Review | Tim Heidecker - In Glendale

Tim Heidecker, of “Tim and Eric” fame, made another record. It’s probably not the kind of record you think it is. Or is it? Tim Heidecker made a record and it’s probably exactly the type of record you think it is.  Backed by a ten piece band, In Glendale finds Heidecker singing blues-tinged Americana that falls somewhere right between the schmaltz of James Taylor and the "nudge nudge, wink wink” of Randy Newman.  His songs are almost exclusively about mundane situations -- cleaning up after your dog and baby, calling sick into work after a late night -- and when they aren’t (murdering an ex and burying them in the Hollywood Hills), they all still manage to leave you with a feeling of uncertainty. Are these real songs? Is Heidecker genuinely breaking out of his comfort zone and trying something new? Is this a huge giant Andy Kaufman-style prank? Is it a parody of celebrity vanity projects? These are all most likely questions that he wants you to ask yourself but after listening to In Glendale you will still have no answers. So, just taking it at face value, perhaps the real question that should be posed is, "Who exactly is this record for?" Tim and Eric fans? Doubtful. My parents? I don’t think they would even take this all that seriously and they, quite frankly, love this type of stuff. In the end, Tim Heidecker has made a record and it’s earnest and boring and, in spite of a couple of cute, pithy lines and a hope that this is something other than a big dumb joke, it’s really not worth anyone thinking about as much as I had writing this.