Spring Break
Silly songs steal the show
By: Stephen Shepperd
Issue date: 2/26/09 Section: Features
The Lonely Island may be the hottest thing in comedy right now. Saturday Night Live writers Jorma Taccone, Akiva Shaffer and cast member Andy Samberg have been behind the writing and production of the SNL Digital Short tuned viral videos that have gained popularity with the media, dorm rooms and office cubicles over the past few years.
In their debut album "Incredibad," the trio showcases some of the more popular songs from their Digital Shorts, as well as unreleased tracks recorded with celebrities. The album includes the Emmy winning "D*** In a Box," featuring Justin Timberlake, and the Digital Short that started it all, "Lazy Sunday."
The childhood friends from California's Bay Area have been at the forefront of comedy sketches and parody music since "Lazy Sunday" first aired in December 2005, but may have topped themselves with their debut record.
Comedy aside, "Incredibad" is an astonishingly well put together album. Tracks such as "I'm On a Boat," "J*** In My Pants" and the Slim Thug cover "Like a Boss" have a pure hip-hop sound that could be easily slipped into a nightclub's playlist without drawing anybody off the dance floor.
The guest appearances on the album are just as impressive, featuring artists like Norah Jones, E-40, Jack Black, Julian Casablancas, T-Pain, Natalie Portman and former SNL cast member Chris Parnell. A certain level of the album's hilarity comes from hearing some of these established musical artists singing or rapping the lines from the song.
In the song "Boombox," the trio raps about a cautionary tale of a boombox being brought into certain environments to change the mood with its music. One of the situations involves a boombox being brought into a boardroom filled with stuffy businessmen who seemingly would never dance. Julian Casablancas, lead singer of The Strokes, takes over the chorus of the song by singing "Everyone started to move/ People rejoiced instead of financing/ The preconceived notions where shattered/ By the super old white people dancing."
In their debut album "Incredibad," the trio showcases some of the more popular songs from their Digital Shorts, as well as unreleased tracks recorded with celebrities. The album includes the Emmy winning "D*** In a Box," featuring Justin Timberlake, and the Digital Short that started it all, "Lazy Sunday."
The childhood friends from California's Bay Area have been at the forefront of comedy sketches and parody music since "Lazy Sunday" first aired in December 2005, but may have topped themselves with their debut record.
Comedy aside, "Incredibad" is an astonishingly well put together album. Tracks such as "I'm On a Boat," "J*** In My Pants" and the Slim Thug cover "Like a Boss" have a pure hip-hop sound that could be easily slipped into a nightclub's playlist without drawing anybody off the dance floor.
The guest appearances on the album are just as impressive, featuring artists like Norah Jones, E-40, Jack Black, Julian Casablancas, T-Pain, Natalie Portman and former SNL cast member Chris Parnell. A certain level of the album's hilarity comes from hearing some of these established musical artists singing or rapping the lines from the song.
In the song "Boombox," the trio raps about a cautionary tale of a boombox being brought into certain environments to change the mood with its music. One of the situations involves a boombox being brought into a boardroom filled with stuffy businessmen who seemingly would never dance. Julian Casablancas, lead singer of The Strokes, takes over the chorus of the song by singing "Everyone started to move/ People rejoiced instead of financing/ The preconceived notions where shattered/ By the super old white people dancing."
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com