prior to the recording of the 1998 follow-up, Electro-Shock Blues, which was informed by several tragedies in E's personal life, most notably the near simultaneous suicide of his sister and his mother's terminal illness. The album's fascination with mortality found beautiful expression on compelling tracks such as "Last Stop: This Town", "Cancer For The Cure" and "My Descent Into Madness". Now effectively a vehicle for E's musical vision, the Eels returned in 2000 with the mellow Daisies Of The Galaxy. The album featured the stand-out tracks "Mr E's Beautiful Blues" (another UK Top 10 hit, the riff lifted from the McCoys' "I Got To Go Back") and "It's A Motherfucker". Everett received a rebuke from President George W. Bush for writing "obscene" songs, which prompted the release of an "edited" version of the album.
Following the release of an Internet only live album documenting the ambitious 2000 tour by the Eels Orchestra, Everett took to dressing up as notorious US terrorist, the Unabomber, to promote 2001's disappointing Souljacker. This edgy and largely tuneless album was co-written and co-produced by John Parish. Another Internet live album and an E solo album under the guise of MC Honky paid testament to Everett's prolific work ethic and preceded the next dispatch from the Eels, Shootenanny! This 2003 release saw Everett largely ditching the experimental leanings of Souljacker and the MC Honky album in favour of old-fashioned songcraft, winning back a number of critics and fans in the process.
Everett subsequently switched labels within the Universal empire, signing a new recording contract with the Vagrant Records label. He also parted company with Butch Norton. The first Eels release for Vagrant was 2005's excellent double album Blinking Lights And Other Revelations, a project which Everett had been working on for over eight years. The tour to support the album saw Everett working with a string quartet, an enterprise later documented on the Eels With Strings: Live At Town Hall release. In 2007, a television documentary on the UK's BBC Four channel followed Everett as he delved into his father's work as a pioneering physicist. Everett published his autobiography at the start of the following year.
