The Big Alpocalypse Topic

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ludovica64
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Re: The Big Alpocalypse Topic

Post by ludovica64 »

TMBJon wrote:
ludovica64 wrote:Eric Stonestreet
That's not the guy but I should say no more. :ph34r:

Your review was a great read, by the way!
Ohh thank you!...
Yeah after I posted that i realised Al has quite a few friends called Eric. I can think of at least two others ;)
I thought it was that one because he'd posted a photo of his copy..
<º))))><.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·´"Not too stupid..... Just stupid enough!"¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸ ><((((º>
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Killingsworth
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Re: The Big Alpocalypse Topic

Post by Killingsworth »

My first guess would be Eric Wareheim.
Life is a bowl of three-legged salamanders swimming around in an infinite ocean of strawberry jello...
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Bruce the Duck
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Re: The Big Alpocalypse Topic

Post by Bruce the Duck »

I don't know if this has been pointed out yet in here, because I haven't been following this topic. But I just discovered something cool!

If you bought the Deluxe Version of the album from iTunes, it comes with this really cool "iTunes LP" - which is like the whole album - songs, videos, photos - in a DVD-style format. It includes high definition versions of all the photos from the booklet. Other than that, it doesn't really have any other special content, but it's really nice to view/hear the album in that format.
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Re: The Big Alpocalypse Topic

Post by Yankovic-Gretzky »

Weird Al's second Top 10 Album!

Last week number 9. This week number 44.

http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/billb ... r=position" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Last Week's chart!

http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/billb ... 2011-07-09" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: The Big Alpocalypse Topic

Post by Yankovic-Gretzky »

This week 58.
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Re: The Big Alpocalypse Topic

Post by Orthography Enthusiast »

Still in the top 100... not bad for a novelty artist. :ph34r:
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Re: The Big Alpocalypse Topic

Post by Yankovic-Gretzky »

# 101
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drewdy9999
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Re: The Big Alpocalypse Topic

Post by drewdy9999 »

Noooooooooooooooooooo :oo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
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Re: The Big Alpocalypse Topic

Post by weirdojace »

So I went to my local record store today to pick up a copy of the new They Might Be Giants album, and look what they had:

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

Pretty sure it isn't supposed to come out until Tuesday, right? But since the store is 30 minutes away from my apartment, I snagged it anyway.

Oh and on an interesting note: The liner notes on the vinyl corrected the "You Belong With Me" mistake.
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Re: The Big Alpocalypse Topic

Post by Not A Weird Al Fan »

Not A Weird Al Fan's "Alpocalypse" Review

Note: I had a very hard time getting the CD out of the case. This will not color my review in any way.

Overall, I thought the album was "okay" :| . I don't know if it's age or what, but Weird Al albums have lost a lot of luster over the years for me. My main complaint is that it just wasn't that funny, which is disappointing because any time I see him acting, I think he's still got it. I was not only underwhelmed by the original songs, but I felt the parodies could have been stronger or better thought out. In an age where Funny or Die is posting a new song parody every week, the market is getting saturated, making room for new talent to enter the arena. I feel that Al needs to (and can) step his game up on future releases. On that note, there are several memorable moments on this album, nearly all of them in a parody song. I would've liked to have more parodies overall for sure. Track by track below...

"Perform This Way" - Something feels a little weak about this parody. No lines really stick out as absolutely memorable. There was something about a dress mad of "gold lamé", but I think I fixated on that line because I don't know what lamé is. When I think back to that parody he did of "Smells Like Teen Spirit", it seemed like a much better commentary on the artist he was parodying. Almost every line of this is about how weird Lady Gaga's dresses are, which is a bit too easy. Is this even the correct Lady Gaga song to parody? Time will tell.

"CNR" - This feels too much in the arena of all those jokes about Chuck Norris (ie. "When Chuck Norris [does something] he [does something really well]"). Another problem is that this song isn't rooted enough in the reality of who Charles Nelson Reilly was. The main joke is that you just have the image of Charles Nelson Reilly in your head as you listen to this song, which technically is funny, but I never laughed at any of the imagery.

"TMZ" - Here we go. This is the type of Weird Al parody I always enjoyed. It's an effective commentary on TMZ and parodies a song that is a certified mega-hit. I laughed at several parts, but my favorite was "We caught this oscar nominee picking up dog poop". I wonder how this will increase Al's likelihood of appearing on TMZ. I bet it will! I will probably never listen to this song again.

"Skipper Dan" - Don't know what the story is behind this, maybe some Weird Al fans are aware of the backstory, but I found it pretty funny. Actually "funny" is the wrong word, I just sorta listened to it.

"Polka Face" - An album highlight. I would almost like to hear a Weird Al album that's just straight-up polka covers. Actually probably not, but still.

"Craigslist" - Even though it makes no sense, pairing up the style of the Doors with this topic really works (T). I feel like the lyrics could have been funnier, since Craigslist is such a rife subject for comedy :sly: . As I listen to this I'm realizing one of my main complaints about Weird Al is that the lyrics are too overt. A line like "I was wearing red speedos and a hockey mask" could use a little more subtlety. I love the spoken word part when he says he was on the phone with his mother; it reminds me of Dismemberment Plan's 1999 single "The Ice of Boston" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkKH3KddBn8), which is a funny/sentimental song I would recommend to Weird Al fans. All in all this song was good, I was just frustrated by the potential for funnier lines. (NOTE: I was not actually frustrated by this).

"Party In The CIA" - Too easy. However, the line about "waterboarding session" got a smirk.

"Ringtone" - Unlike the Doors parody, referencing Queen does NOT work with the topic. This is the worst song on the album.

"Another Tattoo" - This starts out alright, but then sort turns <_< . Again the tattoos described are too ridiculous. I would like this a lot more if it were a more effective commentary on tattoo culture.

"If That Isn't Love" - I think this song is hurt by trying to go for the joke every time. Sometimes it hits but, like all good comedy, it would benefit from a little more sentimentality or something to relate to :wub: . Don't get me wrong, there are funny lines in here, there's just nothing pulling me in for a second listen. Ben Folds would have probably handled this type of song better. This is the worst song on the album.

"Whatever You Like" - Simple, yet funny. It avoids the pitfalls of a lesser Weird Al song by never going too goofy on the jokes. All of these jokes are rooted in reality and therefore much more effective. "Like my Hyundai? See my Hyundai". That's comedy :peace: . "Whatever You Like" is the type of song that keeps Weird Al (deservedly) relevant. This is the best song on the album.

"Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me" - I was not into this before it started rocking out nearly 3 minutes in. I was also not into it after that. I gotta give props for the line about the loser friends having his address because he wasn't BCC'ed. It would've been better as a uptempo two and a half minute polka. This is the worst song on the album.

Rating: N/A

You can't give a Weird Al album a rating because there's no taste curve for people to get over. Which isn't to say Weird Al fans have bad taste (all the Weird Al fans I know have pointedly good taste). What I mean is -- to paraphrase George W. Bush -- you're either gonna get the album or you're not. As a human you already know the answer to that question, and that is the beauty of Weird Al.

I'm not a fan, but I have a love and respect for Weird Al and his followers,
Bill
Not A Weird Al Fan

:lockit:
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