Top 10 Records of 2005 - Number Ten

There are a few true geniuses in the popular music business.

But Mark Oliver Everett (aka E) is surely one of them.

E is the Eels, there really isn’t a band per se.  When we went to see him in concert this year (for the first time) it seemed like he played every instrument on the stage at one point.

His record this year, Blinking Lights and and Other Revelations, is a revelation.  It’s an intensely personal and at times somber effort.  But it’s got its share of uptempo numbers and holds together surprisingly well for a double album.

It would be higher up on my list if it weren’t such a committment of time and energy to listen to.