Sound Salvation Army

Tanis said it first: we are staunchly Team Conan around these parts.

I’ve been watching Conan since I was old enough to stay up late enough to watch Conan. I have vivid memories of his trip to Canada; I watched every night with exceeding joy as he and Triumph traipsed around Toronto. I relished each and every appearance of Norm MacDonald. I loved his apple orchard piece with Mr. T so much I took it out behind the middle school and got it pregnant. His old-timey baseball bit was unbelievable. I downloaded every episode during the writer’s strike, unable to look away as he clamored for ways to fill the time (and out of curiosity about the extent to which he would grow his beard). Of late, his nights and days out on the town in L.A. with staff member Jordan Schlansky revealed a whole new side of him (namely the kind of dickish side). While I thought the ‘celebrity survey’ bit was getting very old in the tooth and the ‘Twitter Tracker’ segment was woefully underused I still watched every night of his Tonight Show run.

I’ll admit it: I cried a little during Neil Young’s performance and Conan’s speech. I know, it seems like petty nothingness in the face of Haiti’s devestation and a million other serious and impactful things that happen all over the world every day. But I don’t have a lot going on in my life right now and Conan has been there with me for more than ten years. He didn’t deserve this. He was really coming into his own and the show was on a level it hadn’t been before.

In hindsight I only wish Canadians could contribute to the Neilsen ratings. Or that my TV had channels so that I could watch Conan when it might’ve slightly (not at all) counted. I’ve always thought Conan’s style and sense of humour played so much better in Canada. It’s a shame our TV industry clearly cannot support a late night talk program. Mike Bullard, you were meant for better things (no, he wasn’t).

So I thank Tanis for her previous post (and for explaining Conan’s appeal with the elequence my sleep-deprived brain just doesn’t have today) but that post was missing something. Something I either have the advanced technological capabilities or a willingness to breach NBC Universal copyrights that she does not.

Look below for Neil Young’s tear-stirring performance of “Long Will You Run” and a faithful take on “Free Bird” courtesy of Conan, his axe, Will Ferrell, Beck, ZZ Top, Ben Harper some dude that looks exactly like Ben Harper named Robert Randolph Ben Harper, Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show Band, some pregnant hippy, and Will Ferrell’s cowbell. So appropriate it hurts.

 

 Neil Young - Long Will You Run (live on the Tonight Show) [4:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Will Ferrell, Conan O'Brien, Beck, ZZ Top, Ben Harper, some pregnant hippie, and the Tonight Show Band - Free Bird (live on the Tonight Show) [6:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We love you Conan. Hurry back to us.

Pat entries Beck, Ben Harper, comedy, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Late Night Wars, live music, more cowbell, Neil Young, Will Ferrell, ZZ Top

There’s something to be said about musicians that aren’t really talented. Usually they’re very bad but excel at self-promotion and suckering people into making their product better than they would ever be able to on their own.

Having said that, I love the Lonely Island guys. Be it their Saturday Night Live digital shorts or their new album, Incredibad, I really dig what they’re putting down. The video and song above for “I’m On A Boat” are likely the single greatest thing I’ve seen and listened to this year. If there’s one thing the group does best in the musical realm, it is spot-on satirizing of grandiose hip-hop song structure and content.

While “I’m On A Boat” is the most well-known example, album track “Like A Boss” comes in a close second in that regard. Andy Samberg professes his aptitude as lead of a generalized office environment in a tone-perfect send-up of every hardened rapper ever, lending authentic menace and incredible juxtaposition to buzzword-speak like, “Promote synergy,” and “Direct workflow.” From there his braggadocio extends to detailing a manic and ludicrous average workday that includes sucking his own dick and eating chicken strips.

The hip-hop send-ups are by far the most successful aspects of the disc, which explains why there are so many of them. Also a nice touch is the raspy delivery on “Boombox,” which ratchets up the tension of the ludicrous verses before the dude from the Strokes comes on and actually makes a song better for once in his life. Lyrically it is a little bizarre; I’m not really certain where Samberg got the idea that bourgeoisie white folks eat a lot of boiled goose, but its a pretty good joke.

Less successful are most of the skits on the album, which much like a regular rap CD are horrendous. There’s a few songs that feel unfinished, especially one-note ideas like “Space Olympics” that rely a lot on the accompanying videos to really help the jokes land.

The total product has an odd duality to it. Like most comedy albums, much of the material loses its luster upon repeat spins. But it also feels like about half the tracks transcend comedy album status; if I heard “I’m On A Boat” or “Jizz In My Pants” in a nightclub, I’d be dancing. So what we’re left with is exactly what every record label is after: an album that has to be purchased to get the maximum enjoyment out of it. The DVD included in the physical package is going to make all the difference and really prop up some of the slower, more staid moments.

That’s a really smart move for a group releasing its first album and a sure step towards producing a second one. I know I’ll look forward to it.

 

 the Lonely Island - Like A Boss [1:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Lonely Island - Punch You In The Jeans [2:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Incredibad can be purchased digitally from iTunes, where they’re like number one all the time or something. If you’re into things that are totally incongruent and unnecessary, you can purchase this music, on which there is only one single actual instrument in the whole works, on vinyl LPz. CD is available on InSound too.

Pat entries Add new tag, comedy, hip hop, Saturday Night Live, the Lonely Island