EELS, “Extreme Witchcraft.”

There’s something for every EELS fan on new album Extreme Witchcraft, but this one is especially for those who liked the Souljacker era best. Mark Oliver Everett, known as E, is a versatile indie legend. When he re-teamed with co-producer John Parish (who worked on 2001’s Souljacker), E was clearly looking to rock it out. The first half of this album is full of monstrous and buzzy garage rock guitar riffs. E has released a few rocker albums in his 13 years as EELS, but he hasn’t really played in that sandbox for a while. He’s clearly enjoying shaking it up.

Opening track “Amateur Hour” blasts its way in with a sound that’s vaguely reminiscent of The Romantics’ “What I Like About You,” but it’s a kiss-off, not a come-on: “Amateur hour,” he sings with a sneer, “Baby you’re an amateur/ You gotta go pro someday.” “Good Night on Earth” combines a boot-stomping Zeppelinesque riff with some ghostly organ and handclaps as E sings about how he’s pinpointed where things went wrong: “Once upon a time mom and dad felt fine/ Thought it was time for a birth/ Ever since then the trouble never ends/ But it’s a good night on Earth.”

Then there’s a brief mellow interlude that harkens back to early EELS’ more simplistic tunes like “I Like Birds.” On “Strawberries and Popcorn,” an ode to eating whatever you want for dinner after a breakup, E declares his independence in the most chill way possible: “Slept all night with the TV on/ Spent the whole day with the curtains drawn/ Now I’m gonna eat some strawberries/ And popcorn for dinner ‘cause that suits me.” The casual and conversational tone is signature E, and truly, we’ve all had some nutritionally questionable meals during the pandemic.

“Steam Engine” is a peppy surf rock bop with reverb-laden guitar, about the mundane passing of time. “Another day another coffee/ And the years go by/ Too much lemon/ Not enough honey/ Makes baby grumpy baby/ With a grudge to feed.” “Grandfather Clock Strikes Twelve” sounds like a long-lost song by The Time, or some other Prince protégé band. It has a great groove and some “Kiss”-style guitar strumming, and even some funky ’70s horns. E’s known to be a big Prince fan, having covered multiple Purple One songs the years, so this song is surely an homage.

“Stumbling Bee” sounds more like early EELS with gentle keyboard playing. “Sometimes I feel like a stumbling bee/ Trying to fly in November,” E sings.  But then there’s a surprising Steely-Dan-esque guitar line layered over it. This is one of those tracks that fans of earlier, more cerebral EELS will enjoy.

“The Magic” sounds like Dire Straits, if they were a dirty garage band, as E bemoans his usual unluckiness in love: “I saw you, you saw me/ I saw you look away/ I went to say hello/ You said you had a busy day.” This theme of rejection has been so prevalent for EELS over the years that it causes one to wonder if E tried telling any of these women that he’s in a band? (Don’t bury the lede, E!)

“Better Living Through Desperation” echoes the theme of aloneness over urgent maracas. “Gonna go back home again/ Gonna switch the light/ Poor Mark alone in the dark/ Just another night,” E sings. It starts out glumly, but then there’s hope: “One day we’ll find our way/ To a kindly tender place/ And you’ll have a whopping smile/ Etched upon your face.”

“So Anyway” is a charming little piano song that sounds like a stowaway from latter-day EELS albums Wonderful, Glorious or Tomorrow Morning. It’s heartfelt and sincere: “So anyway/ I just meant to say/ Don’t know how I would get by without you near/ Sweetest heart/ Where do I start/ To let you know how glad I am you’re here.” Because it’s quiet, gentle and lovely, it’s a bizarre lead-in for “What It Isn’t,” which is an angry roar of a song.

On this one, E responds to the shrug of “it is what it is” bitterness with, “Make it what it isn’t/ Shut up/ Let’s make it what it isn’t/ Come on/ I’m not up for this.” The song’s placement between “So Anyway” and the following “Learning While I Lose” are downright puzzling, since after cranking it up, E dials it back down again.The latter song recalls EELS’ classic Daisies of the Galaxy, with a merry acoustic guitar strumming and handclaps.

“I’ve been around a while/ Bumbling through the streets/ And how easily I bruise/ This time is not my time but that’s just fine/ I’m learning while I lose,” E sings forthrightly.

E wraps it all up with a song everyone in a relationship wishes their significant other would sing: “I Know You’re Right.” Extreme Witchcraft is a fun little trip through E’s different wheelhouses. There’s something here for everyone to enjoy, although streaming listeners may choose to move the running order around to avoid being jolted every time “What It Isn’t” comes up.

Follow Rachel Alm at Twitter.com/thouzenfold and Instagram.com/thousandfold.