End Times (album)

End Times is the eighth studio album by American rock band Eels released on January 19, 2010.^[1] End Times is the second in a trilogy of concept albums starting with 2009's Hombre Lobo and finishing with Tomorrow Morning, released later in 2010.

End Times
Studio album by Eels
Released	January 19, 2010 (2010-01-19)
Recorded	December 2008 – August 2009
Studio	OneHitsville, U.S.A.; Los Feliz, California, United States
Genre	Indie rock
Length	39:56
Label	Vagrant, E Works
Producer	Mark Oliver Everett
Eels chronology
Hombre Lobo (2009) End Times (2010) Tomorrow Morning (2010)
Singles from End Times
"A Line in the Dirt" Released: January 13, 2010

Content

The album was self-produced by frontman Mark Oliver Everett and focuses on themes of divorce and aging.^[2] The cover was designed by Adrian Tomine.

Release

End Times was released on January 19, 2010. The album was also released in a deluxe edition with a bonus EP.

The music video for "Little Bird" was released on YouTube through the official Eels channel in November 2009 and "In My Younger Days" in December 2009. The single for "A Line in the Dirt" backed with "Little Bird" was released through Eels' online store on January 13, 2010.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Drowned in Sound	[4]
The Guardian	[5]
NME	8/10[6]
Pitchfork	3.9/10[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Slant Magazine	[9]
Spin	[10]

Critical response to the album has been mostly positive. Will Dean of The Guardian called it "a classic break-up album".^[5]

Pitchfork published a negative review of the album, calling it "by all accounts a break-up album, but one that's plodding, boring, and full of icky self-pity [...] Eventually, Everett's disassociation with himself results in a disassociation with the music, as each painfully plain entry becomes simply exhaustively dull."^[7]

Track listing

All songs written by E.

1. "The Beginning" – 2:16
2. "Gone Man" – 2:59
3. "In My Younger Days" – 3:25
4. "Mansions of Los Feliz" – 2:49
5. "A Line in the Dirt" – 3:30
6. "End Times" – 2:58
7. "Apple Trees" – 0:40
8. "Paradise Blues" – 3:03
9. "Nowadays" – 3:09
10. "Unhinged" – 2:26
11. "High and Lonesome" – 1:07
12. "I Need a Mother" – 2:39
13. "Little Bird" – 2:34
14. "On My Feet" – 6:21

Deluxe edition bonus EP

1. "And Now for the End Times" – 0:19
2. "Some Friend" – 2:42
3. "Walking Cloud" – 2:25
4. "$200 Tattoo" – 2:02
5. "The Man Who Didn't Know He'd Lost His Mind" – 2:36

The short spoken-word introduction is only available on the iTunes Store edition of the album.^[11]

Personnel

Eels

• E – vocals, guitars, bass guitar, harmonica, piano, Optigan, Hammond B3, banjo, pump organ, Vox Continental, drums, percussion, production
• Butch – drums on "A Line in the Dirt"
• Koool G Murder – bass, guitar, recording, mixing on "Paradise Blues" and "Nowadays"
• Wayne Bergeron – French horn, horns
• Chris Bleth – horns
• Andy Martin – horns

Technical personnel

• Ryan Boesch – recording and mixing on "Apple Trees", "Gone Man", and "In My Younger Days"
• Robert Carranza – recording, mixing on "A Line in the Dirt"
• Greg Collins – recording and mixing on "Apple Trees"
• Jim Lang – recording and horn arrangements on "A Line in the Dirt" and "Nowadays"

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for End Times Chart (2010) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 48 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13] 33 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] 2 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[15] 32 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] 19 French Albums (SNEP)[17] 74 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 29 Irish Albums (IRMA)[19] 13 Italian Albums (FIMI)[20] 79 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 10 UK Albums (OCC)[22] 21 US Billboard 200[23] 66 US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[24] 13 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[25] 17

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for End Times Chart (2010) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26] 32

References

1. Tom Breihan (October 20, 2009). "Eels Reveal New Album Art, Tracklist". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
2. Cashmere, Paul (October 19, 2009). "Eels To Release Another Album". Paul Cashmere Media. Archived from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
3. Thom Jurek. "Review: End Times". AllMusic. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
4. Kevin EG Perry (January 14, 2010). "Review: End Times". Drowned in Sound. London. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
5. Dean, Will (January 14, 2010). "Eels: End Times". The Guardian. London. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
6. "Review: End Times". NME. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
7. Kelly, Zach (January 21, 2010). "Eels: End Times | Album Reviews | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
8. Hoard, Christian (January 19, 2010). "Eels: End Times". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
9. McBee, Wilson (January 14, 2010). "Eels: End Times". Slant. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
10. Walters, Barry (December 11, 2009). "Heading into another dysfunction junction". Spin. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
11. "Release: End Times (bonus disc: Bonus EP)". Musicbrainz. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
12. "Australiancharts.com – Eels – End Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
13. "Austriancharts.at – Eels – End Times" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
14. "Ultratop.be – Eels – End Times" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
15. "Ultratop.be – Eels – End Times" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Eels – End Times" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
17. "Lescharts.com – Eels – End Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Eels – End Times" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
19. "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 28 January 2010". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
20. "Italiancharts.com – Eels – End Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
21. "Swisscharts.com – Eels – End Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
22. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
23. "Eels Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
24. "Eels Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
25. "Eels Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
26. "Jaaroverzichten 2010". Ultratop. Retrieved October 25, 2021.