Apocalypses aren’t so bad

Eels lead man Mark Oliver Everett starts off his new album “End Times” with a quiet ballad “The Beginning,” which emits depressed and somber undertones. Everett is known for making songs that deal with tough life subjects like broken hearts, insanity and death, which has made him a generally sad man in my eyes, a view which this album clearly supports.

Yet the second track, “Gone Man,” is strangely upbeat, reminiscent of The Beatles with a straight-forward guitar riff and poppy melodic vocals. But, as expected, Everett manages to make even this song depressing with his lyrics: “I just want comfort in a dying world / I’m not the only one who’s feeling this pain.”

The single from the album, “A Line in the Dirt,” features a soft piano while Everett busts out a baby-soft falsetto for the chorus.

This album has a nice flow, with a refreshing use of horns and quiet vocals mixed with sweet melodies and paradoxically depressing lyrics. “End Times” was much more folk-sounding than expected, which is an interesting change from his earlier experimental and electronic albums.