Blinking Lights and Other Revelations

Background

Eels frontman E described Blinking Lights on the official website as being about "God and all the questions related to the subject of God. It's also about hanging on to my remaining shreds of sanity and the blue sky that comes the day after a terrible storm, and it's a love letter to life itself, in all its beautiful, horrible glory."

The sleeve and liner notes are composed of typewritten lyrics and family photos.

Release

The album was released through Vagrant Records on April 26, 2005, following the dissolution of Eels' contract with DreamWorks Records and the label's eventual take-over by Universal Music Group.

On October 21, 2008, the band announced that 2,500 autographed copies of the album would be published on vinyl. The songs were split across three records, with a fourth record serving as the bonus album Manchester 2005. The band made four of those tracks available as a free download for a week within announcing the album.

Critical reception

Blinking Lights and Other Revelations was met with critical acclaim.

Mark Horan of PopMatters wrote, "E is one of the best songwriters America has to offer, and he has made as personal, poignant and ultimately redeeming an album that you are ever going to hear." Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Everett finally delivers the absolute stone masterpiece fans have always known lurked inside his dour heart." Under the Radar called it "some of the best-written songs of this new century".

Track listing

All songs written by E, except where indicated.

1. "Theme from Blinking Lights" – 1:44
2. "From Which I Came/A Magic World" – 3:13
3. "Son of a Bitch" (E and Jim Lang) – 2:27
4. "Blinking Lights (For Me)" – 2:01
5. "Trouble with Dreams" – 4:33
6. "Marie Floating Over the Backyard" – 2:03
7. "Suicide Life" – 2:41
8. "In the Yard, Behind the Church" – 4:05
9. "Railroad Man" – 4:16
10. "The Other Shoe" – 2:32
11. "Last Time We Spoke" – 2:22
12. "Mother Mary" – 3:21
13. "Going Fetal" – 2:21
14. "Understanding Salesmen" – 2:43
15. "Theme for a Pretty Girl That Makes You Believe God Exists" – 2:06
16. "Checkout Blues" – 2:27
17. "Blinking Lights (For You)" – 2:00

1. "Dust of Ages" (E and Jim Jacobsen) – 2:21
2. "Old Shit/New Shit" – 3:17
3. "Bride of Theme from Blinking Lights" – 1:52
4. "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)" – 3:02
5. "I'm Going to Stop Pretending That I Didn't Break Your Heart" – 3:56
6. "To Lick Your Boots" (Peter Buck and E) – 3:30
7. "If You See Natalie" – 3:41
8. "Sweet Li'l Thing" – 3:27
9. "Dusk: A Peach in the Orchard" (E and John Sebastian) – 1:17
10. "Whatever Happened to Soy Bomb" – 2:26
11. "Ugly Love" – 2:58
12. "God's Silence" – 1:26
13. "Losing Streak" – 2:52
14. "Last Days of My Bitter Heart" – 1:35
15. "The Stars Shine in the Sky Tonight" (E and Lang) – 3:31
16. "Things the Grandchildren Should Know" – 5:22

Manchester 2005

This live album is only available on disc four of the deluxe edition of Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. The songs were recorded on October 13, 2005, in Manchester at the Manchester Apollo.

1. "Fresh Feeling"
2. "Packing Blankets"
3. "Bride of Theme from Blinking Lights"
4. "From Which I Came/A Magic World"
5. "Son of a Bitch"
6. "Ant Farm"
7. "Jeannie's Diary"
8. "My Beloved Monster"
9. "It's a Motherfucker"
10. "Taking a Bath in Rust"
11. "Trouble with Dreams"
12. "I'm Going to Stop Pretending That I Didn't Break Your Heart"
13. "Dead of Winter"
14. "Flyswatter"
15. "Novocaine for the Soul"
16. "Losing Streak"
17. "Climbing to the Moon"