Eels - Beautiful Freak

The Eels come from Echo Park, a Los Angeles suburb infamous for its drug dealing, low life and uneasy streets. But actually "The Eels" are, more or less, made up of just one man - the mercurial 'E' (known to the CIA as Mark Oliver Everett). The Eels are perhaps the contemporary band that are most obviously influenced by the Beatles. I've always regarded "E" as one of the best songwriters around in terms of pure melody, and he also curiously possesses both Lennon's sardonic wit and Paul McCartney's tweeness. Of course, such fandom is given the usual post-modern twist and comparisons come easy to the similarly styled ironic alternative darlings Pavement and Beck. The Eels do manage to capture both Stephen Malkmus' sense of melody and Beck's clever post-modern stylings.

Born April 9, 1963, in Virginia, Everett became interested in rock music at an early age via his sister's record collection, and began playing drums at the age of six (as well as tinkering on his family's piano). After his father's passing just a few years later, Everett began leading a troubled teenage life, being arrested and expelled from school. But the turmoil led to an even stronger interest in music for Everett, as he taught himself how to play his sister's guitar, and shortly thereafter wrote his own original compositions. Eventually "E" moved to Los Angeles where he knew not one person. There, he eventually meet the other members and recorded their impressive debut, "Beautiful Freak"