Eels and the band’s initial early success could’ve only occurred during the adventurous 90s alternative music scene. Mark Oliver Everett’s group was as wildly eclectic as The Beastie Boys, as melodically pleasing as Beck, and as dark as Sparklehorse. Eels is one of the most remarkable alternative rock groups of all time.

Thankfully, the group, at most times a solo vehicle for Everett, has also stuck around and produced a large, impressive body of work.

Here are the 10 best songs by Eels.

Greatest 10 Songs by Eels

10. “Your Lucky Day In Hell”

By 1996, there had been numerous music hybrids that had hit the charts. Songs that used hip hop beats, orchestral samples, and oddly delivered vocals were no longer an anomaly.

All of these things helped “Beautiful Freak,” the debut album by Eels become a surprise hit. It was that mix of styles, the production that brought them together and Everett’s dark sense of humour that appealed to alt-rock audiences.

Beyond any of the other songs, “Your Lucky Day In Hell” showed that Eels, if they wanted it, could be much more than a one-hit wonder with one great novelty song.

9. “That’s Not Really Funny”

It helps that Everett (aka “E”) seems like a friendly, goofy guy. If you didn’t know that, chances are that his songs might play like the confessions of a dangerous, would-be killer.

“That’s Not Really Funny” is a perfectly structured and deeply unsettling song. It’s a tune about being jilted and insulted by a loved one. It doesn’t exactly imply that vengeance is on the cards, but it doesn’t promise that it won’t happen either. It’s a great song by a strange band.

8. “Last Stop: This Town”

Mark Oliver Everett was forced to make a choice early in his songwriting career. He could follow up the debut by Eels with a similar quirky record. Or, he could be honest, and pour his bleeding heart out into the second album, “Electro-Shock Blues”.

He chose the latter. But, for all of the truly gruesome stories that E feels obliged to exorcise through these songs, there’s always a pleasant quirkiness and undisputed musical abilities.

“Last Stop: This Town” is one of the darkest songs in the entire Eels catalogue. But it’s cleverly disguising this with a memorable video, toy piano sounds or getting Elton John to sing backing vocals that makes the pain almost bearable.

7. “I Like Birds”

Mark Oliver Everett might just be one of the great pop songwriters of his generation. But he’s also too much of a complex mess of anxieties to write straightforward love songs.

Like Brian Wilson and Syd Barrett, E’s ability comes packaged with unique observations about life. “I Like Birds” Is one of the most pleasant, direct songs about Eels. But you can just about make out the melancholy of the tune when you first hear it. Everett later explained that this is a song about his late mother’s love of birdwatching.

6. “I Like The Way This Is Going”

Just like songs by Nick Cave, you have to judge the few optimistic impulses of Mark Oliver Everett within the greater context of his work. The songwriter documented his life with great care through song. Most of the events described in those are grim, gloomy, and disastrous.

“I Like The Way This Is Going” arrives just after all of those terrible events. It’s strange to hear E take a break, just feel some love and hope. But it’s mighty satisfying, especially if you’re a longtime listener.

5. “My Beloved Monster”

The mid-1990s were not a good era for traditional rock stars. It wasn’t like nobody was lining up to get the job. The issue was that audiences were smarter and, frankly, too cynical for that.

In that context, Eels’ tortured power-pop found an audience of future true believers. “My Beloved Monster” is one of the more original songs about walking through life with a monkey on your back and a pebble in your shoe. It’s no wonder that the group’s early fans never left.

4. “Beginner’s Luck”

If you listen to all of the albums by Eels in sequence, you’ll surely be struck by their creativity. You’ll be impressed by their beauty. But you’ll also be left exhausted by all of the tension and angst.

On “Beginner’s Luck,” Everett seems to address his ever-patient audience. He comes clean, and in one of the simplest gorgeous-sounding tunes he has ever produced, he even dares to be hopeful for himself and the ones who’ve taken the ride.

3. “I Need Some Sleep”

It’s easy to forget now, but the “Shrek” franchise introduced a number of wild choices in its soundtrack and used its success to finance the projects of several independent artists.

The desperate melancholy of “I Need Some Sleep” is also part of the film and is another of Everett’s odes to self-loathing. At its heart, it’s also a perfectly written pop ballad.

2. “Souljacker, Part I”

Since success always seemed like an unnatural occurrence, there was no reason for Eels’ E to typecast himself as a mellow, folk-ballad-embracing kind of performer.

“Souljacker, Part I” features a big, dumb, memorable guitar riff and the singer yelping away like a madman. It’s one of the best rock songs released in the early 2000s. It’s designed to sound like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins performing a voodoo rock song, and most cleverly succeeds in being one of the best songs in the entire discography.

1. “Novocaine For The Soul”

To some, “Novocaine For The Soul” is one of a few novelty rock songs that became hits during the 1990s. For others, it’s the kind of pop mini-symphony that someone like Brian Wilson would’ve composed.

Deeply personal, yet extremely catchy, this is the perfect first impression. Everett’s musical ideas resemble those of another tortured indie poet, David Berman of The Silver Jews. Eels music, however, fully embraces the pop song format.

“Novocaine for the Soul” is the shining moment of Eels’ career and one of the best alternative rock songs ever recorded.