Hi, everyone. Githany Tartano here, the Internet's busiest music nerd.

And it's time for a review of.

Jeffrey Lewis's 2023 tapes. So I uploaded a video to Instagram, and it was my least favorite albums of 2023. And, you know, it was just, like, the least favorite albums of 2023 so far. Video. And I wasn't really expecting this, but who. Who left a comment under that video content other than singer songwriter, legendary anti-folk punk singer songwriter Jeffrey Lewis?

Jeffrey Lewis left a comment, and now...

I'm gonna do a review.

So he was talking about how garbage all the albums were that I was listing off, and he was kind of talking up his own project that he just came out with over here, and I thought, oh, I didn't even know I had a new thing out. He's a very prolific guy. I've reviewed his music, talked about it a few times before. I'm very well aware of his almost very casual, raw, folk singer songwriter style. Very lo fi, very, you know, very dirty, very filthy, very frank, very matter of fact. As far as the writing and the lyrics go, I should probably dip in for a hook now.

Jeffrey Lewis left a comment, and now I'm gonna...

Now I'm gonna do a review.

So I read the comment, and, yeah, he was, like, talking up his record. I was like, yeah, I'm gonna go check that out. I'm gonna go check it out. So, yeah, I guess he's been coming out with these tape projects where he's kind of, like, quickly recording these banned albums and then releasing them. And another and then another and another and another and another. And, yeah, the latest one over here is a bunch of 2023 tapes. So I decided to check it out. Had to buy it because he's got his bandcamp set up like that, I guess.

Jeffrey Lewis left a comment, and now...

I'm gonna do a review.

So I decided to listen to it and sort of do it in a bit of a one take, once over kind of thing, just, like, in the way that he recorded it and sort of rip off his own songwriting style in a very poor, poor, poor, unflattering fashion, which I'm not doing any justice whatsoever by going about it in this way, in this video, and I apologize.

Jeffrey Lewis left a comment, and now...

I'm gonna do a review.

So, yeah, it's like, a bunch of. It's a bunch of tracks. It's a bunch of tracks. Full band tracks. Raw, punky, lo fi folk and folk rock recordings with, like, some acoustic home tapes. On the back end that I don't know if they're that good. They don't really add that much to the overall project. It's really kind of like the core electric songs on the record that I think are like the best and the most worth listening to for the most part. Like, if you kind of dipped on those acoustic cuts toward the end, I wouldn't totally blame you. They kind of seem like, you know, songs that are there for the most hardcore. Of hardcore. Of hardcore. Most hardcore. Jeffrey Lewis fans.

Jeffrey Lewis left a comment and now...

I'm gonna do a review.

So, yeah, it's, yeah, like about 14 electric and band songs on there about. I could be wrong because I'm doing this off the cuff. Oh my God. "Guilty of Stupid" is the first track on the record. And again, if you're looking for something that is very off the cuff, that is very rough around the edges, cute, quirked up, funny, witty, very witty lyrics across a lot of points of the, um, some interesting rhymes as well. Jeffrey Lewis is a rhyming like a diamond across this record. That's for sure much better than I am. I'm not even trying to rhyme at all. I'm really just talking over a single guitar chord until the chorus comes.

Jeffrey Lewis left a comment and now...

I'm gonna do a review.

And yeah, you know, like, "Guilty of Stupid" is a decent opener. Sounds really good. It's kind of weary. Gives me almost like silver jews vibes a little bit. Liking the vibe on that one a lot things that people give me is a very hilarious track all about, like, him having too much clutter due to the stuff that people give him and him wanting to get rid of it and kind of going about it in sort of like a very curt, a very brash, a very funny, a very ruthless fashion. And yeah, it's highly entertaining and honestly very relatable. The next track about rednecks, I don't know. I mean, you know, I sort of get what he's talking about there, though. I don't know if I would like really prod or, you know, sort of like encourage any more craziness, especially after Jan. Six. But yeah, it is true. I mean, they're total cowards. They have like, you know, all the way weaponry that they could possibly want at their fingertips, and yet, like, they think the country's been stolen, but they're like, not really doing anything about it. It's kind of weird. You know, he definitely makes a point there, but considering how much he's proven himself to be kind of, like, politically and socially savvy over the years, over the course of, like, numerous records.

