Weird Al’s new album Straight Outta Lynnwood seems to have jumped into my cart today…
White & Nerdy: a rap parody, offering humorous lyrics at a popuation (such as myself) which makes up a decent sized portion of Al’s audience. Like his earlier song “It’s all about the Pentiums”, the lyrics were well-researched so that they’re so true they’re funny. Notable lyric: “When my friends need some code, who do they call? I do HTML for them all.”
Pancreas: An original song that’s somewhat surf music-esque. What else is it but… an ode to his pancreas. Catchy… I suspect this one will grow on me. Notable lyric: “My spleen doesn’t matter. Don’t really care about my bladder. But I don’t leave home with out my pancreas.”
Canadian Idiot: A parody of Green Day’s “American Idiot”, this is a song of stereotypes, much like “Genius in France” although making fun of the Canucks instead of the French. I really like this one… it’s a good tune to start with, and the lyrics pretty much cover all the major stereotypes about those hosers to the north. Notable lyric: “And you know what else is too funny? Their stupid Monopoly money.”
I’ll Sue Ya: An original song where Al pokes fun at the ridiculous lawsuits which seem to be increasing in frequency. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the white-sounding rap music, although the lyrics are sad but true. Notable lyric: “I sued Colorado… ’cause you know, I think it looks a little bit too much like Wyoming.”
Polkaramo: Another one Al’s great polkas. There were a couple of the songs involved in the medley which I hadn’t heard. I like this one now, which is a great sign. Generally I get fonder and fonder of the polkas the more time goes on. I think as the songs involved get more and more play over time it enhances the humor of the polka.
Virus Alert: The computer humor continues in this original song discussing the woes of computer virii. Catchy, with a fast tempo and Al singing in falsetto. The tempo changes and interesting lyrical arrangement remind me a bit of “Genius in France” or “Dare to be Stupid.” Notable lyric: “If you get infected you’ll wish you had never been born, so before it e-mails your grandmother all of your porn.”
Confessions Part III: Parody of Usher’s “Confessions Part II”. I don’t enjoy the tune and am not an Usher fan. The lyrics are amusing, almost more amusing to read through them without the music as a distraction. Not my favorite, although it’s not nearly as bad as “Garbage Day” on his previous album.
Weasel Stomping Day: Al’s love of the weasel as a subject matter continues in this song, and the morbid topic of stomping a weasel to death is a great contrast to the upbeat, cheerful, family-sounding holiday music. Similar to “Christmas at Ground Zero”, this one gave me a great chuckle. Authentic weasel-stomping sounds are included. Notable lyric: “So come along and have a laugh, snap their weasely spines in half.”
Close But No Cigar: Another one of Al’s love songs. And again, Al ties his relationship issues and his fondness for his women with weird mangled similies and metaphors relating to pop culture. Someday he could release a love song collection. Or perhaps I just need to create a Weird Al love song iMix. Notable lyrics: “And I was crazy like Manson about her; she got me all choked up like Mama Cass.”
Do I Creep You Out: Parody of “Do I Make You Proud” by Taylor Hicks. I’m not yet burned out on the tune, although I could see this one get tiring. The lyrics are good… just not great. It’s a love ballad gone bad. Notable lyric: “Something I should ask about… can I sniff the pit stains on your blouse?”
Trapped in the Drive-Thru: This is the marathon long song for the album… there’s always one, and it’s usually some odd or random topic, and this is no exception. Clocking in at nearly 11 minutes, this song is actually an R. Kelly parody. This one got really old really quick. About four minutes in, I found myself wondering when it would be over. I stuck it out figuring each song deserves at least one full listen. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to perhaps never listening to the full length again.
Don’t Download This Song: This one was released online a few weeks ago and is a great look at why downloading MP3s illegally will harm poor starving recording artists such as Al. While not a direct musical parody, this is definitely a style parody of “We Are the World” and provides that group anthem feel. Notable lyrics: “DOn’t take away money from artists just like me; How else can I afford another solid gold Humvee?” It also reminds me of Al’s comment in an Ask Al response a couple years ago when asked about illegal downloads:
I have very mixed feelings about it. On one hand, IÃm concerned that the rampant downloading of my copyright-protected material over the Internet is severely eating into my album sales and having a decidedly adverse effect on my career. On the other hand, I can get all the Metallica songs I want for FREE! WOW!!!!!
Overall I really enjoyed the album. Go pick up a copy or twelve. The other thing to note is that it’s not just a standard CD… it’s a Dual Disc album, with a bunch of DVD features including six music videos. Not bad for $13.99 on sale.
Also of note: Chris Pirillo’s thoughts
