I was browsing allmusic for bios and reviews and such. I looked at the overview of the Eels’ discography and noticed that, despite being 15 years in the past and despite all the other glowing, highly rated albums that have followed it, Beautiful Freak is still AMG’s choice from E’s ouevre.

Some might say it’s great, that Beautiful Freak is wonderful and the best the Eels have to offer. Well, alright. Maybe. But to me it just says that a) in the critical mass conscious E’s still working in that grumpy post-grunge shadow and b) this accounts for how few dearly earned accolades E’s been racking up. People still think that the ’96 Eels are the 2011 Eels.

I wasn’t drunk, but I thought I was either inebriated or hallucinating when from out of nowhere I heard an Eels song. On Korean TV! At 3am!

Someone on the TV show — a news program, I think — seemed to be interviewing Korean high school boys about something. They were all pimply faced and in school uniforms. And the whole time I just heard “Let’s Ruin Julie’s Birthday.” What the heck!

Unfortunately, my SA friends seemed thoroughly non-plussed that a) my favorite band are the Eels and b) one of the band’s obscure songs was on Korean TV at 3am. So we turned the TV off and went to sleep. Hrm.

It’s getting late on a Monday night, I drank my dinner from a large, ugly, plastic bottle, I’m thousands of miles from home and years and years from when I’d rather be. Nobody speaks English, and even if they did they still wouldn’t listen.

So what else is there for me but to listen to “On My Feet” and hope I’m not too hungover in the morning to teach a bunch of 10-year olds how to say “How are you?”

Thanks, E.

Greetings from Daegu, Korea.

Still, I’ve been thinking about what life lessons there are to be learned from E’s music, and below are a few things I’ve taken away from some of his songs.

Thanks, E.

“Daisies of the Galaxy”
The world is not ending, though it certainly feels that way sometimes. Any effort to cheer someone up, no matter how small, is always welcome.

“Somebody Loves You”
You’re a better friend to yourself than anyone else ever could be.

“I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” (Prince cover)
You can always teach an old song new tricks.

“I Like Birds”
Life is hard enough; help the little guys out.

“Things the Grandchildren Should Know”
Your grandchildren are going to be fascinated by what you did today. Seriously. Live some good stories to tell them.

“Useless Trinkets”
Sometimes you have to leave things behind. Don’t be afraid. It’s just the way things are. You’ll leave most things behind sooner or later.

“A Line in the Dirt”
There’s never an easy way out of some things, but it’s not fair to let them go on.

“Oh So Lovely”
You are always changing, and you will be stunned to realize what incredible things you’ll grow into when you’re ready.

“Brave Little Soldier”
Always leave a little something to dream about.

“PS, You Rock My World”
Well, if you don’t get this one already, I just don’t know what to say.

Anyway, I did the same with “the Eels” to see which songs would appear. It was “Novocaine for the Soul,” “My Beloved Monster,” “Saturday Morning” and “Fresh Feeling.” Very nice songs. I listened to each little sample, and I thought to myself “What’s not to like?”

Watch the video below, and don’t you dare tell me that that jingle isn’t boosted from the fertile soundscape of E’s brain (despite coming out months before Tomorrow Morning). It’s Eels music for the kitty folk. Or cat food for people.

IT SHOULD BE THE NEXT VIDEO FROM TOMORROW MORNING.

Like I said on Estranged Friends: One cat’s “journey to delicious and beyond” is another man’s “Mystery of Life.”

My name is Mike and I’m a relapsed crazy cat mister. Sorry, Bobby Jr.

Well, the 2010 Eels Performing Live tour is in full swing, and now that Tomorrow Morning has been released the setlists are changing from how they were at the beginning of the tour. E had previously declared that he’ll never play a song live until it’s been released on CD. So old Eels hits are being shouldered out by tracks from Tomorrow Morning. And judging by the bootlegs, they should pretty cool.

The setlists now are made primarily of tracks from Hombre Lobo, End Times, and Tomorrow Morning, and that’s interesting. Actually, in the setlist posted below, all but seven are from the three latest Eels albums. It’s time for the new stuff to shine, I guess. Neat.

