The Lonely Island "Incredibad" Review
Eric Sugatan
Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: Arts and Entertainment
I like laughing almost as much as I like music. I love bands that are good at both.
There's a certain kind of wit that must be exercised when writing a good humorous song, as far as I'm concerned anyway. First off, it has to be a good song, which is a challenge itself. Writing lyrics that are funny, but can be taken seriously enough to be listenable, is even more difficult. Funny songs that fail to stimulate an audience's sense of humor and melodic ear ultimately leads to getting laughed at, as opposed to being laughed with. Such balance is not easy to formulate. The first time I heard Flight of the Conchords I was utterly envious of them. They write songs with commendable musicianship and still manage to be hilarious. I feel the same way about The Lonely Island and their debut album, "Incredibad." The Lonely Island are already a familiar troupe; people just may not know it until they hear four little words: "D!ck in a Box."
The Lonely Island is a comedy troupe trio who, as of late, has specialized in musical comedy and digital shorts. The troupe is comprised of childhood friends, and Saturday Night Live talents, Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer.
Like the aforementioned Conchords, they have a knack for writing real catchy and clever songs that are as pleasant to the ear as they are funny. Though humorous writing is to be expected from a comedy troupe, I'm still a little taken aback by how well the instrumentation, as simple as it is, is implemented on the album as a whole. Anyone who has watched any of the group's digital shorts on Saturday Night Live can tell you how awesome the songs are overall. As funny as The Lonely Island are on their own, their best work comes through with collaborations. They have a knack for drawing the best from their guest vocalists, which include Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, Norah Jones, E-40, Justin Timberlake, Natalie Portman, Saturday Night Live member Chris Parnell and, my personal favorite, T-Pain on "I'm on a Boat." Maybe it's just me, but I think that some of today's hip hop acts take themselves a little too seriously and over emphasize how luxurious their lifestyle is. Because of this, listening to T-Pain sing "Poseidon look at me" or "I f#cked a mermaid" is probably one of the best things I've ever heard. In addition, "Incredibad" comes with a DVD loaded with music videos for a few of the album's songs as well as a few songs that didn't make the cut. "Incredibad" is one of my favorite albums this year, even as a comedy album. My only issue with it is not the material on the CD as much as the material that didn't make it. I'm speaking, of course, of "Iran so far" featuring Adam Levine, though the exclusion was due to an unauthorized sample. Either way, "Incedibad" is definitely worth a listen.
There's a certain kind of wit that must be exercised when writing a good humorous song, as far as I'm concerned anyway. First off, it has to be a good song, which is a challenge itself. Writing lyrics that are funny, but can be taken seriously enough to be listenable, is even more difficult. Funny songs that fail to stimulate an audience's sense of humor and melodic ear ultimately leads to getting laughed at, as opposed to being laughed with. Such balance is not easy to formulate. The first time I heard Flight of the Conchords I was utterly envious of them. They write songs with commendable musicianship and still manage to be hilarious. I feel the same way about The Lonely Island and their debut album, "Incredibad." The Lonely Island are already a familiar troupe; people just may not know it until they hear four little words: "D!ck in a Box."
The Lonely Island is a comedy troupe trio who, as of late, has specialized in musical comedy and digital shorts. The troupe is comprised of childhood friends, and Saturday Night Live talents, Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer.
Like the aforementioned Conchords, they have a knack for writing real catchy and clever songs that are as pleasant to the ear as they are funny. Though humorous writing is to be expected from a comedy troupe, I'm still a little taken aback by how well the instrumentation, as simple as it is, is implemented on the album as a whole. Anyone who has watched any of the group's digital shorts on Saturday Night Live can tell you how awesome the songs are overall. As funny as The Lonely Island are on their own, their best work comes through with collaborations. They have a knack for drawing the best from their guest vocalists, which include Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, Norah Jones, E-40, Justin Timberlake, Natalie Portman, Saturday Night Live member Chris Parnell and, my personal favorite, T-Pain on "I'm on a Boat." Maybe it's just me, but I think that some of today's hip hop acts take themselves a little too seriously and over emphasize how luxurious their lifestyle is. Because of this, listening to T-Pain sing "Poseidon look at me" or "I f#cked a mermaid" is probably one of the best things I've ever heard. In addition, "Incredibad" comes with a DVD loaded with music videos for a few of the album's songs as well as a few songs that didn't make the cut. "Incredibad" is one of my favorite albums this year, even as a comedy album. My only issue with it is not the material on the CD as much as the material that didn't make it. I'm speaking, of course, of "Iran so far" featuring Adam Levine, though the exclusion was due to an unauthorized sample. Either way, "Incedibad" is definitely worth a listen.
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