Finally picked up "Straight Outta Lynwood"
Yes, I know I'm behind everyone else, but I couldn't get it until last weekend (thank you Best Buy reward zone rebates!).
Before I write a full review, let me just say that I am OBSESSED with "Virus Alert". I love that song the way I loved "Hardware Store" when I first heard it. Now WHAT THE HELL does it remind me of??? Dan and I have been trying to figure that out ever since we first heard it. Rock opera-esque, yes. I just can't figure out why it sounds so familiar. And when somebody tells me I'll probably feel stupid.
Ok, so my review.
The album as a whole is pretty good. I really like about half of the songs. My top two favorites are "Virus Alert" and "Pancreas". I listened to "Weasel Stomping Day" once and watched the video, and I am actually unable to listen to it again. It just bothers me. It's cute, and I know that no weasels were harmed in the making of the song, but it makes me cringe. Maybe I'll get over it. IMO, "Canadian Idiot" is just plain stupid, but then again I think the original is stupid too. I do like the polka and "Close But No Cigar", although it saddens me that Al seems to be getting raunchier and raunchier. One of the things that I always admired about Al was that his music is fairly family-friendly. This album tends to get away from that quite a bit. I would certainly hope nobody would bring their little 4-year-olds to a concert to hear him singing some of the stuff in those songs. Yes, I have seen 4-year-olds at Al concerts in the past. But I digress... "Confessions Pt. 3" and "Stuck in the Drive-Thru" are pretty funny. We already know how I feel about "White and Nerdy" and "Don't Download This Song", so I won't review them again.
Another thing I have to say about this album is that the sound quality is really excellent. He did an awesome job with the mixing. Thanks, guys!
Before I write a full review, let me just say that I am OBSESSED with "Virus Alert". I love that song the way I loved "Hardware Store" when I first heard it. Now WHAT THE HELL does it remind me of??? Dan and I have been trying to figure that out ever since we first heard it. Rock opera-esque, yes. I just can't figure out why it sounds so familiar. And when somebody tells me I'll probably feel stupid.
Ok, so my review.
The album as a whole is pretty good. I really like about half of the songs. My top two favorites are "Virus Alert" and "Pancreas". I listened to "Weasel Stomping Day" once and watched the video, and I am actually unable to listen to it again. It just bothers me. It's cute, and I know that no weasels were harmed in the making of the song, but it makes me cringe. Maybe I'll get over it. IMO, "Canadian Idiot" is just plain stupid, but then again I think the original is stupid too. I do like the polka and "Close But No Cigar", although it saddens me that Al seems to be getting raunchier and raunchier. One of the things that I always admired about Al was that his music is fairly family-friendly. This album tends to get away from that quite a bit. I would certainly hope nobody would bring their little 4-year-olds to a concert to hear him singing some of the stuff in those songs. Yes, I have seen 4-year-olds at Al concerts in the past. But I digress... "Confessions Pt. 3" and "Stuck in the Drive-Thru" are pretty funny. We already know how I feel about "White and Nerdy" and "Don't Download This Song", so I won't review them again.
Another thing I have to say about this album is that the sound quality is really excellent. He did an awesome job with the mixing. Thanks, guys!