EELS 'Mistakes of My Youth' , Video Review
too cool for me
The EELS are one of those bands that have the insane loyal fan base of militants. As if a cult of righteous they swear by this group and I have never caught on.
There is great anticipation for their newest album and tour. Northeast tour dates in May are hot tickets and the album The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett’ is due out April 21. Revving up the engines for those events is the release of the single and video titled “Mistakes of My Youth”
The song is bland and slow the vocals raspy and without rhythm and that being said a downright bore to listen to. What it lacks for in ear candy it makes up for in video. I can honestly say I would not survive the song without the video, there was simply no hook.
The video shows the typical boy smoking, drinking, spray painting, fighting and making out with a homeless girl. You know what every 12 year old boy does while on his bike in Idaho or wherever the hell this was filmed. See its so cliche’ that I expected to see Ralph Maccio and the guys from The Outsiders or maybe even Stand By Me show up. The schtick has been done a million times but what I was hoping for was a glimmer of why I should like it at all. I couldnt find anything.
So there I am 4:11 deep in drone music and cliche video. And this is the big excitement? The album by Mark Oliver Everett (aka E) is being described as ‘an extraordinarily vivid and intimate document of a personal struggle.’ Q Magazine have called the record a ‘a genuine tear-jerker’ and Uncut have described it as ‘close to perfect’.
Something is absolutely being jerked- but it aint tears.
Tour Dates
May
29 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center
30 Philadelphia, PA Keswick Theatre
31 Washington, DC The Lincoln Theater
June 2014
1 New York, NY The Apollo Theater
