The main problem with this album, entitled The Wack Album because insulting yourself lessens the impact of other people insulting you, is that it isn’t funny. That would be okay for most artists; some of my favorite songs are depressing; but The Lonely Island, a pseudo-rap trio who got their start on Saturday Night Live, are all about comedy. The ultimate goal here, beyond rhyme and rhythm, is to make you laugh, without any outrageous visuals to help in the process. But that goal fails with me. There are some smirk-worthy lines sprinkled about, but, as hard as it tries, almost nothing on this album makes me laugh.

These guys, if I’m judging them on what I’m hearing here, are creative but not particularly clever, ambitious but not particularly talented. Most of the beats, with a few cool exceptions like Perfect Saturday; a funky 1970s-style disco joint that should’ve been reserved for a real song by real rappers; are hackneyed. Most of the lyrics, or the jokes, are corny. A wack album? Not quite. Go Kindergarten, a mock club anthem, is, intentionally or not, a dumb noisy mess. Diaper Money is just plain stupid. But “wack” is reserved for the worst and this album, I imagine, could be a lot worse. Wacky, in a not-funny sort of way, is more like it.

my rating : 2 of 5

2013