Incredibad - The Lonely Island

It has been a while since I have done an album review, but I like the idea of going track by track. This is kind of an odd album because it is a comedy album, first and foremost and it is full of shorter songs and some skits. However, it is music and I am going to tackle it as such. For those who do not know who The Lonely Island(TLI) are, they are a trio of white kids, who started on-line then ended up on SNL. Andy Samburg is the face of the group and TLI are responsible for all of the digital shorts on SNL. That is to say, they are all the idea of these three guys. Okay, here goes:

1. Who said we're wack- The guys jump right into the album with a pulse pounding beat and a hilarious rap track making fun of all rapper who take themselves too seriously. The idea of the song is that someone called their group "wack" and the proceed to use the word "wack" over and over again. The song ends with a very nice joke that still makes me giggle. 4/5

2. Santana DVX- Apparently Carlos Santana made some alcohol and this is an ode to that alcohol. The beat is pretty funky and the three guys drop some pretty good rhymes over it. It is a really funny satire on the alcohol influenced rap songs that are far too prevalent in the culture. E-40 shows up as a Carlos Santana and actually drops a pretty good verse. The beat really fits with him. 4/5

3. Jizz in my pants- This is a Euro club song, that starts like it is going to be a serious song and then quickly unwinds into some pretty serious hilarity. TLI boys have the perfect delivery for this track and the whole song sounds like it could be in a club. I really love just how over the top the song gets towards the end. Seeing the video for it really helps, but the song stands on its own. Be warned though, you will find yourself randomly singing the song at the wrong times. 5/5

4. I'm on a boat- I have a problem with this song because T-Pain is on it. however, he is perfect on it because the entire song plays as a parody of a T-Pain song. Boasting about being on a boat gets funnier as the song goes on and it really points to how ridiculous rappers are with their vehicles. Plus, it really is catchy as hell. I want to deny it, but I can't. 4.5/5

5. Sax man- Jack Black's funniest performance ever is on this little song/skit. I die laughing every time as Jack Black sings as a guy who is trying to get a saxophone guy to play, but I do not want to ruin the joke. It is definitely one of the funniest tracks on the album. I love the sax sounds, so much. I giggle like a school girl. 5/5

6. Lazy Sunday- If you have not heard this by now, you must be a newborn. This is what started the TLI explosion. Chris Parnell is featured and the raps on this song are so good they actually show more talent than most rappers these days "Call us Aaron Burr from the way we're droppin Hamiltons" Game Over bitches! The fact that the whole Beastie Boys style song is about a PG movie makes it only that much funnier. 5/5

7. Normal Guy(interlude)- The first lull in the album. I am not amused by a not normal guy trying to pass as normal. The premise is unfunny and the delivery does not help matters. At this point I worry the charm is gone. 0/5

8. Boombox- I am glad I heard this song because it lets me know of the dangers of the boombox. It features a dumb reference to boiled goose in every verse, which is distracting, but the song is pretty damn funny and again, very catchy. The beat is really dope, but for a song about a boombox, I was hoping it would be more booming oh and the hook totally sounds like it could be sung by One Republic or something. Plus any song that says "It was a rainbow coalition of dancing" deserves high marks 4/5

9. Shrooms(interlude)- Like so many stand up comedians when they try and use skits, these are just not funny. Perhaps you have had to do shrooms to really find the humor here, but it is lost on me. 0/5

10. Like a boss- This song is hilarious the first time, pretty funny the second time and then just kind of annoying. I like how silly it is because of how many rap songs it is playing off of, but I kind of got tired of the whole thing. It wraps up nicely in the end, but there is only so much I can take of "like a boss" before I want to just hit skip. There is some funny stuff here, but it just gets old too quickly. The beat is very hot though. I mean, I can hear a lot of rappers trying to rap over it. 3/5

11. We like Sportz- Here is a perfect example of what makes these guys work. They are totally awkward, but they know exactly how to use it to mine laughs. Here is a song about loving sports, but it really plays like 2 guys who are trying to prove they are manly because they are scared someone will think they are gay. It is the perfect frat boy song and it works as a rap song because of how manly rappers claim to be all of the time. 4.5/5

12. Dreamgirl- Here we have one of the weakest songs of the album. I understand what it is meant to do, but it just seems too generic. Rappers like to make songs that talk about the perfect girl and these guys want to do it too, but to make it funny they talk about a super ugly girl! SOOO FUNNY! They do get half a point higher for having Norah Jones singing the lovely hook with the seriousness you would expect from Norah Jones. 2.5/5

13. Ras Trent- I did not at all get this song the first few times. It is hard to pay attention to the words with the ridiculous accent and the too loud horns on the beat, but when you actually pay attention, it is funny funny stuff. Now, I do not know any white guys who think they are rastas, but I know they exist and this is a nice satire of those guys. Granted, the whole thing is just a play on an old Jimmy Fallon sketch, but it works here. Sandburg's voice on the track just kills me. 4/5

14. Dick in a box- What else can be said about this brilliant song. Here is a nice detour from rap satires to satire boy bands from the 90s. It is about time those guys get made fun of. Again, the comic satire is effective because Sandburg and Justin Timberlake are taking the whole very seriously. Comedy only comes from people who truly believe in what they are doing. 5/5

15. Old Saloon- I really think this is only for actual rap fans because the song is the perfect take on DJs and gun shots all over the track making it too difficult to actually hear the track. it is only a minute long so it does not over stay it's welcome, which is nice. I cannot really hear the actual song, but I am sure it is pure silliness. 4/5

16. Punch you in the Jeans- The track sounds like a Jurassic 5 song, with some nonsensical lyrics about punching jeans. The lyrics are actually pretty funny and really show these guys listen to a lot of rap because they spit nonsense that sounds dope, but if you pay attention you realize it makes no sense. For example "I'm gonna turn your 501s into 499s. It sounds dope in the song, but really it means absolutely nothing. It is one of the stronger tracks all the way around 5/5

17. Space Olympics- I skip this track every time. It sucks and should have been left on the cutting room floor, or whatever the music version of the cutting room floor is. It is futuristic sounding, yes but I just do not care about any of this autotune nonsense, even in a comedy track.

18. Natalie's rap- Natalie Portman reimagined as a gangster rapper who cheated her way through college is pure genius, seriously. I cannot get over how amazing it is to hear Natalie Portman talk about weed and sex with the foulest mouth. To be honest, it works so much better with the video, but the song mostly works. It is a very Easy-E style song, which is a really nice touch as well. 5/5

19- Incredibad- If you were wondering how TLI came to be, here is your song. It is very Beastie Boys sounding, but they are rapping about having sex with an alien to save that alien's race. It is so goofy, but it totally works because of how committed the guys are, plus the beat is so freaking off the hook it is almost a shame it is being used on such a funny song. It really ties up the album perfectly. 5/5

It is rare that I can listen to something comedic over and over as I listen to regular music, but the production and the comedy are both so strong, I can actually listen to this mixed in with other music with no issues. If you have not seen their videos go over to Hulu and check them out, but these guys are pretty much the real deal as far as rap fans and rap satirists. I know they got some real producers and of course, artists, but I hope for good things from these guys in the future. I am really glad I picked this album up. I am hesitant to give credit to Robbie, but he was pumping them up so much, I did buy it because of it. So thanks Robbie. This does not, however, let you off the hook for LXG.