Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard - Em Are I

As cliche as it is, ever since I first heard "Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror," I've been a devout fan of Jeffrey Lewis and his various bands. Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard is his newest project, and their first album together, Em Are I, is due out on May 19th. With a winning combination of lo-fi punk and off-beat antifolk melodies, Em Are I's eleven tracks sound like they were recorded in the stairwell of a condemned building--but that's a good thing, I swear. Lewis' vision of New York City is one that is best told through fuzzy guitars and self-deprecating lyrics, two things that are all over this album. "Roll Bus Roll" recalls leaving the city and sleeping on a busy with a rolled-up sweatshirt as a pillow, "Broken Broken Broken Heart" is a quirky pop gem (with handclaps!) about going through a break-up, and "The Upside-Down Cross" is an eight-minute behemoth with saxophone about warfare and lost love. Em Are I will definitely appeal to any fans of Lewis' earlier work and is inviting enough that anyone who likes their folk fuzzy and tongue-in-cheek might find a new album to obsess over.

DOWNLOAD: Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard - Em Are I [Rough Trade]
Recommended Tracks: "Roll Bus Roll," "Broken Broken Broken Heart," "The Upside-Down Cross," "Bugs & Flowers."