'Em Are I

Like the medical procedure punned in the album's title, Jeffrey Lewis' fifth Rough Trade release is an insightful collection on which the artist takes stock of his place in the world, sorting through life's random moments of love, loss and adventure. His songs prick up the ear with alliteration and clever wordplay—as found in the memorable meter of nursery rhymes—and are rife with sharp observation and emotional introspection. (Equally appealing is the fantastic album art, also by Lewis' own hand.) The uptempo tracks ("Slogans," "The Upside-Down Cross") are invigorating with their harder guitars and drums, and Lewis' humor abounds ("Good Old Pig, Gone to Avalon" is a paean to a swell swine), but his slower, softer, acoustic songs are the standouts. "Bugs & Flowers" is a pensive walk with thoughts on the afterlife; "To Be Objectified" ebbs and flows with longing; and in the existential "If Life Exists?," Lewis offers a simple solution on the titular inquiry: "It's hard to get too bored when you pick the right two chords."