Recorded in just four days with cover artwork that recreates ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’ LP – albeit with more raw cheek – Jeffrey Lewis’s latest album, ‘The EVEN MORE Freewheelin’ Jeffrey Lewis’ is a record that once again finds one of the world’s finest storytellers offering musings and ruminations on the memories and mundanities of modern life.
‘Do What Comes Natural’ opens the record with acoustic strums and a touch of psychedelia as Jeff ponders the advice other people are intent on giving him while he battles with his mental health: ‘If I just do what comes natural, I’d just be a black hole, I’d never get dressed or even get out of bed’; ‘Even just to be lazy demands that I try’. ‘Movie Date’ follows and is in the classic Jeff Lewis vein of making a story out of something that is instantly relatable; this time your better half dozing while you try to watch something together – conveying the irritation and romance that this blends together: ‘To feel my loved one’s head rest on my shoulder can be a cosy feeling for sure’.
Given the title of this record, there was bound to be some Bob Dylan influences shining through and this is the case on ‘DCB RARS’, as Jeff talks about his dream of being one half of a Bonnie and Clyde-style crime-loving duo who spend their lives on the run: ‘I want a world where I get to see what all doomed lovers saw’. The lead single ‘Sometimes Life Hits You follow with its glam-style bluesy stomp and singalong manta of ‘Oww, fuck, that hurt’ while ‘Tylenol PM’ is a knowing ode to how sleeping pills can help temporarily fix a broken heart or dark thoughts – with some fine self-deprecation about selling out: ‘Depression and debasement got me doing product placement’.
‘Relaxation is my nemesis’ is the opening line of ‘Relaxation’, a song that finds Jeff talking about how it feels when your brain just won’t switch off against a melodic and fast-paced folk song. ‘100 Good Things’ is a live recording where Jeff takes a step back and realises that not all of life is bad, especially when there’s food, books, movies, comics and he himself is a ‘small but thriving cultural figure’ that some ‘amazing women’ have wanted to know.
The album finishes with typical Jeffrey Lewis sadness as he claims ‘Abandoned’, ‘That’s about all I’m worth’ on ‘The Endless Unknown’, a violin-backed track filled with despair and observations on what it means to live: ‘Stupid, stupid brain and its dumb, smart thoughts’.
Yes, Jeffrey Lewis is more Freewheelin’ than ever on this latest record – making you laugh, cry and feel every other emotion, often in the space of just two lines.