After listening to Jeffrey Lewis’ music, it should come as no surprise that he's had a strong relationship with The Moldy Peaches and recorded music with Kimya Dawson. Their styles are similar in their chattiness, their humor, their deliberately flat-toned melodies, and their often-rushed paces. Also a comic book artist, Lewis has an eye for detail. Songs such as “I Got Lost,” “Time Trades,” “Cult Boyfriend,” and “When You’re by Yourself” are packed with insights that make listeners do double-takes. (Did he just sing what I thought he did?) It’s this freestyling method of observation that ensures every song is packed with a freshness uncommon in the singer/songwriter genre. It’s no accident that Lewis perfected his craft during the anti-folk scene days of the Sidewalk Café in NYC. “They love me or they hate me, no one’s on the fence,” he sings, and it rings true. His quirks will either repel or compel.
- Fleet Foxes
- Pixies
- Daniel Johnston
- The Mountain Goats
- The Magnetic Fields
- Neutral Milk Hotel
- The Strokes