Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
Being Dead, photo by Athen Smith
If I were to take too much acid and suddenly find myself falling into a technicolor swirl for all eternity, I would want Being Dead’s EELS to soundtrack my slow descent into the chasm. Similarly to dropping acid, Being Dead’s music is full of goofball hysterics, slight paranoia, and unexpected shifts from one moment to the next. EELS is an album that does not get boring, and similarly to the slimy fish the record is named after, these songs slink around my brain, creeping below the murkiness. This 16-track record—yes, 16, which should be a testament to these multi-instrumentalist’s stamina—has a surprise at every turn. Each track off EELs is a praise song, a warning, a bit of lore, or a banshee’s cry: it is a glimpse into another, tiny world, where anything is possible.
For those who have not yet had the pleasure of listening to Being Dead, I’d recommend reading their Spotify bio to start (sorry, Apple Music truthers). I stumbled upon this band after competing in a roller derby race. The star jammer of the Floral City Roller Girls got stuck in horrendous traffic, so I did what anyone would do; I strapped on my skates and fought for my life. Reader, I won’t spare you—it got pretty bloody. But I came out on the other side, and the prize of the competition was a Spyro-purple iPod Nano with nothing but this record on it (I can never again show face in the state of Michigan again, but trust me, it was worth it). It’s been a while since I’ve heard an album with such a strong personality, and I can see the band pouring all of theirs into this record. The thing is, I don’t think it’s a front—I think the duo is just like this. EELS is maximalist with a dash of surfy grooves, garage rock, egg punk, country twang, and yes, even shoegaze. You could tell me this LP has the ability to manifest into human form, roll me a joint, make me a milkshake, and then drive off into the night, and I’d believe it.
Being Dead’s first LP, When Horses Would Run, was released only a year ago and explored the Americana dream; it told tales of trodding buffalo and monetary greed, gifting trees silver and red wine, and two pals on their day off who pass the time shop lifting and drinking tea. While that rowdy and ecstatic essence remains true, EELS wrangles on to something entirely new. Being Dead—Falcon Bitch and Shmoofy on vocals/guitar/drums, with Nicole Roman-Johnston strumming bass for live performances and this record—is a band with a whole lot of momentum. For their sophomore album, they went out west to record with legendary, Grammy-winning producer John Congleton (Angel Olsen, St. Vincent, Mountain Goats) and the final product did not disappoint. I have not yet had the privilege of seeing Being Dead perform live, but I have a vision of an absolute unit of energy. EELS is a high-octane record full of angelic harmonies, snarky basslines, and electric riffs, and each song is something fresh.
“Godzilla Rises” introduces the album with layered harmonies portraying a love affair with the misunderstood stop-motion monster. The tempo of this song resurrects something from the murky depths, and the transition to “Van Goes” had me stoked. This song is such an earworm—or rather, eel-worm. “Day in and day out I work my job / Job that I could only dream to have” rings out after spoken words with a quick riff and soft call-and-response vocals from the duo. This then trickles into a layer of Falcon Bitch and Shmoofy on top of each other, resulting in a cacophony of sound. The entire song is a trip to the bowling alley, but the bowling alley is actually a van cruising down a highway with God knows what in the back. You don’t know where any of it’s headed. It’s a prime example of what a Being Dead song can be, which is a limitless exploration of equal parts sound and story. The band itself is an enigma, with different bits of lore scattered across the internet of how the duo met, like working at Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory or getting really into muscle-car building. Either way, they commit to the bit, and invite the listener in on the joke.
Every song takes such an abrupt, borderline absurdist turn. I can’t recall a band that has been so strikingly original. It’s refreshing to hear, and their live performances (I’d recommend their recent KEXP) show off friendship, chemistry, and out of this world dynamics. This is a band that can fiddle-fuck around in the studio and the result is their personality oozing into every song, lyric, harmony, vocal run, music video, drum beat, and bassline.
“Gazing at Footwear” is a shoegaze shorty. This two-minute song takes a break from the upbeat and gives us an eerie and spooky pondering. The David Lynch-esque vocals sound almost underwater, or like it could close out a remake of “Suspiria.” It’s a perfect precursor to my favorite song off EELS, “Big Bovine.” Jumping right into the abrupt pitter-patter of fast drums, I keep referring to it as the “cult” song in my head. “Yes! Golden rays!” Falcon exclaims with deeper background vocals muttering… something. It is a promise, a praise song of what can be—don’t you want to dance under the Lonestar stars, too? In the middle of this daydream, we get a twangy line about country boys and girls dancing, and then it’s back to the fast-paced melody. It evokes a bit of McCartney’s “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey” with the switch-up, and I can’t stop listening to it.
While EELS has a lot of fast-paced jaunts, it delivers a balance of tender ballads and a diverse range of sounds. An almost 1950’s slow-dance sequence in “Blanket of My Bone” to an egg punk moment in “Ballerina” with a callback to the country boys and girls we get in “Big Bovine”—this album checks all the boxes. The last half of the record sounds almost nothing like the first half, and I wish artists would feel more empowered to experiment like this. EELS spills all over the place, but the melodic voices of Falcon and Shmoofy hold your hand through the maze. “Love Machine” shows beautiful lyrics in all it’s Rocky Horror glory: “You could be the moon / You could be the sun too / As far as I can tell, you are, you are!” Just before the album’s finale, we get “I Was a Tunnel” which might be the most perfect, minute-long song I’ve ever heard. It’s stunning and tender with veiled vocals that are slightly buried, yet evoke a powerful, final note, sung high to the clouds. Pure poetry in its essence.
EELS was my first time listening to Being Dead, and I can’t believe this band churned it out after releasing an album barely a year ago. An impressive force to be reckoned with, its lesson is to have fun, be weird, and live in the unabashed glee of your surroundings. There is glory in every dusty corner, every forgotten crevice, every mundane moment—and you can find joy in these spaces, you just have to be along for the ride. EELS is what Austin meant by “keeping it weird” and is very much a manifestation of what can be a pure, strange, sparkly friendship. We can all learn to live larger from Being Dead.
Produced & Mixed by: John Congleton
Additional Production by: Shmoofy and Falcon Bitch of Being Dead
Recorded by: John Congleton
Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Additional Recording: Shmoofy and Sean Cook
Additional mixing by: Shmoofy
Disappointing / Average / Good / Great / Phenomenal
EELS is out now.
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Ryleigh Wann | @wannderfullll
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