“Jungle Telegraph” makes its first appearance live, which is totally awesome. Covers include a take on the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Summer in the City.” Oh, and “Mister E’s Beautiful Blues” takes on a Beatlesque “Twist and Shout” vibe. Double neat.

So here’s the setlist plucked from the August 30th concert at Paradiso in Amsterdam. The set changes by bits and pieces from date to date, naturally, but you can get the idea.

01. Daisies of the Galaxy
02. What I Have to Offer
03. End Times
04. Prizefighter
05. She Said Yeah
06. Gone Man
07. Summer in the City
08. Tremendous Dynamite
09. In My Dreams
10. In My Younger Days
11. Paradise Blues
12. Jungle Telegraph
13. My Beloved Monster
14. Spectacular Girl
15. Fresh Blood
16. Dog Faced Boy
17. That Look You Give That Guy
18. Souljacker, Part I
19. Mister E’s Beautiful Blues
20. I Like Birds
21. Summertime
22. Looking Up
23. I Like the Way This is Going
24. That’s Not Her Way
25. Baby Loves Me
26. Oh So Lovely

And as always, for the most up-to-date information and other awesome Eels-y stuff, visit Estranged Friends.

Tomorrow Morning is officially out, like, everywhere today. And I must say, you’re a damn fool if you don’t buy a copy. And there’s no accounting for taste, but if you don’t think it’s one of the best albums you’ve heard all year, well, I’m afraid that’ll make you a damn fool too.

So there’s no really no fighting it. Buy Tomorrow Morning and be highly pleased.

“Useless Trinkets” reminds me of how silly it is to dwell on material things, because in the end you’ll end up a lifeless material thing too, and then what does it matter?

It’s a song about coming to terms with things that tie you down, and how at some point you have to accept that your dreams and your memories and your ideas are really the only things you need to keep.

But I guess more directly it’s about convincing yourself that things will be better if you leave (like move to another town), and a part of that is coming to see your surroundings as terrible and worth leaving anyway.

The chorus provokes another feeling for me, though, one of nostalgia. Sifting through old family photos and documents and such, it occurs to me that some of these people–my own family, generations ago–only exist in photos now. Nobody living today can really say much about them. Just names and photos. So when E sings “I know where I go I’m not afaid / To leave behind a place like this,” something about it makes me feel sad to think that after we’re gone, the flow of time quietly and meticulously wipes us from the record.

I haven’t catalogued the recordings (i.e., no grading or anything), but I’ve meticulously labeled and dated each and have cut them into individual tracks where necessary. There’s no artwork, but the music is all there–to whatever extent possible, at least. These recordings are all MP3.

Below is the list. These are the recordings I’m comfortable with sharing freely. No money will change hands at any point. I am not willing to pay for a bootleg, nor will I charge anyone to enjoy a recording.

Also, bootlegs are the current tour will not be available for any reason.

Please contact me if you have recordings missing from this list or if there’s something you’d like to hear. I can send a track listing and other information if you’d like.

1996
1996-08-03 – Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA (USA) – 192kbps
1996-08-16 – Largo – Los Angeles, CA (USA) (with Jon Brion) – 160kbps
1996-11-10 – La Cigale – Paris, FR – 192kbps
1996-11-15 – Grugahalle – Essen, DE – 192kbps
1996-11-16 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, NL – 192kbps
1996-11-23 – Albani Music Club – Winterthur, CH – 96kbps
1996-12-14 – Universal Amphitheatre – Universal City, CA (USA) – 192kbps

1997
1997-01-29 – Garage – London, UK – 192kbps
1997-04-12 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, NL – 192kbps
1997-04-17 – Batschkapp – Frankfurt, DE – 192kbps
1997-04-28 – Vooruit – Gent, BE – 96kbps
1997-04-30 – Shepherd’s Bush Empire – London, UK – 192kbps
1997-05-11 – Rockefeller – Oslo, NO – 192kbps
1997-05-18 – Effenaar – Eindhoven, NL – 192kbps
1997-05-19 – Megaland (Pinkpop Festival) – Landgraaf, NL – 192kbps
1997-06-25 – Coral Sky Amphitheatre – West Palm Beach, FL (USA) – 128kbps
1997-08-22 – Pukkelpop Festival – Hasselt, BE – 192kbps
1997-08-23 – Reading Festival – Reading, UK – 128kbps
1997-08-24 – Lowlands Festival – Biddinghuizen, NL – 192kbps
1997-09-26 – Oosterpoort – Groningen, NL – 192kbps