I'm really disappointed in the song one state solution. Like, obviously it's about Israel Palestine, and it very much both sides the whole situation, and completely tears out the context of Israel being very much a colonialist project that is funded to the tune of billions and billions and billions of dollars by the american government, and yet treats as if it's just like, you know, two random groups of people who don't like each other very much, as if there's not, like, a power dynamic going on here. Give me a fucking break. Jeff, what's wrong with you?

Jeffrey Lewis left a comment, and now...

I gotta do a review.

Still. The world is just a series of confounding events is quite entertaining. And cute things dip a little bit at what part of blank don't you understand? You know, Jeff, as much as I do like his lyricism, I like the way he focuses on a topic. I like the way he discusses things in his music, too. Sometimes he does tend to ramble, and I feel like the message really sort of, like, overloads the. The song or the need for a song, much in the same way that we're kind of experiencing right here, like, what I'm doing right now, even with, you know, the addition of.

Jeffrey Lewis left a comment, and now...

I'm gonna do a.

It's not a very good song. Like, it's actually an awful song. Like, I mean, obviously, it's more of a review than a song. Like, a real proper song, you know? And, you know, don't get me wrong, there are tuneful moments on this record. I just feel like, you know, these tracks are not necessarily two of them. I do love creature of routine, though. I think that's a very funny track. Very witty track, very quick witted track. All about, you know, just being somebody who sticks to a routine, repeats things, which we all are, you know, I love the cute little ra that the song ends off with. Dating profile is another rambly cut. But I just kind of feel like the fact that it is, you know, just about dating profiles and the way that it is, and it's so focused and it's so detailed, it really kind of makes it funny and entertaining. Fuck, it's just so fucking hot is all about climate change, global warming. It's very intense. It's very loud. It's very punky. It's, you know, it really meets the moment.

Jeffrey Lewis left a comment, and now...

I'm gonna do a review.

When we fight, we text is another I found to be maybe a little bit too rambly, but still, I did like the story and about how you would sort of have these miscommunications in a relationship that happen more in one context than in others, and sort of wanting to favor other modes of communication over texting just so that these miscommunications don't necessarily happen. That's certainly happened to me before. Preconditions include, though I feel like is kind of okay, pales in comparison to accept yourself, which is a very kind of beautiful and moving song about self acceptance. Duh. I mean, you know, Jeffrey Lewis is a very kind of, like, what you see is what you get kind of guy, as far as his writing and the content of his songs go, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because Jeffrey.

Lewis left a comment, and now I'm...

Gonna do a review. He gives you a lot. Yeah. What you see is what you get. But you get. You get quite a bit, you know, considering that his records and the presentation that he puts on them is so raw, it's a little messy, you know.

Like, a lot of content.

There's a lot of meaning there. Still a lot of heart and emotion in what he's saying, even if he's glossing over very vital power dynamic issues in dire political situations. But I digress. What's even funnier, though, is fortune favors the bold. It's a song all about sort of like, you know, doing things that you're not supposed to, even things that are so obviously stupid and bad for your health or maybe even, you know, would put your life at risk. But, you know, Jeffrey sort of, like, hilariously embraces the idea of doing these things things anyway. Like, hey, you know, you're being bold. Fortune favors the bold. It's very funny. It's very cute. Why not utopia bedtime for the press. This is like, you know, the point at which we're kind of, like, transitioning into the, you know, the home tapes portion of the project. And it really starts to lose me. I do generally like Jeffrey's kind of solo and acoustic performances and stuff, but I just kind of feel like the pace of the songwriting, the vocals being maybe a little wearier than they have been in past years, combined with just the recordings being as, like, loaded with ambient sound as they are, it kind of makes them difficult to connect with.

I feel like they could definitely be better if it was just going to be a vocal and a guitar type thing. There are some good guitar parts, though. I will give Jeffrey that. Jeffrey is definitely no slouch when it comes to the songwriting game. Still creative, still doing his thing, still idiosyncratic, almost to a fault in some ways, because while his sound is very recognizable and very specific, it's definitely not going to be for everybody. He's not your average singer songwriter, even on this project over here, where, you know, he's very, very, very far, deep into a, you know, massive, lengthy and influential career.

Jeffrey Lewis left a comment and now...

I'm gonna do a review.

Yeah, for the most part, I feel like the album's pretty good. It's decent. I feel like he's had better, more exciting, punchier albums in the past, albums with more memorable songs. But by usual Jeffrey Lewis standards, I feel like this is a pretty enjoyable affair all around, which is why I'm feeling a strong six to a light seven on it.

Anthony Fantano, Jeffrey Lewis, forever.