A new, happier attitude

Normally the worst thing that can happen to an artist is to become happy, then content. Where’s the inspiration in that?

Not so with Mark Oliver Everett, the one stable member of the band the Eels -- or, as stated in a film promo screened before the group’s show at the Roxy on Thursday, the one “deeply troubled permanent member” of the Eels. The troubled part was a role Everett seemed to take to heart over the years, working out personal torment and tragedy (such as the deaths of just about everyone in his immediate family) in song.

But Thursday, introducing the latest Eels lineup (including a string quartet and two multi-instrumentalists), Everett seemed happier and more playful than ever, even if, with short-cropped hair, scruffy beard, drab gray sports coat and cigar, he looked like a dissident Soviet writer.

The concert was built around songs from the new “Blinking Lights and Other Revelations” double-CD, a series of finely crafted miniatures chronicling Everett’s journey to a place where he can fully embrace life. Though generally somber, it’s some of the most engaging, involving material of an impressive catalog. Everett and crew brought the music to life via instruments that included the autoharp, musical saw, melodeon and a celesta, along with more conventional choices.

A sparkling version of the Lefte Banke’s 1967 baroque-pop classic “Pretty Ballerina” and a personalized adaptation of Bob Dylan’s wistful, folk-derived “Girl From the North Country” were perfect punctuations for Eels songs both melancholy (“Dust of Ages”) and buoyant (“Now You’re Really Living”).

None, though, was more telling than the encore of his taking-stock “Grace Kelly Blues,” initially recorded in 2000. Back then when he sang “I think you know I’ll be OK,” it sounded as if he was trying to convince himself. This time he sounded as if he had no doubts.