‘The Even More Freewheelin’ Jeffrey Lewis’ album review: It’s all existentially hopeless eventually…
THE SKINNY: It has been 63 years since Bob Dylan relocated to New York City, cutting his teeth around the folk clubs of Greenwich Village and establishing himself as the songwriter who would go on to typify the sounds of the 1960s. In the intervening decades, his influence as an artist and songwriter has remained, with countless artists attempting to follow in his footsteps or even eclipse him. Now, stalwart of the NYC folk scene Jeffrey Lewis has paid homage to Dylan and a multitude of other influences on the darkly comedic existential masterpiece The Even More Freewheelin’ Jeffrey Lewis.
While the album’s cover and title parody Bob Dylan, the musical content of the album is typically Jeffrey Lewis. For decades, the New York native has been at the forefront of the city’s anti-folk scene, dedicated to DIY music-making. On this album, Lewis manages to retain the sense of honesty that comes with the lo-fi, DIY sound of his origins while also reaching for something expansive and original, particularly on tracks like ‘Relaxation’.
“I don’t like getting too mopey, and I don’t like getting too silly; both things are annoying to me,” Jeffrey Lewis told me after the release of his last studio record, Bad Wiring. Striking that balance between melancholic existentialism and keeping things somewhat fun and lightweight is by no means an easy task, but one which Lewis has managed to perfect over the course of his long and illustrious career as an anti-folk hero.
This new album, for instance, harks back to the sounds of his earlier material while also driving forward his songwriting into new and previously unexplored avenues. The results are expectedly captivating. Certain tracks, like ‘Inger’ or ‘DCB & ARS’ previously appeared on Lewis’ self-released 2019 cassette tape Cowardly & Brave & Stupid & Smart & Happy-Ever-After & Doomed, but they have been developed and perfected in the years since that release.
At multiple points throughout the tracklisting, Lewis offers a heartbreaking account of his life or the inner workings of his mind. Songs like ‘Tylenol PM’ are particularly gut-wrenching, but they are always imbued with a sense of honesty, vulnerability, and often humour, preventing them from feeling overly “mopey”, as the songwriter might say.
There are certainly fewer moments of upbeat energy, as on Bad Wiring or certain efforts on Manhattan, but these downbeat offerings rarely feel too dragging or self-pitying. Lewis’ candid songwriting is awash with a distinctive beauty that you cannot help but feel drawn to, and the musical backing of Brent Cole, Mem Pahl, and Mallory Feuer serve to support the beautiful quality of his work.
For fans of: Talking to your bored Tinder date about the history of anti-folk and how you wished you could have visited Greenwich Village in the 1960s before going home and consoling yourself in a mixtape of sad Bob Dylan songs.
A concluding comment from Ben’s girlfriend: Listening to Jeffrey Lewis’s gut-wrenching exploration of existentialism and heartbreak like ‘ow, fuck, that hurts’.
The Even More Freewheelin’ Jeffrey Lewis track by track:
Release Date: March 21st | Producer: Roger Moutenot | Label: Blang Records
‘Do What Comes Natural’: Opening with a traditional folk sound and electronic organ, befitting of the album’s Dylan references, Lewis commences the album with a typically downbeat exploration of his inner psyche, blending melancholy with a subtle feeling of hope. [5/5]
‘Movie Date’: Telling a universal tale of watching films with a partner who cannot help but fall asleep, Lewis’s words have a distinct beauty. Among the namedropping of Groundhog Day and Annie Hall, among others, the songwriter’s understated voice conveys a deep, yearning sense of love in a realistic setting. [4/5]
‘DCB & ARS’: This track has been rattling around in Lewis’ live act for some years now, usually under the name ‘I Wanna Do Something Illegal With Amy Rose Spiegel’, but this fully-formed version pays fateful homage to the late David C Berman, the legendary singer-songwriter who had once gone on a date with Spiegel and later told Lewis to write the track. Good things come to those who wait. [4.5/5]
‘Sometimes Life Hits You’: Lewis has always had a knack for writing catchy, comedic songs that offer some profound take on existence and life, ‘Sometimes Life Hits You’ is no different. A polished track that retains the fuzziness and DIY edge of the songwriter, it is easy to see this becoming a fan favourite. [4/5]
‘Tylenol PM’: A heartbreaking ode to a specific brand of painkillers and sleeping pills, this effort is among Lewis’ more vulnerable and gut-wrenching. Namedropping various rockstars and writers famous for drug-taking, Lewis breaks down how all he has to hang on to for a sense of hope and security are sleeping pills. [4.5/5]
‘Just Fun’: Musically, this song is much more upbeat than the previous effort, but the lyrics are just as existential, harking back to the style of his earlier material. His musings on families and attempting desperately to live an ordinary life are both depressive and pretty universal, striking a perfect balance between the two. [4/5]
‘Relaxation’: A driving six-minute epic with a brooding darkness and building intensity, ‘Relaxation’ demonstrates both Lewis’ genius in composition and the essential quality of his backing band. [4/5]
‘Inger’: Only Jeffrey Lewis could pack such an expansive, emotionally affecting life story into a short three-and-a-half-minute anti-folk song. Telling the tale of a young Swedish-American woman whose father succumbs to cancer, causing her to take refuge in the folk clubs of New York City. It is a beautifully tender song that only seems to become more affecting with each listen. [5/5]
‘100 Good Things’: A live recording made on a hand-held camcorder at a gig in the UK, this ode to the various things that provide a sense of hope to Lewis is wonderfully lo-fi. Lewis’ voice and guitar are accompanied only by the violin of Mallory Feuer, giving the recording a stripped-back feeling and complimenting its lyrical content, which seems relevant now more than ever. [3.5/5]
‘The Endless Unknown’: Closing out the album with a typically melancholic offering, which subverts the darkly comedic undertones featured throughout much of the album. Lewis lays his heart bare for the listener, and the only thing left to do when the needle clicks into the dead wax is flip the record over and start again. [5/5]
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