Tim Heidecker of Tim and Eric delivers a surprising sharply, insightful, and often hysterical album

In Glendale borrows a bit from the likes of Bob Dylan, but is also firmly steeped in the kind of Americana tradition that is associated with acts such as Randy Newman and recently popularized by singer-songwriters like Tobias Jesso, Jr. or Matthew E. White.

While the title track is a freeway ride across the U.S., with Heidecker name-checking each state and comparing them to his adopted home of California, much of In Glendale deals with deeper issues, both personal and more general. Thanks to his comedy background Heidecker is a terrific lyricist capable of getting his points across in a way that manages to invoke both a chuckle and moment of deeper consideration.

“Work From Home” is a masterful bit of first-person storytelling. It begins with Heidecker claiming he had “one of those nights, one in a million”, and is simply too hungover to come into work. But, as the track unfolds, we learn that this is not the case.

“I know, it’s happened before/I guess you could say it’s a trend / And so, I’ll take today / To figure out how to make it end”, he admits.

The track works so well because of its confessional nature. You can feel Heidecker realizing his own folly in real time, and with each subtle change in the repetition of the chorus you can feel him reckoning with the aftereffects of a particularly rough evening.

“Central Air” is equally terrific, as Heidecker takes listeners through his relationship with his “little house next to the billionaires”, with the conceit of “Central Air” doubling as a metaphor for the acquisition of the American Dream.

It helps that Heidecker has crafted an album that is rich both lyrically and musically. In Glendale is packed with gorgeous piano riffs, tasteful guitar, and the occasional blare of horns.

The 85-second explosion of “When the Cash Runs Out” is possibly the record’s best moment of pure comedy, painting a vivid picture of what would happen if his career in entertainment suddenly disappeared.

“When the cash runs out, I’ll be just like you / The 9-to-5 and the fucking commute”, Heidecker bellows.

He’s a perfectly solid singer, with a pleasing alto that especially shines on “Cleaning Up the Dog Shit” and “I Dare You to Watch Me Sleep.” More importantly, he knows how to place his vocals within the mix, and is clearly focused on creating quality tunes, not just opportunities for himself as a vocalist.

Nothing on In Glendale could be called anything less than a pleasant listen. A few tracks like “Ghost In My Bed” or “I Saw Nicolas Cage” are far from essential and don’t completely fit with the narrative, but it’s fun to hear Heidecker use acoustic guitar instead of piano as his primary backing, and experiment a bit with tempos as well.

Heidecker has been releasing music for the past eight years in various forms, but it’s a blast to see him strike out on his own and create an album that is sharp, insightful, and often hysterical. He’s truly an exciting musical talent, and if Heidecker ever grows tired of the comedy scene he’ll surely have plenty of eagers fans waiting for his jump to full-time musician.

Now we’re all just waiting for the Dr. Steve Brule solo album.