EELS
Extreme Witchcraft EWORKS
Old black magic still works for beautiful freak
7/10
“I can lay down my muddy shoes on the dining room floor if that’s what I choose”, sings Mark ‘E’ Everett on the Monochrome Set-ish “Strawberries And Popcorn”, the chief Eel having returned to the happily single/slightly unhinged phase of his musical cycle for album No 14. With John Parish back as producer for the first time since 2001’s sabre-toothed Souljacker, Extreme Witchcraft snaps and snarls more than usual (with “What It Isn’t” positively barking), but wit, tunes and third-degree self-awareness continue to serve the postgrunge Randy Newman well.