For me, music is a very emotional thing. Sometimes it makes you cry. (Hats off to you, Mumford And Sons.) Other times it makes you want to break s***. (I can't tell you how many times I've blasted The Bronx in my apartment, started a one-person circle pit and accidentally knocked over a ficus.)
Or it can induce a major case of the ha-has. In the last couple weeks, I've put away the weepy ballads and angst anthems in favor of more lighthearted fair. Enough with the tears and shadowboxing. It's time to start LOLing.
I can't seem to get enough "laugh rock" these days, and thankfully I've got Garfunkel And Oates, Bo Burnham, Flight Of The Conchords and The Lonely Island to tickle my funny bone — and a couple other body parts. (Kidding! Sorta.)
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1. Garfunkel And Oates' "Pregnant Women Are Smug": In the past couple of years, it seems like all of my gal pals have either gotten: a.) engaged, b.) married or c.) pregnant. I'm totally happy for their newfound domestic bliss, but the addition of husband and child have definitely changed the dynamics of our bestiehood. This song by Garfunkel And Oates (aka Riki Lindhome and Kake Miccuci) perfectly sums up the sentiment — all with humor and a heaping helping of snark. I first discovered these funny ladies when they opened for Charlyne Yi at the Upright Citizen's Brigade in Los Angeles, and I've been humming their parodies ever since. If you like this tune, I highly recommend you pick up their latest album, All Over Your Face.
Listen to "Pregnant Women Are Smug"
2. Bo Burnham's "Words, Words, Words": Saying that I kinda love puns is like saying Nicki Minaj kinda like wigs, and there's no other comedian musician that masters the art of the double meaning than Bo Burnham. At the tender age of 20, Burnham is already a comedy veteran, having toured around the world, appeared on "Comedy Central Presents" and signed a multi-album deal with Comedy Central Records. Plus, he's not so hard on the eyes, either. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a boy with floppy hair, a razor-sharp wit and the retro know-how to name-drop a character like Helga Pataki from "Hey Arnold!" into his rhymes.
Listen to "Words, Words, Words"
3. Flight Of The Conchords' "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)": All a girl ever wants to hear is that she's the most beautiful girl in the room, especially if it's a crowded room, and especially if it's being said by two hilarious dudes from New Zealand. Enter Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. America first met the duo when "Flight Of The Conchords" debuted on HBO in 2007. The series followed the guys struggling to achieve novelty music stardom on the mean streets of New York City. Featuring appearances by fellow funny people like Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman and Aziz Ansari, "Flight Of The Conchords" only ran for two seasons but the band left behind a couple of records containing all of the non-hits from the series. I used to set my alarm to this song every morning, and there's nothing like starting the day with someone serenading you with, "And when you're on the street/Depending on the street/I bet you are definitely in the top three good-looking girls on the street/Depending on the street." It's no coincidence that I try and walk down streets with mostly ugly people.
Listen to "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)"
4. The Lonely Island's "Dreamgirl (Feat. Norah Jones)": When I first saw Norah Jonas on the credits for The Lonely Island's debut album Incredibad, I was skeptical. But then I listened to "Dreamgirl," which is an off-kilter ode to a heavenly lady with a whole lotta problems (i.e. nose like a rhinoceros, skin like asphalt, etc.). It was only when I heard Miss "Don't Know Why" belt out the following lines that I changed my tune: "Last week thought I saw you on the street/Turns out it was a bag of trash/Just a big ol' bag of trash/I thought you looked like a bag of trash." Norah, I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I should've known better. Turns out jazz musicians can be funny, too. I wonder if she took lessons from Josh Groban.