Shootenanny! - Eels
Metascore
73 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 22
  2. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. 88
    On Shootenanny!, they take a solid first step toward crafting their opus a la Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or Soft Bulletin. [#6, p.81]
  2. Largely tosses out the loopy musical excursions and surrealistic pillow fights of past albums for a tighter, sparer approach.
  3. It offers the Eels' usual twisted take on California pop-rock, with more prominent blues voicings to complement the scrappy guitars and narcotized atmospherics. [6 Jun 2003, p.78]
  4. 80
    A 21st-century alienated soul album that slips the Eels back into your heart. [Jul 2003, p.120]
  5. It's not as poppy as some of his other albums, but it is more focused and appealing, and one of the stronger testaments to his ornery talents.
  6. [Has] a sunnier, jangly guitar pop backdrop. [Jul 2003, p.102]
  7. Lighter and more laid-back, with breezy melodies and fuzzy guitar-and-keyboard arrangements that sound built for a summer night's drive.
  8. 80
    E shunts between naked self-examination and arch character studies. [#59, p.91]
  9. Just another chapter of the Eels sound constantly in flux.
  10. The main funk base of E's sound remains consistent but is augmented with harder rock and blues elements, showing he is able to hold onto his signature sound while simultaneously twisting a piece of rose-colored glass into it.
  11. By mixing sweet with sour, E's warm and fuzzy mope rock sounds great whether it's blasting out of a convertible on a sunny day or playing in the background on a rainy night.
  12. A return to quieter, more familiar Eels territory.
  13. It's better than Souljacker, though not quite as good as Electro-Shock Blues and Daisies Of The Galaxy.
  14. 70
    This is nihilistic pop at its finest. [Jun 2003, p.113]
  15. While it's not Everett's most focused effort, musically speaking, Shootenanny! triumphs by projecting an uncharacteristically jovial mood.
  16. Shootenanny! has all the soft harmonies and lush production of 2000's Daisies of the Galaxy, but while that masterpiece was an homage to symphonic pop, this one is rooted in Southern blues.
  17. It suffers from a lack of identity.
  18. There are some fillers on 'Shootenanny!' like 'Rock Hard Times', which means it's never going to be an absolute classic, but it's good to hear E is suffering a little less despair than he's been forced to tolerate in the past.
  19. 60
    Combines guitar-driven, slightly Weezer-esque songs with the odd moment of touching musical beauty. [#17, p.133]
  20. 50
    This is the kind of bedroom folk pop E's done prettier--and weirder--before. [Jul 2003, p.111]
  21. 40
    The musical equivalent to steamed broccoli. [#23, p.87]
  22. Musically and lyrically, E is spent-- out of ideas, out of innovation, unable to cough up anything but by-the-numbers pop in the fourteen originals he wrote for this disc.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. davidD
    8
    Fuck you pitchfork. You guys reference electro shock blues but I know you would have given that album hell, too- if you were around.
  2. markr
    9
    There is no 'filler' on this cd, despite what others say. Simply a brilliant piece of ART!
  3. nicoleb
    8
    This is much better than his last cd, souljacker, yet I feel nothing will come close to "Daisies of the Galaxy". This cd is definately worth purchasing and putting on high rotation Full Review »