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Nov 12, 2013 Web Exclusive By Austin Trunick

Some Things Never Stay the Same is the self-described “self-indulgent sophomore album” from this musical comedy duo. Tim Heidecker is better known for his television work as one half of the madmen behind such concentrated TV weirdness as Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Tom Goes to the Mayor. This album is a take on ‘70s radio rock and songwriter fare; they name-check Nilsson, Newman, and Scaggs, appropriately. (If a weirdly specific comparison must be drawn, a lot of it sounds like a goof version of Dennis Wilson’s Pacific Ocean Blue.)

Musically, it’s a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the era at its cheesiest-complete with female backing singers, saxophone flourishes, and overabundant guitar solos-that hits damn near the mark. Multi-instrumentalist Davin Wood’s compositions are spot-on, and Heidecker isn’t a terrible singer; Aimee Mann, Eric Johnson, and members of Rilo Kiley are on board for guest appearances. The jokes lie in the lyrics, which hover between awkwardly earnest and remarkably mundane. (In the Clapton-riffing “Cocaine,” Heidecker joyously sings “Cocaine keeps me awake/All through the night, all through the day”; it’s all like that.) The album’s humor is similar to Heidecker’s TV work, sharing much of its strange not-sure-if-this-is-supposed-to-be-funny moments; if it hasn’t resonated with you before, it won’t here. Tim & Eric fans should enjoy it, though; dumb joke lyrics aside, it’s surprisingly catchy. (www.heideckerandwood.com)

Author rating: 5.5/10