Jeffrey Lewis records arrive at an alarming rate. Since the late 1990s, it feels like never more than a few months have passed without a new release coming out. Given his penchant for words, Lewis has undertaken an overwhelming writing endeavor. It’s only appropriate, then, that he’s titled his latest album The EVEN MORE Freewheelin’ Jeffrey Lewis, a nod to both his approach to life and a Bob Dylan LP from 60 years ago. The NSFW album cover proves that he can be more freewheeling than his predecessor. Neither the release rate nor the attitude has precluded quality control checks, and this latest album shows Lewis at his best.
The “anti-folk” tag that stuck to him years ago still suits Lewis. This folk-rock music mostly rambles along, a bit ramshackle and casual, often disguising the carefully crafted lyrical content. Lewis’ take on life and love leans more toward the regular than the Romantic; his observations are as relaxed as they are funny, with no loss of insight.
It all comes from his outsider status, as seen in the opening number, “Do What Comes Naturally,” in which he explains that if he truly did what came naturally to him, he’d be a disaster (though he seems relatively comfortable with the idea of not fitting in). “But if I did what comes natural, I’d just be an asshole, I’d be lonely and broke, and probably better off dead,” he sings. “I don’t wanna walk out, or go to museums, assemble a picnic, or think of a plan.” Ultimately, though, he’s grateful that he forced himself to live the life he has lived, and the mixture of comedy, honesty, gratitude, and depression makes for a strange and compelling blend.
That vulnerability extends across the record. On the highlight “Sometimes Life Hits You”, Lewis considers the ways that we construct our lives, full of meaning and protection, even though none of us is safe from disaster. He sings, “But sometimes life’ll hit you like a hammer to the chest, then you’ll say, ‘Ow! Fuck! That hurt!'” It’s a startling moment worth a chuckle, but also worth consideration. It’s also emblematic of how Lewis’ writing frequently works. He’s straightforward but still crafted and memorable. Lewis often sounds like he’s simply talking to you, and it just so happens that his speech can be both melodic and catchy.
“Just Fun” bops along while realizing the disaster of life, considering our conflicts with our loving but intrusive aging parents and with our children. He stumbles into self-doubt (projected onto “you”) when romance goes awry. Everything goes wrong, but it’s all “just fun”, anyway, or so he says. Single “Relaxation” uses psych touches to the folk rock as Lewis explores the reason he doesn’t slow down. All those albums (and all the visual art, too)? That’s the way he is, and he isn’t accepting the need to relax, which feels like his “nemesis.”
The EVEN MORE Freewheelin’ Jeffrey Lewis is a particularly wordy album, but Lewis pulls it off. He has plenty to say, but his distinctive outlook remains intriguing and often provocative. He goes to dark places; oblivion never seems far off, but he finds gratitude in a hundred ways. It all makes for a complex work that gets to the heart of Lewis’ art and maybe even his self. He sounds so relaxed being so naked, but he’s clearly comfortable presenting himself just as he is.