Eels
The Trouble With Dreams

Mr E's retellings of his very lowest lows should've worn tiresome and translucent by now - some years after the manic depression of Electro-Shock Blues, Eels' comedy/tragedy USP, by all rights, should be the stuff of self-parody. Yet _'The Trouble With Dreams', lifted from this year's wonderful double-disc Blinking Lights and Other Revelations_ set, never feels anything but gloriously sincere and distinctly bittersweet.

Another story of ambitions gone awry, E's latest indie-pop catharsis is immediately reminiscent of previous highs achieved from plumbing the darkest depths, and surprisingly positive in its instrumental composition. Though it - again - reaches into those familiarly unwelcoming corners for inspiration, the glossy sheen that coats the entire package reflects only hope and dreams rather than the black heart at its creator's core.

Pop might not be the natural home for a man of E's disposition, but 'The Trouble With Dreams' only reinforces how his presence, however temporary, is never unwanted. In fact, it's damn necessary.