THE LONELY ISLAND'S TURTLENECK & CHAIN - COMEDY ALBUM REVIEW
The hilarious trio, The Lonely Island, recently released their second studio comedy album titled Turtleneck & Chain. The Lonely Island consists of Saturday Night Live regular Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone. These three have been writing comedy sketches and songs since childhood. Once discovered by SNL, they were an instant hit in the viral scene with their infamous “Lazy Sunday.” Their first studio album, Incredibad, featured comedy tracks that were digital shorts on SNL, and it was a big hit. Finally, the boys are back, with twelve fabulous new tracks on Turtleneck & Chain, with guest appearances by Rihanna, Michael Bolton, Justin Timberlake, and more.
The first track on Turtleneck & Chain is “We’re Back!” This amusing sub-two minute song features The Lonely Island sarcastically rapping about their bodies and ‘fame.’ It is an introductory song proclaiming that they are back, and how they acknowledge the fact that they are ‘needed’ by the world. It is a clear preview that their comedic tactics are in full bloom on this album and that the viewer should be prepared for the upcoming tracks. Next on the album is “Mama.” It is very contradictory at the least. You think that the song is a lovely song dedicated towards their mothers, but it quickly turns around by some cruel voice-overs about forty seconds in. “Mama” is a sweet song turned sour. The song is both humorous and heartless.
Next on Turtleneck & Chain is the popular single “I Just Had Sex” featuring Akon. This song was featured on an episode of SNL and was an instant hit, with eighty-seven million views on YouTube and growing. The title is very obvious for what the lyrics are about. No matter how strange the song is, or the painfully awkward the lyrics may be, the song is still extremely catchy and hilarious. Akon completed it perfectly. The following track is “Jack Sparrow” featuring Michael Bolton. This song was also featured on SNL and I find it one of the best on the album. Michael Bolton’s bizarre obsession for Jack Sparrow and other movie stars is a comedic masterpiece. If you don’t laugh while listening to “Jack Sparrow” you do not know good humor. The hilarious contrast between The Lonely Island’s desires to create a club track and Michael Bolton’s movie story telling is magnificent.
The following track on Turtleneck & Chain is “Attracted to Us.” It is a selfish song about how every nationality of girls are attracted to the boys of The Lonely Island. In an amusing twist they reveal that the girls are “never gonna get it” because they’re “shy.” It has a nice, pop beat to it and is kind of charming. The next track is “Rocky.” The rapping has a Fresh Prince feel and is pretty random. The lyrics describe a story about a brutal fight with Rocky. It is slightly confusing but nonetheless funny. Next on Turtleneck & Chain is a twenty-two second clip called “My Mic.” The clip consists of random octaves of voices saying “my mic sounds nice.”
The title track “Turtleneck & Chain” featuring Snoop Dogg is next on the album. This song sounds like an actual rap song, not a comedy song. Except, of course, the title of the song clearly shows the sarcastic side of The Lonely Island. The rap by Snoop Dogg is solid and convincing. This track is slightly boring but still follows suit with the comedy theme of the album. The following song is “Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde.” This song was featured as a digital short as well on SNL a while back. It features Andy Samberg as Ronnie and Rihanna as Clyde. The song features Rihanna as a forceful woman who robs a bank, and Andy Samberg is an extremely shy person who cannot sing into a microphone. But, once Rihanna declares “bye-bye” in the song, Andy’s character belts out into a deep rap that is quite peculiar.
“Trouble on Dookie Island” is the next track on the album. Honestly, it is completely random and does not make sense. It is a bunch of crazy rapping that keeps bringing up Dookie. It should not have been included on this album, but since The Lonely Island loves the random appeal, that is why it ended up as a track. The following track is called “Falcor vs. Atreyu (Classy Skit #1)” which literally consists of two voices screaming ‘Falcor! Atreyu!’ repeatedly. This track is completely random and ties very close to the comedic theme of the album. The next song is the infamous single “Motherlover” featuring Andy Samberg. This track is atrocious. It was featured as a digital short on SNL a while ago. The lyrics discuss two guys of their pursuit of each other’s mothers. It is sickening and awkward to listen to. Justin Timberlake is fantastic like always, but is extremely creepy.
While on the topic of creepy things, the next track on Turtleneck & Chain is “The Creep” featuring Nicki Minaj. This song was also featured as a digital short on SNL. It became an instant hit with over twenty million views on YouTube. The Lonely Island and Nicki Minaj illustrate various creepy situations that men and women participate in. It is very entertaining and gives a good laugh. Nicki is incredible in her part of the song. Another short sub-thirty second skit follows, and then the final track “Threw it on the Ground” begins. It is an old song by The Lonely Island that talks about throwing random objects on the ground. The extreme randomness of the song makes it funny. From cell phones to hot dogs, The Lonely Island makes a point that their mission is to create comedy music filled with randomness.
Overall, The Lonely Island’s Turtleneck & Sweater is a hilarious comedy album with quirky tracks and awkward lyrics. The mix of both slightly serious and completely random raps makes this album a hit. Definitely check it out if you are looking for a good laugh!