Eels are not an easy band for the uninitiated to get to grips with. For some reason, a band whose lyrical topics include such things as graphic descriptions of suicide victims, incest, and prolonged suffering followed by death, aren't usually the things that one associates with successful pop music. Yet, despite the fact that Mark Everett, the brains behind Eels includes such themes in his music, there can be no doubting that he's been a very successful musician, picking up swags of awards and selling boatloads of albums.

Of course, a couple of years ago, when he released the abysmal failure of an album "Shootenany!", a lot of reviewers, myself included, were willing to write Everett off as another washed up rock star who had finally run out of ideas. A couple of years on, I still feel justified at the harsh treatment that I doled out to that album, despite all the protests and the hatemail that I received for my review, because it was simply a bad album, bereft of any ideas or spark. On the new double-album, "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations", Everett has made a comeback, seemingly coming from nowhere to produce a good, solid album that re-establishes him as a credible musician.

Looking past the garishly fluorescent cover artwork, and you'll find that this is a return to the band's glory days, when the band were noted for their musical unpredictability as much as their uncomfortable lyrics. After the lyrical wasteland of the last album though, it's a relief to hear Everett getting back to business with some good songwriting again. "Do you know what it's like to care too much / Thinking about someone that you'll never touch?", from Hey Man (Now You're Really Living, is the sort of content you can expect here, and it's a welcome return to form.

Of the two discs presented here, the first one is generally a lot more pop-oriented, showing off Everett's ability to write a good hook more than anything else. It's the second disc though, where the ballads break out and philosophical observations are made, which really seals this as a good album, instead of an average one. Like most double-albums, this collection would probably be stronger if it were cut down to a single disc, but none of the songs here are bad enough to really warrant relegation to the cutting room floor.

Mark Everett has undoubtedly been through some tough times, but where a lesser musician might have just wallowed in self-pity, he's turned it into some beautiful, and strangely optimistic songs. I'd even go so far as to say that this album is inspiring in parts, although the often-difficult lyrical content means that some people won't be able to take a shine to it. Still, after an album this good, it's beginning to look like the previous album was just a temporary hiccough, and I for one, am happy to have E back and writing the good stuff.