Heidecker And Wood – Starting From Nowhere Album Review

It should probably be stated in the beginning of this review that I think Tim And Eric’s Awesome Show is one of the most brilliant things ever. I’m not sure if anything makes me laugh quite as hard, in such a perplexed way. Admittedly, there’s not a ton of depth behind their shtick, but as far as sheer laugh factor, they trump everyone by constantly confronting the viewer with the most bizarre, horrific, and unexpected surrealist comedy imaginable. Some of it isn’t even really funny because it’s funny per se, but more hilarious because it’s… so… fucking…. weird –- total “how the fuck did they get that on television?” territory. My first exposure to this genius came from waking up at 2 in the morning, turning on the TV, watching about 5 minutes somewhat confused, and then nearly falling off my chair in hysterics — actually having to try and uncomfortably rope things in for fear of waking up my wife and neighbors. Now, the reason I bring this up is because the show is incredibly hit or miss, depending on the perspective of the viewer. I’ve watched some episodes where I laugh to the point of near discomfort while my wife sits there staring at me without even a cracking a faint smile. What they do makes no sense to her whatsoever; in fact, it’s kind of terrifying in its intentional aesthetic unpleasantness.

Listen to “Wedding Song” – DOWNLOAD MP3

This disc is a collaboration between Tim Heidecker (Tim from said show), and Davin Wood, who does a lot of the music for the show behind the scenes. The result proves beyond any reasonable doubt that Mr. Heidecker is a certifiable genius in more ways than one, and that with the right connections, Davin Wood could have made a fortune back in the ’80s writing yacht rock tunes. In fact, this might be the best yacht rock album ever conceived. The key is its sense of humor, unsurprisingly. I’ve always postulated that writing poppy songs with strange lyrics is a formula that never gets old, and often can be more subversive than the bleakest of metal or electro-noise soundscapes. Your mind tries to process the saccharine melodies, yet it eventually becomes subconsciously aware that something’s quite off.

Which is why, in a nutshell, this disc maintains the high level of WTF excellence that T&E fans have come to expect over the years. Whereas Awesome Show hits you forcefully with an immediate gut-busting psychosis, Heidecker & Wood sneak into your brain oh so subtly with their smoother than smooth jams. And that’s how they get you — with a preternatural aptitude for AM radio ’70s rock songcraft. These are incredibly well-executed cuts, good enough to get stuck in your head for days with a delivery that’s so dry, that if you didn’t know who these guys were, you probably wouldn’t even know they were joking (which admittedly might make it even funnier).

It’s a mindfuck that works in three ways. First, you listen to it and are kind of confused at how subtle the humor is, as it’s not what you’re expecting. Then you’re shocked again when you find you can’t get it out of your head. Finally, you’re hanging out with friends — unwittingly humming the songs that have now burrowed their way into your psyche, and randomly bust out laughing because you spontaneously realize how utterly inane the lyrics you’re singing to yourself are. Then you have to explain to whomever you’re hanging out with why you just started visibly laughing at a song you listened to three days ago. They can’t hear what’s going on in your head. Shit, that’s mindfuck number four. Again, I say, genius.