Stephen Webber’s Little Brains is a sharp and witty critique of humanity’s relationship with the environment, cloaked in playful, surreal imagery. Through clever comparisons and absurd humor, Webber paints a grim picture of human self-destruction, but does so with a light tone that makes the message even more powerful.

It begins with dinosaurs, demonstrating that they died even when they were big and around. Webber concedes that they also did not possess any sense of consciousness, so they could not have avoided their own deaths because they had “little brains.” This is an apt analogy to humans, who do comprehend potential injury — but still do nothing.

Webber biologically connects the past to the present as he reveals us the fact that these days we excavate dinosaurs’ fossils and burn them as fuel, blackening the skies. He emphasizes that the society tends to opt for destructive directions, even voting for them, repeating that we don’t do what would be reasonable. “Little brains” these days belong not only to animals but also to humans, and that makes the listener question modern-day preferences and directions.

Webber, in his last stanza, explodes way into the future, envisioning cyborgs cheerfully eliminating all that is left of human being. This otherworldly as well as humorous vision makes the sting of reality even more poignant. We might very well become nothing but what comes after us is laughingstock.

All the time, Webber writes in plain, earworm style, but infunadense style. He never preaches but allows the madness of what is going on to tell. What is repeated is that phrase “ain’t this really crazy?” and that can signify bemusement as much as irony, and invite us into the chorus by being funny but unsettling.

Little Brains sets smiles on people’s lips and minds concurrently. It is an improbable type of protest anthem — what is catchy on the outside but completely grave underneath.