Beautiful Freak by Eels

This came out at the tail end of grunge and got bracketed in with it, leading to a surprise hit for the single Novacaine for the Soul. However, the rest of the album is considerably quirkier, both lyrically and musically, than the typical output of the usual Seattle cob nobblers. The music includes strings, odd little jazz breaks and almost spoken narration on the track “Susan’s House” where the protagonist takes a pleasant stroll though a nightmarish landscape of urban decay and degradation. Lovely.

The only really off putting thing about this is the cover, which has an uncomfortable image reminiscent of a 1930s freak show or similar, which I’m guessing is deliberate given the subject matter of the title track.