Wonderful, Glorious

Eels - Wonderful, Glorious
Critic Score
Based on 31 reviews
2013 Ratings: #464 / 1115
User Score
Based on 63 ratings
2013 Rank: #421
Liked by 3 people
February 5, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
Vagrant, Cobraside / Label
Indie Rock / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

85
Under the Radar

The gorgeous ditties are still there on tracks such as "Accident Prone," but this melodic spell is often abruptly broken by those louder, raucous moments: this might be the first of the band's revolving casts to actually sound as though they're having a hell of a good time.

83
A.V. Club

Eels’ 10th album doesn’t sound all that different than the ones that preceded it. Everett and his band mix jagged alt-rock and murky swamp-pop with bluesy shuffles and fractured art-rock. 

80
musicOMH

Whether he has been re-invigorated by love, his new band or just from old-fashioned growing up, Mark Everett and Eels re-define themselves here with exhilarating success, putting all associations with misery out of mind with a compelling finality.

80
DIY

One of the consistently brilliant musicians working today hasn't let us down yet.

80
NME

E’s tragedy-filled life has been well documented, so part of the triumph of this record is just how upbeat he sounds while talking about everything from love and loss to mortality itself.

75
The 405

While not as strong a collection as Hombre Lobo, or any of the first three or four albums, Wonderful, Glorious boasts at least one nailed-on Greatest Hits contender ('True Original') and has very few actual low points.

70
No Ripcord

Wonderful, Glorious is a solid Eels record, with some of the best arrangements they have ever written.  However, despite E's sunny new disposition, the subpar lyrics drag the album down quite a bit. 

70
PopMatters

Glorious is consistently captivating if perhaps a lighter serving of Eel, marginally missing the masterful, cathartic storytelling and haymaker knockout punch of their finest work.

60
Drowned in Sound

Not all of the tracks hit their mark, and this is a far cry from the standard of much of E's earlier material.

60
Paste

It feels as raw and immediate as anything Eels have released in nearly a decade. 

50
Consequence of Sound

E might be more at peace with himself and his solitude, but Wonderful, Glorious isn’t the sort of reinvention that Everett wants it to be. 

CheapandLethal
75

Decent

tha138
64

Seriously BIG.
... but where's the fun E?
Is the party over?

80

I didn't think E had anything left in him after his the trio of albums he released prior to this one(Hombre Lobo(2009), End Times(2010), and Tomorrow Morning(2010), but I was proved wrong with this "Wonderful, Glorious" album(see what I did there?)! Eels calls on the likes of Beck and Bob Dylan for the sound on this album, and that's never a bad combination if you know how to use it right. While I have a feeling this is probably Eels' last album, it's definitely ... read more

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Track List

  1. Bombs Away 
  2. Kinda Fuzzy 
  3. Accident Prone 
  4. Peach Blossom 
  5. On the Ropes 
  6. The Turnaround 
  7. New Alphabet 
  8. Stick Together 
  9. True Original 
  10. Open My Present 
  11. You’re My Friend 
  12. I Am Building a Shine 
  13. Wonderful, Glorious

Year End Lists

#37/Drowned in Sound
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Added on: October 22, 2012