Jeffrey Lewis has got quite an acquired singing voice. This is customary of the anti-folk scene in which he’s associated, but, even by those standards he has a tendency to grate. Lewis’ sparse compositions have become a touch fuller with each release, and with this the whiny edge in his voice has somewhat softened. These advances, however, provide drawbacks with the perks; the whininess is less of a distraction, but the increase in melody can divert the listener from paying attention to Lewis' splendid lyrics.
Oh, those lyrics! In terms of songwriting, Lewis teeters on the border of that whimsical territory that Jens Lekman holds claim to. Where lesser talents risk overindulging in the "w" stuff, both Lewis and Lekman prove consistently worthy of carrying on a fellow man of whimsey, Jonathan Richman's, torch. But, whereas Lekman's predominant preoccupation is love, on 'Em Are I Lewis seems to have a few other things in mind, as well as a predisposition for wordplay (as evidenced in the album title). Love does seem to rate pretty highly in his mind as well, but songs about mortality are just as prevalent, with a tune or two about traveling--whether it be through time or on a Greyhound bus--popping up every track or so. None of the songs paint a picture as brilliantly as City & Eastern Songs' “Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror,” but it’s not every day that you’re going to listen to a song by any Joe Folkie where a line such as “And children are clumsy people, and old people are rotting children” is followed up by "And I still don't have a cell phone, but this sea shell gets reception."
Returning to the musical side of things, 'Em Are I is a definite progression from Lewis' last release of original material, City and Eastern Songs, itself absolutely lush compared to his earlier lo-fi outings. 'Em Are I is the first Jeffrey Lewis album where I found myself grabbed by the tunes as much as the words. Opener "Slogans" starts things off on a bob and a jaunt, with the proceedings getting even boppier once "Broken Broken Broken Heart" kicks in--one of the most effervescent sounding songs about getting your heart busted in recent memory. "The Upside-Down Cross", written by Jeffrey's brother Jack, is a seven minute dabble in noise rock that neither grates, bores, nor overindulges itself. It’s the sort of song one would never expect on a Jeffrey Lewis album, yet its appearance is far from unwelcome.
Things slow down a bit after that point, with the second half of the album hitting a snag or two. Yet, a touch of sweetness is offered in "It's Not Impossible," and the final track, "Mini Theme: Moocher From the Future" has some operatic backup singing that somehow manages to fall short of irksome. Backup singing elsewhere isn't so deficient, unfortunately. But this is only one small drawback in a mostly great step forward.
Level of Disappointment: 4; it's hard to dislike someone as endearingly unattractive as Lewis.
To Watch: "To Be Objectified" video (He actually looks kinda cute in this! Still hard to dislike, though. )
To Watch II: A cover of Eminem’s “Brain Damage”, with Laura Marling (courtesy of The Guardian.)
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