Eels new album and film sountrack

Levity follows the story of a parolee (Billy Bob) who, after killing a teenage store clerk in a raid gone bad, attempts to seeks atonement two decades later. As Rolling Stone reported, It was this drama that attracted Mr E (listed in the credits as Mark Oliver Everett) to writing.

"I've been asked to write scores over the past several years, the requests come in fairly regularly and it's almost always something I'm not interested in doing because of the movie. But this one I felt like, 'Alright, I'm gonna give it a whack.'" As well as the all new score, the soundtrack will feature two new Eels tunes, 'Taking a Bath in Rust' and 'Skywriting'

In more Eels news, E is also working on a new album for release next summer on Dreamworks, with 'Souljacker' (and PJ Harvey) collaborator John Parish involved again. The group already has a handful of songs and writing sessions will continue later this month in Southern California. 'Tea With Hitler' and 'Pigs Blood Ballet' are but two of the forthcoming new tracks.

"The stuff we're working on now is really heavily polka influenced, there's a lot of clarinets and tubas." E reports, after also mentioning considering using some of the material he recorded two years ago with R.E.M. guitarist and air-rager Peter Buck (another Eels collaborator) on the album. "They sound more like R.E.M. songs with me singing instead of Michael Stipe"

At last sighting Mr E still had his mad tramp beard.