1998
1998-09-22 – Elizabethzaal – Antwerp, BE – 192kbps
1998-09-28 – Royal Festival Hall – London, UK – 128kbps
1998-09-30a – Oosterpoort – Groningen, NL – 192kbps
1998-09-30b – Oosterpoort – Groningen, NL – 192kbps
1998-10-05 – Sodra Teatern – Stockholm, SE – 192kbps
1998-10-07 – Passionskirche – Berlin, DE – 128kbps
1998-11-03 – Café Campus (Petite) – Montréal, CA – 192kbps
1998-11-19 – Wembley Arena – London, UK – 192kbps

2000
2000-03-15 – Elizabethzaal – Antwerp, BE – 192kbps
2000-03-19 – Markthalle – Hamburg, DE – 128kbps
2000-03-20 – Passionskirche – Berlin, DE – 192kbps
2000-03-26 – Oosterpoort – Groningen, NL – 192kbps
2000-03-27 – Vredenburg – Utrecht, NL – 192kbps
2000-04-18 – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium – Asheville, NC (USA) – 192kbps
2000-05-25 – La Maroquinerie – Paris, FR – 128kbps
2000-06-30 – Beach Bum Festival – Jesolo, IT – 128kbps
2000-07-02 – Rock Werchter – Werchter, BE – 192kbps
2000-07-08 – Forestglade Festival – Wiesen, AT – 128kbps
2000-07-09 – Eurockeenes – Belfort, FR – 192kbps
2000-07-10 – 013 – Tilburg, NL – 192kbps
2000-07-11 – Tivoli – Utrecht, NL – 192kbps
2000-07-20 – Palace – Manchester, UK – 128kbps

2001
2001-08-18 – Summer Sonic Festival – Osaka, JP – 192kbps
2001-08-26 – Lowlands Festival – Biddinghuizen, NL – 192kbps
2001-08-28 – The Forum – London, UK – 80kbps
2001-09-15 – Prime Club – Cologne, DE – 192kbps
2001-10-20 – Rock City – Nottingham, UK – 128kbps
2001-10-26 – Crossing Border Festival – Amsterdam, NL – 128kbps
2001-10-30 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels, BE – 128kbps
2001-11-06 – Volkshaus – Zurich, CH – 128kbps
2001-11-10 – BKA – Berlin, DE – 192kbps
2001-11-16 – Planet Music – Vienna, AT – 128kbps

2002
2002-03-20 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC (USA) – 192kbps
2002-04-03 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO (USA) – 128kbps

2003
2003-06-23 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels, BE – 192kbps
2003-06-25 – Élysée Montmartre – Paris, FR – 128kbps
2003-06-26 – Nighttown – Rotterdam, NL – 192kbps
2003-06-27 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, NL – 160kbps
2003-06-29 – Columbiafritz – Berlin, DE – 192kbps
2003-07-02 – Royal Festival Hall – London, UK – 128kbps
2003-07-11 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA (USA) – 192kbps
2003-08-01 – Somerville Theatre – Somerville, MA (USA) – 128kbps
2003-08-08 – Tipitina’s – New Orleans, LA (USA) – 192kbps
2003-08-14 – Glass House – Pomona, CA (USA) – 192kbps
2003-08-27 – Two Days A Week Festival – Wiesen, AT – 56kbps
2003-08-29 – Lowlands Festival – Biddinghuizen, NL – 96kbps
2003-08-30 – Pukkelpop Festival – Hasselt, BE – 128kbps
2003-09-03 – Kulturbolaget – Malmö, SE – 192kbps
2003-09-07 – Festa Dell’Unita – Modena, IT – 128kbps
2003-11-07 – Recher Theater – Towson, MD (USA) – 192kbps

