ELI JAMES

'ELI' is a melting pot of contradictions that's very hard to put in a box. One moment it's punk, the next it has definite twangs of country and western, and the next it sounds like the charge of a new British invasion. And all this while tragic stories are being told by a dead pan comic. But who wants to be put in a box anyway? 'It's all good stuff,' as they say in Royston Vasey. Listening to these songs, you get the feeling that Eli has his fair share of English bands in his CD collection. You've probably got to wonder if his collection has anything in it that was recorded after 1982.
The six songs here are loud and proud, and big. The time and effort taken in their making can be heard through every beat and word. Raw yet rich it sounds important and self-assured, but more importantly, accomplished.
It roars into life with 'I Mean It This Time', carving up the speakers and announcing its presence for all to hear like a frantic bull in a china shop. A good example of the melting pot of styles is 'Dear Simon', sounding like the resulting love child from a night of wild passion between The Pixies and Elvis Costello. It's also reminiscent of the Clash, as Eli vows to conquer London. It's a roaring anthem, tip-toeing quietly up to you at first before stamping firmly on your head, an ode to the dreams of greatness and frustration that lie within us all.
'The Country' starts out grand, its chords ringing out like The Who. It's tale is of going west to chase the dream, 'I wanted the country, so I left for the country', and facing the embarrassment of heading home empty handed as Eli sings 'the least I can show my Mother is a tan.' It's a modern tragedy, but listening to it you can't help but bring a smile. These songs have an incredible cinematic feel to them. Any one of them would not be out of place being used in the movies - 'The Country' in particular, would be perfect in a Wes Anderson film.
'ELI' is textbook three minute packages of sorrow in the disguise of comedy, that get you where you want to go, without you realising you were going there. These songs are about packing the suitcase, sometimes for a dream, sometimes for a way out, sometimes for the trip back home with escape firmly in the mind. These songs are about trying and failing, but getting up and trying again tomorrow until someone listens. If you feel like you never quite belonged, or find yourself wanting a different isolation, or you're on a journey you didn't choose and want off, this CD can give you a different road map. An incredibly impressive first release, with six songs that aren't afraid to explore and conquer. Let it conquer you.
Rob Thom

- Supergroup Records Online

The school of rockers in clunky specs includes such esteemed graduates as Buddy Holly and Elvis Costello; someday Philadephian Eli Finkelman might make it a triumvirate. For now, the power behind cheeky Britpop trio "ELI" will have to settle for reminding us that pop music is supposed to be fun, as he does on the group's smart eponymous debut. - Philadelphia Inquirer

Self-styled "nerd-in-chief" Eli and his Philadelphia-based band have a six-song demo that's Sixties/Seventies-injected and personality driven. "I Mean It This Time" has a garage-y Kinks riff tempered by a Devo-esque rigidity. Some of us hear a Buzzcocks nervousness in "The Country." Half the fun is figuring out where you've heard this stuff before, but Eli keeps things moving and suggests he's that he's a witty and captivating live performer. - Music Connection

This disc, and the artist himself, definitely has a Buddy Holly vibe going on. The first track, "I Mean It This Time" is a great retro-rocking good time with great guitar, energy and Holly-esque vocals. "Dear Simon" continues in the same vein. These are great tunes for all your listening needs: driving, housecleaning, exercise, hanging out with friends, etc.

The three piece band — guitar, bass and drums — hearken back to a time when great music didn't require electronic enhancements and multiple track mixing and editing.

"Long Light is a pretty ballad that continues to follow the 60's rock tradition. The closing track, "The Boy Who Doesn't Come From Anywhere" closes the album with the same energy with which it began.

This EP is worth the asking price because of the excellent musicianship and especially because of the fantastic initial offering of tracks one and two. The remaining cuts are musically sound and perfectly listenable, despite my preference for the first two. If you like Buddy Holly, Elvis Costello and Weezer songs that emulate a 60's rock style, you'll like Eli.

My Favorites:
#1 | I Mean It This Time
#2 | Dear Simon

Genre: 60's Style Math Rock

- southofmainstream.com

"Melodic and tough, pretty and sneery. Sure he wears glasses and sits up straight, but his riffs could beat up your any day of the week." - Philadelphia Metro

SEP 15 - NYP - 228 bands will spend the next ten days battling for supremacy, groupies, and the grand prize. Of note are "ELI and the INDOOR BOYS," who bring a hint of early Devo dosed with a Joe Jackson gift for melody. - New York Press

"The rhythm of 60's Merseybeat seems to drive ELI and the INDOOR BOYS, but their clever lyrics make them much more than just another retro group."
Neonnyc.com - Neonnyc.com

"Eli and the Indoor Boys have one of the most promising openers I've heard. Bouncing out of the gates on a jumpy bit of drumming, "I Mean It This Time" is home to one of the best hooks Brit-pop never had -- a puree of nerd-rock and garage licks that succeeds magnificently in its short run-time."

- SPLENDID Online Reviews

Close your eyes and you might think it's the mid 60s when skinny ties and mini-skirts were the newest fashion craze, Twiggy was the world's first supermodel and the British Invasion with its Mersey Beat was hip, cool, gear and altogether out of sight. But that isn't Freddie and the Dreamers or Chad and Jeremy up there on Piano's stage but Eli and the Indoor Boys pumping out a tight set of pop songs that may owe as much of an inspirational debt to Elvis Costello and The Pixies as to the lads from Liverpool, Manchester and London. Songs like "I Mean It This Time," "Dear Simon" and "The Country" are compact, solidly structured little wonders that all run under Top of the Pops magic three minutes. And, if you listen carefully, those easy beats are mated to lyrics that border on the edgy side of emo. As the Brits put it - Good Show! - NEON NYC www.neonnyc.com