Electro‐Shock Blues by The Eels

Electro-Shock Blues, the second Eels album, came out on DreamWorks on September 21, 1998, in Britain and on October 20 in the States, and it's a record that stares straight at death, loss and tragedy. Mark Oliver Everett, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who goes by E, made it with producer Mickey Petralia and drummer Butch, and the result is far darker than its predecessor, Beautiful Freak.

What keeps it from sinking is E's cracked, weary voice and melodies that feel almost tender in the face of all that grief. "Last Stop - This Town" and "P.S. You Rock My World" became its countdown staples. Critics took to it, and Britain did too, sending it to number 12 and eventually gold, though it sold far less than Beautiful Freak and never charted in America.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.