2004
2004-01-24 – Royce Hall (UCLA) – Los Angeles, CA (USA) – 160kbps

2005
2005-05-18 – Vicar Street – Dublin, IE – 192kbps
2005-05-22 – Carling Academy – Glasgow, UK – 128kbps
2005-05-23 – Royal Festival Hall – London, UK – 192kbps
2005-05-27 – Cirque Royale – Brussels, BE – 192kbps
2005-06-01 – Tonhalle – Munich, DE – 160kbps
2005-06-04 – Postbanhof – Berlin, DE – 192kbps
2005-06-10 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, NL – 192kbps
2005-06-27 – World Café – Philadelphia, PA (USA) – 192kbps
2005-06-29 – Somerville Theatre – Boston, MA (USA) – 192kbps
2005-10-08 – Conservatorio Sala Verdi – Milan, IT – 96kbps
2005-10-10 – Le Grand Rex – Paris, FR – 192kbps
2005-10-12 – Royal Albert Hall – London, UK – 192kbps
2005-10-21 – Hamer Hall – Melbourne, AU – 192kbps

2006
2006-06-04 – Showbox – Seattle, WA (USA) – 128kbps
2006-06-06 – The Depot – Salt Lake City, UT (USA) – 128kbps
2006-06-15 – Somerville Theatre – Boston, MA (USA) – 192kbps
2006-06-23 – Astoria – London, UK – 192kbps
2006-06-24 – Hyde Park (Wireless Festival) – London, UK – 192kbps
2006-06-25 – Harewood Estate (Wireless Festival) – Leeds, UK – 192kbps
2006-06-29 – La Cigale – Paris, FR – 192kbps
2006-06-30 – Open Air Festival – St. Gallen, CH – 192kbps
2006-07-01 – Oosterpoort – Groningen, NL – 192kbps
2006-07-02 – Rock Werchter – Werchter, BE – 192kbps
2006-07-04 – Arena – Vienna, AT – 192kbps
2006-07-07 – Temple Bar – Dublin, IE – 192kbps
2006-07-13 – Sotto Le Stelle Festival – Ferrara, IT – 192kbps
2006-07-21 – The Metro – Sydney, AU – 192kbps
2006-08-03 – Pabst Theatre – Milwaukee, WI (USA) – 192kbps
2006-08-04 – Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL (USA) – 192kbps
2006-08-26 – Sunset Junction Street Fair – Los Angeles, CA (USA) – 192kbps

2008
2008-01-17 – TTGSK Release Show – St. James’s Church – London, UK – 192kbps
2008-02-18 – Le Bataclan – Paris, FR – 192kbps
2008-02-19 – Theater Am Tanzbrunnen – Cologne, DE – 192kbps
2008-02-20 – Volksbuhne – Berlin, DE – 192kbps
2008-02-21 – Kampnagel – Hamburg, DE – 192kbps
2008-02-25 – Royal Festival Hall – London, UK – 192kbps
2008-02-26 – Town Hall – Birmingham, UK – 192kbps
2008-02-27 – Bridgewater Hall – Manchester, UK – 192kbps
2008-02-28 – Royal Concert Hall – Glasgow, UK – 192kbps
2008-03-01 – Sage – Gateshead, UK – 128kbps
2008-03-02 – The Dome – Brighton, UK – 192kbps
2008-03-10 – Wuk – Vienna, AT – 192kbps
2008-03-11 – Muffathalle – Munich, DE – 192kbps
2008-03-13 – Cross-Linx Festival – Utrecht, NL – 192kbps
2008-03-22 – City Hall – Sheffield, UK – 192kbps
2008-03-25 – La Cigale – Paris, FR – 192kbps
2008-04-01 – Highline Ballroom – New York City, NY (USA) – 192kbps
2008-04-02 – Highline Ballroom – New York City, NY (USA) – 192kbps
2008-04-16 – El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA (USA) – 192kbps
2008-04-27 – Enmore Theatre – Sydney, AU – 192kbps