C.D. review: "Alpocalypse"

In June, "Weird Al" Yankovic released "Alpocalypse", the 13th album of his illustrious career. After listening to the album several times, I will now give a track-by-track review.

1. Perform This Way
The lead single is a parody of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga. There was some controversy surrounding this song. As Al tells it, when he approached Lady Gaga's management about this parody, Gaga asked to hear the completed song before she would give her blessing. After recording the song, permission was denied. Al then put the song on You Tube for free. Later that day, Gaga said that she had never heard the parody; blaming her manager for turning done permission. This cleared the way for Al to finish the album. Overall, this song is a strong parody, making fun of Lady Gaga's unique sense of style and way of calling attention to herself.

2. CNR
Five of the songs on this album were released more than two years ago as "Internet Leaks". This was one of those tracks, so I've been listening to it for quite some time. One thing that non-Al fans might not know is that only about half of his songs are direct parodies. Many of the others are what Al calls "style parodies", which are funny original songs that attempt to mimic the sound and style of popular bands. CNR tells of the many exploits of TV's Charles Nelson Reilly; including the revelation that he "ran a 4-minute mile blindfolded with an engine block strapped to his back". The music is in the style of the White Stripes. Overall, this is probably my favorite song on this CD.

3. TMZ
A parody of "You Belong To Me" by Taylor Swift, this song pokes fun at our celebrity-obsessed culture. I never really understood the popularity of TMZ and similar TV shows; this is certainly a topic ripe for mocking.

4. Skipper Dan
Another of the Internet Leaks, this song tells the tale of an aspiring actor who has not found success in Hollywood. Instead, he takes a job as a tour guide at Disneyland's Jungle Cruise ride. Not a particularly funny song, but is earnest and heart-warming in its own semi-twisted way.

5. Polka Face
Another feature of "Weird Al" albums is the polka medley. Al takes a few lines from a dozen or so popular songs, and sets them to polka music. As I've gotten older, I find that I am less in touch with the popular music scene. Therefore, Al's parodies and polkas are a way of keeping me a bit familiar with the current scene. The polkas tend to be funnier when you're familiar with the original songs.

6. Craigslist
This song is a spot-on style parody of the Doors. Each verse takes a shot at different types of unreasonable people that one encounters on the Craigslist site. This includes a man who wants to acquire your vintage '65 Chevy and only give up a wheelbarrow and sombrero in return; also a guy who is giving away used Styrofoam peanuts and acting like he's doing the world a huge favor by doing so. Another of the top songs on this CD.

7. Party in the CIA
With this Miley Cyrus parody, Al has no entered his second generation of parody targets (previously parodying Billy Ray's "Achy Breaky Heart" as "Achy Breaky Song"). This is probably the strongest parody on the album.

8. Ringtone
This style parody of Queen is my least favorite track. As part of the Internet Leaks, this song has been around for a couple of years, and it still hasn't grown on me. It tells the story of a man who has an embarrassing ringtone on his phone, but refuses to change it, since he spent a hard-earned $1.99 on it.

9. Another Tattoo
This song parodies "Nothin' On You" by B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars. I don't know anything about these artists or the original song, but sometimes that can actually aid in the enjoyment of an Al song. In this case however, it did not help. Overall, this is probably the weakest song on the album. It is basically a man listing all of the unusual and bizarre tattoos that he has on his body.

10. If That Isn't Love
The latest in a long line of Al's twisted love songs, such as "One More Minute" and "Good Enough For Now". A man reminds his lover of all the wonderful things he does for her. These include "When you're telling me about your feelings I try not to yawn" and "when you're cleaning the gutters on the roof I'll hold the ladder".

11. Whatever You Like
This song parodies the T.I. song of the same name. But this time, our narrator wants to impress his lady, but has much more limited resources. This won't stop him from supplying her with all the Top Ramen she can eat, or taking her for a hot date to watch the clothes spin around at the laundromat. A very solid and funny parody.

12. Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me
Anyone who has spent much time on-line knows what it's like to receive a barrage of unsolicited jokes, stories, and other emails from well-meaning friends. Most of us are too polite to say anything, but not Al. The CD closes with this ode to unwanted, inbox cluttering junk emails.

The CD also comes with a bonus DVD which contains videos (most of which are animated) of ten of the twelve songs.

Overall, "Alpocalypse" is one of Weird Al's best efforts. If you're not yet a fan, you can check out many of his songs on You Tube, then by all means, buy this CD.