After nine studio albums, various lengths of facial hair and even handing out free ice cream at every show during a recent tour, the enigmatic American rock outfit Eels are taking their first trip to Shanghai as part of their Tremendous Dynamite Summer Tour. In anticipation of their upcoming show at Mao Livehouse, front man Mark Oliver Everett, better known by his fans as simply ‘E’, muses about mainstream success, travelling the world and the importance of a concept album.

Everett, son of the world-renowned quantum physicist Dr Hugh Everett III, has been a multi-instrumental musician since he tried to emulate Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush at a young age. Now the leader of Eels, a band known for their unique style of crafting albums from the point of view of an imaginary personality, he has helped establish his own niche amongst a group of constantly revolving players.

"It's interesting that by becoming a fictional character in a song you can actually get to a more truthful place than if you were just writing as yourself," Everett says. "You become more fearless if you feel like you have a mask to hide behind." 

With the release of their most recent album Tomorrow Morning, Eels delivered the final chapter of a concept album trilogy, preceded by Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire and End Times, respectively. "The first album is about desire, while the second album is about the other end of desire, what happens at the end of a relationship. The third album is about renewal, getting another chance," he explains. 

Given that all three albums were released lightning-fast – within about six months of each other – it’s no surprise that they follow a musical and thematic progression. Fans were pleasantly surprised at the optimism heard on Tomorrow Morning, a sentiment rarely found on records by Everett and company.

The front man notes that while he prefers to make albums that have a connecting thread to them, he can appreciate a more straightforward assortment of melodic tracks as well. "I think both approaches are legitimate. I don't think every album has to be a ‘concept album’ to be good. The Beatles' Revolver is one of the best albums ever made and it's just a collection of great, unrelated songs, as far as concept goes."