DOUBLE DOSE of Album Reviews!

Incredibad
The Lonely Island
Release Date: Feb 10, 2009
$11.49 on Amazon

I really weighed the purchase of this one greatly. Half of me thought “Why buy this? Most of it you’ve seen or heard on YouTube…what’s the value?” I considered that, perhaps, given the amount of content from the album that was available online that maybe the rest of the tracks were not as good.

Ultimately, I was swayed to give the album a shot—the fact that it came with a bonus DVD of the videos was a boost. Immediately, the first two tracks (Amazon’s track listing is wrong, btw) “Who Said We’re Wack?” and “Santana DVX” are actually quite funny, if not a bit formulaic. The guest stars on the album really make things fun and interesting, like Jack Black on “Sax Man.” Other non-SNL or Youtube hits like “Boombox” and “Like a Boss” provide some good chuckles.

All said and done, Incredibad is pretty decent, though the humor is certainly in line with that of a 14 year-old boy…which it turns out I’m not far removed from.

Pros: Funny, good for a laugh, bonus DVD, lots of content.
Cons: Replayability is limited, much content recycled from SNL or youtube.
Score: I give Incredibad 3 and a half skillets.

Love at the End of the World
Sam Roberts
Release Date: Feb 17, 2009 (USA), Sept. 17, 2008 (Everywhere else)
$13.49 on Amazon

It’s no mystery that I’m a big Sam Roberts fan. He has an amazing stage presence, and his music is the closest thing to “classic rock” being produced today. It’s mostly good-vibe, real experience, Canadian rock.

I particularly enjoyed Love at the End of the World and feel like it had more in common with Roberts’ first full-length album “We Were Born in a Flame” than the more recent “Chemical City,” which was darker, synth-ier, and closer to a thematic concept album.

The opening and title track on the CD gets you pumped and really sets the mood. From there, the first 5 tracks are really great, high energy (but not overdone) rockers. “Them Kids,” which was the first single off the disc, I could care less for…something about it feels cliche, and the Sims-themed music video was a turnoff. From there we get a bit of a slower, more down feel in “Words & Fire” and “Sundance.” From there the album picks up again, slows a bit with “Waking the Dead” and then concludes with the great piano-rock number “Detroit ‘67”

I really enjoyed this album quite a bit, and I think Sam Roberts is maturing as an artist. I hope that he can find increased popularity here in the US, as he’s been reasonably successful in his native Canada.

Pros: Love at the End of the World provides a diverse sampling of good rock-and-roll, without it sounding redundant.
Cons: The fact that this album came out in the US 5 months after it was released in Canada.
Score: In the end, I’d give Love at the End of the World 4 out of 5 skillets.

by mashthekeys
3 years ago