Following my reviews of two albums by Psychostick and Bloodhound Gang, respectively, I have decided to review The Lonely Island's first album, to continue the comedy music vein.
The Lonely Island is a parody of hip-hop and pop groups, built up of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, from Saturday Night Live.
What can be said about these guys that hasn't already been said in many other places on the internet? Nothing. These guys are hilarious and witty, and have made several videos that have gone viral on the internet, such as 'Jizz In My Pants', 'I'm On A Boat', 'Lazy Sunday', and 'Like A Boss', and of course, the song featuring Justin Timberlake 'Dick In A Box' to name a few that appear on this album, although many of the songs on this album have accompanying videos, those are just the most famous of the bunch.Onto the actual music, though, Andy and crew aren't the best rappers, but they're hilarious. None of their voices really fit the music that well except for Andy's (on a few occasions) and maybe Jorma in a few spots. Akiva just feels kinda tacked on voice-wise, but is still equally hilarious, I wouldn't change any of his spots on this album, 'I'm On A Boat' just wouldn't sound the same without him.
This isn't just the Andy, Jorma, and Akiva show though, there are many guest stars on this album which really bring the album up, from Justin Timberlake on 'Dick In A Box', T-Pain on 'I'm On A Boat', and Julian Casablancas of the Strokes on 'Boombox', they certainly pick the right people to bring these tracks to life. Some are down-right catchy!
Another part that's very vital to a comedy-music album is (wait for it)... How funny it is. The Lonely Island is hilarious, simply put. Their humor is either original, or slight parodies, like how 'I'm On A Boat' is a parody of gangsta rap videos showing off cars and the sort, and instead, TLI's song is full of them talking about them riding on a boat, with such choice lines as:
"I'm riding on a dolphin, doing flips and shit
The dolphin's splashing, getting everybody all wet
But this ain't Sea World, this is real as it gets
I'm on a boat, motherfucker, don't you ever forget."
Sound stupid? Yeah, it is, but it's hilarious in action.
The problem? While some of the songs are great and hilarious so they can stand on their own without an accompanying video, some of the songs just need a video to accompany with them or they're just not funny, like 'Ras Trent'. What is this and why do they expect me or anyone else to find it funny? Luckily, these tracks are few.
Also of note are the skits. The skits really aren't that funny, un-needed, and kinda break the flow of the album.
When it hits you, it hits you hard. When it doesn't, you feel as if you're missing a joke and you feel stupid for that, until you realize that a few tracks just aren't that terribly funny.
Overall, I'm gonna have to give it a 7/10. For the people wondering, it's not like I like to rate everything a 7/10. I just rate 'em like that when some tracks are great and a few are throw-aways, and stuff like that. Get off my back, guys, I'm not even getting paid for this.
This was the most boring and serious review album I could possibly imagine for an album about having fun and laughing.
Recommended Track(s): I'm on a Boat, Jizz in my Pants, Lazy Sunday
