Tomorrow Morning represents both the end of a rapid fire trilogy of Eel’s albums but also a breath of creative fresh air and a newfound outlook on life. Incomparable frontman (and only real member) E has emerged from his ‘dark night of the soul’ (as represented by his previous 2 albums Hombre Lobo and End Times) to see the light of day on the other side. This album represents this with a distant lingering melancholy as well as joyous celebration, confusingly often at the same time. Everywhere syrupy strings and grand orchestrations drip with heartfelt sentimentality and in lesser hands this could come off as insincere or empty-headedly naive. It speaks volumes of E’s talent to make us genuinely believe in everything he says, whether it is a stark lament for lost love or the kaleidoscope eyed observations on The Man.
After the instrumental prologue, the lush and regal synthetic string section of I’m a Hummingbird swims into focus like a movie screen lighting up. On this torch song E’s voice is still hewn and rough but it is now buoyed by endearing honesty, like the mutant offspring of Rivers Cuomo and Leonard Cohen. The Morning follows with subdued keyboard haze and a confessional tone not entirely dissimilar to Mark Lanegan’s solo output. Before anyone should lament that The Eels have forsaken low-rent indie for crooning, fear not. This newfound musical direction is blended seamlessly with more familiar territory. Proof of this comes on the next song, and album highlight, Baby Loves Me. Here E recaptures his effortless, detached cool among the driving drums, Devo-ish effects, and sing-along chorus. Elsewhere he juxtaposes string-laden ballads with syncopated hip hop beats (This is Where It Gets Good) as well as trying his hand at a McCartney-style gospel rave-up (Looking Up).
Ultimately Tomorrow Morning is the story of the survival of love and of lovers after everything feels hopeless. The results are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and politely worm their way into your heart. The Eels have survived through dark and desperate times and can finally enjoy the liberating light of Tomorrow Morning.
