The Even more Freewheelin’ Jeffrey Lewis - Jeffrey Lewis
By: Evelyn Donnelly
The cover of Jeffrey Lewis’ new album The EVEN MORE Freewheelin’ Jeffrey Lewis is striking, to say the least. A naked Lewis and his similarly naked friend Chrissy Howland stroll down a wintry New York street, with a mere black censor box to cover their private areas. A modern Adam and Eve, they walk unabashed of their nakedness, comfortable being uncomfortable. The description of the cover is as follows: “One snowy February day in 1963, Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo were photographed in New York City for the cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan LP, around the corner from Dylan’s 4th Street apartment. 60 years later, lifelong 4th St resident Jeffrey had the idea to try to take the same chilly photo but with no pants on, to prove himself ‘even more’ freewheelin’ than Bob! This plan was foiled by global warming, as New York City winters no longer offer snowy street photo ops, but at least Jeffrey tried.”
This cutting, ironic, and whimsical humour is typical of Lewis, who rose to prominence as part of the anti-folk movement, which began in the 1980s and continued into the 2000s. The anti-folk movement originated as a collection of artists who were tired of the commercialization and seriousness of the mainstream folk scene, and sought to mock it through satirical lyrics that focus on the self and everyday struggles and utilize minimalist musical arrangements. Lewis was born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and began making music in the late 90s, with his tapes being discovered by Rough Trade Records in 2001. He released his first official album, The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane and Other Favorites, in the same year, and has toured the world and built a significant fan base since.
Made up of 10 total tracks, The EVEN MORE Freewheelin’ Jeffrey Lewis is a work of art that attempts to make sense of the tragedies, joys, complications, and sticky situations that make up this thing called life, and every song has the power to transport the listener to a different emotional state. It was recorded over four days in Nashville, Tennessee, by Roger Moutenot, who is a longtime producer for Yo La Tengo. The album features the Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage touring band composed of Brent Cole on drums, Mem Pahl on bass, and Mallory Feuer on violin and keyboard.
The album starts with ‘Do What Comes Natural’, on which a folksy and lighthearted riff contrasts with the pessimistic and unmotivated lyrics of Lewis, which lament daily responsibilities and social norms of behaviour in his typical deadpan manner. The sweet lullaby ‘Movie Date’ follows, which references a number of famous movie plots while trying to process the fading of passion and the act of movie watching and media consumption as a way to bond with someone else, or in this case, disconnect. Lewis uses the metaphor of the ocean to represent the distance that has grown between him and his love, while she drifts off to sleep. The western country garage of ‘DCB & ARS’ was apparently inspired by a suggestion of Lewis’ friend the late David Berman, frontman of indie band Silver Jews, and manifests a romantic crime fantasy the stars of which are Berman himself and writer Amy Rose Spiegel. The energetic ‘Sometimes Life Hits You’ follows, which has been a favorite on the band’s post-pandemic tours, which would inspire audiences to spontaneously chant along to “Ow, Fuck, That Hurt!” even though they had never heard the song before. Lewis pokes fun at anyone who thinks they can escape the pain and suffering of life, despite surrounding themselves with material items, insurance policies, or grand philosophies. Sickly sweet ‘Tylenol PM’ comes after, which is a bluesy and melancholy tune about wanting to escape life’s realities and drown your sorrows. True to Lewis, he sadly pokes fun at himself: “Sweet blue Tylenol PM / I hate endorsing brands like them / But see / depression and debasement / has got me / doing product placement.”
Reminiscent of some of Lewis’ past tunes, ‘Just Fun’ uses whimsical quick guitar riffs to comically highlight the motions we put ourselves through and the suffering they can cause us, either romantically, familially, or aspirationally. ‘Relaxation’ builds up the tension with acid-trip electric guitar and Lewis’ fast paced rhymes about never feeling able to let his guard down for fear of being hurt. The track ends with a two minute long psychedelic Jimi Hendrix-esque guitar and bass outro, gloriously so. ‘Inger’ is the sweetly nostalgic tale of a woman’s coming of age, and the realizations she goes through as she enters adulthood. Recorded live from a handheld device in the back of a UK rock dive bar, ‘100 Good Things’ sees Lewis on guitar and Feuer on violin trying to think positively for a change, about all the good things that are out there to make life a little brighter. Lewis confesses that “…my perspective needs a radical twist / I know there’s reasons I should exist / My life is good, I just have to insist / ‘Cuz there’s so many good things on my list / And there’s probably more that I’ve missed!” Finished off with the slow and sad ‘The Endless Unknown’, which tops off all of Lewis’ poetic and beautiful attempts to grapple with the realities of life, and that there is always more to learn on this earth.
I didn’t know what I was expecting when I first pressed play on The EVEN MORE Freewheelin’ Jeffrey Lewis, but I was not expecting to be taken on an emotional journey that spans genres, themes, and topics. In an age where we all feel increasingly disconnected from each other, surrounded by autotune, AI, and continuous facades, Jeffrey Lewis has succeeded in reminding us all that humanity and vulnerability has not disappeared. In fact, as he has pointed out, now is the time to connect with ourselves and others more than ever.