Review Summary: Vaporwave meets mid-western emo
American Dragon Ball is a vaporwave album released on February 24th, 2017 under AMDISCS: Futures Reserve Label. It is a conceptual vaporwave album that is based off of Dragon Ball Z, and also is a parody of the self-titled American album released in 1999. There are 9 seasons of the original Dragon Ball Z series, as there is 9 songs on the American Football self-titled. American Dragon Ball has 9 tracks that have very similar song titles to the American Football self-titled song names. The names are changed up to represent a moment from each season of Dragon Ball Z in a chronological order. The song titles are affiliated with the sample that plays before each song. So if you have not seen the original Dragon Ball Z series, this album will spoil it for you. It also has an album cover that mimicks the beloved American Football album art with a Dragon Ball Z theme. When it comes to the meme quality, this album exceeds any expectations that were expected in 2017, it is easily a 5/5.
However, in terms of music, it has its flaws. Like most vaporwave, it tends to recycle forgotten 80's music. The equalization, mixing, and production is acceptable but could have used more effort. It is far from terrible but the bit it lacks could have made this album a vaporwave classic. Though it had its hiccups, this album easily catches the vaporwave, 80's/90's, Dragon Ball Z aesthetic. The brilliance behind the idea of this album makes up for the minuscule mistakes. It is obvious to tell that this album is not perfect, but it is not worthy of shutting off within the first few seconds. If you are a fan of vaporwave, American Football, or Dragon Ball Z, this album will have you getting the lotion for the night. American Dragon Ball is a lovable album because it can appeal to weeaboos and ***posters from all crevices of the internet. Regarding the quality of the actual music, this album gets a 3/5. Overall, the idea and puns bring this album up to a 4.5/5.
