Dubed by Jack Black as "Acoustic Metal", the self tillted debeut album by Black and friend Kyle Glass bring us music you can listen to for the sake of comedy or just because the music its self rocks, a rare quallity. With help from Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, Redd Kross's Steve McDonald, and Page McConnell of Phish, D deliver oddball musings that will appeal mostly to fans of the talented Black, whose earned a following thanks to memorable, frenetic turns in the films Hi Fidelity and Jesus' Son. Most of the 21 songs here run about 90 seconds which is perfect for most songs, the ones that run longer though never seem to drag on. All in all almost every song is the perfect lenght.Here, for anyone who doesn't believe, is my review of the 14 songs and 7 skits.
1. Kielbasa - This one starts out with a short conversation that is only funny with the help of Jacks own manerisms. No one else could say "No, I don't like that. off to a bad start" and make it sound funny. The song its self is not all that funny but is one of the better tunes on the album musicly speaking. 4.5/5
2. One Note Song - This is where the comedy and feel of the album really pick up. (And its only the 2nd track) More of a skit than a song, but still on of the funniest on the album. 4.5/5
3. Tribute - This is another gem, it is the absolute strongest song on the album. It has a perfect length, hillarious lyrics, and a great tune. Jacks vocals really shine through durring an A cappella part where Jack is spouting in key giiberish while Kyle operaticly harmonizes in the background. A perfect song. 5/5
4. Wonderboy - I really don't care for this to much, its not a bad song, its just not to my liking. This song kind of sounds like a comic book story. Two characters are introduced: Wonderboy and Young Nastyman, two enemies who later form the band Tenacious D. It was the first single, although not the best. 3/5
5. Hard ******- Heres where we first really get to hear Kyle and he doesn't dissapoint, a short skit about what the ladies like in bed, quite funny. 3.5/5
6. **** Her Gently - Not to strong musiclly but still quite funny. Lyrics include "Im gonna screw you gently" and "Im gonna bone you softly" 4.5/5
7. Explosivo - This is what Jack means by acoustic metal, all in all a hard, funny song about the devil. 3.5/5
8. Dio - Here Jack says that Dio will be passing the torch to him, this one has hardly any comedy and isn't to great musically. 3.5/5
9. Inward Singing - My favorite on the album and one of the funniest tracks. This is another skit were Jacks mannerisms really shine through, I can almost see exactly how Jacks arms would be flopping around durring the reccording of this one. A true testament to JBs skill. 5/5
10. Kyle Quit The Band - The conclusion to the previous track, another skit which showcases Kyle more this time around. This is almost as hillarios as Inward singing. 5/5
11. The Road - Kind of a country feel here. Not to strond in the music department and not funny at all. 3/5
12. **** Pushups - Here we get a skit were both Jack and Kyle shine, another hillarious conversation. 3.5/5
13. Lee - Not to funny but very strong lyricly and musically. This is another great Acoustic Metal track.
14. Friendship Test - This one is all about the timming. With several akward pauses this skit plays out perfectly and will have you rolling on the floor. 5/5
15. Friendship - Another great song all around, its as catchy as it is funny. 5/5
16. Karate Schnitzel - Jack does Karate, need a say more. 4/5
17. Karate - The only song that is too short, its got great harmony parts and a smooth rolling bridge. It should have been longer, but its still one of my favorites on the album. 4.5/5
18. Rock Your Socks - Short Acoustic Metal track, listening to this is like having a bus hit you then having it drive off before you know what happened. Thats a good thing by the way. 4/5
19. Drive-Thru - Another showcase of Jacks mannerisms in this skit, the longest and one of the stongest skits on the album. 5/5
20. Double Team - Not to greate musically but it makes up for that with sheer hillarity. 4/5
21. City Hall - An epic ending track with several interwining musical parts. Very strong musically and in comedy. A perfect acoustic metal song to end the album. Its the longest at 6+ minutes, but once again, it feels to the perfect length. 5/5
The comedy may be imature at times and a few songs are weak, but if your looking for some good tunes to listen to or somthing to make you laugh, this is for you.
4/5
