Thursday, 26 December 2013

LMFAO- Sorry for Party Rocking Album Review





















Album- Sorry for Party Rocking
Artist- LMFAO
Dance pop based music duo LMFAO were the reigning party Kings of 2011 thanks to their hit tracks ‘Party Rock Anthem’ and ‘Sexy and I Know It’, but since then the band have announced that they are going on a hiatus so they can be known as solo artists and then come back renewed. But is this an album that shows we should have the duo back, or did they just manage to produce two good party tracks?

Track 1- Rock the Beat II (Intro)

Linking the bands last record with this record, this album is a dramatic electronic dance music intro that immediately establishes the groups and the records philosophy in terms the idea of just partying and rocking out. The song has a dramatic monologue style that opens the record in a cinematic way, and although the hands up lyrical end of the song is annoyingly clichéd, the track has a vibrant sound with the production mixing some forceful dance beats with some dubstep infused bass, and so this works great as an intro .

3.5/5

Track 2- Sorry for Party Rocking

Title track Sorry for Party Rocking was the fourth and final single released from the record and finds the group immediately giving us an electro house tune designed to keep the party really going. Lyrically the track focuses on the guys apologising for their partying ways, but at the end of the day they are just gonna party and not care what other people say, with the guys talking about typical things like drinking a lot of alcohol and sleeping with girls. The duo have a funky charisma to their raps that makes the track feel very lively, and the song works in terms of the twisted lyrical concept of apologising but partying anyway, although much of the raps are annoyingly clichéd. The production of the track features frenzied electro bass and vibrant dance beats that just gives this fun energy, and so this is a silly but enjoyable number that works well in getting the party atmosphere of the record really started.

3.5/5

Track 3- Party Rock Anthem (featuring Lauren Bennet and GoonRock) 

The worldwide smash hit that really launched the group as widely successful artists, Party Rock Anthem is an electronically powerful dance pop tune that is designed to be the perfect party track. The track has a vibrant dance bass line and fast paced synth notes that blend together nicely and give the song this fun dance energy that will get you on your feet and clapping your hands. The song lyrically focuses on the guys wishing for everyone to have a good time and just be shuffling on the dance floor, with the lyrics having a silly but ultimately catchy quality that is made stronger by the simplicity and crowd singing together feel of the chorus. The duos vocal performances have this tone that feels like they are enjoying themselves, and so this makes us more likely to have fun, although the vocal moments of singer Lauren Bennet feel lifeless and a bit pointless. This is just a fun dance track that is powerfully silly and infectious, and so whilst it should never go down in pop history as a great song, it should be highlighted as a simple but fun party song of the past that had a cool this is how to dance to this song quality in terms of the ‘everyday I’m shuffling’ lyric.

4/5

Track 4- Sexy and I Know It

LMFAO’s second worldwide number one charting hit, Sexy and I Know It is another silly musical offering from the group that is based in this funky, electro house sound. As the title would suggest, the song focuses on the guys telling us of how they work out and are just able to walk into a place and own it with their body. It is an egotistical statement, but if you don’t take it seriously you can have fun and maybe instil a bit of confidence into yourself. The song is vocally simple with a quirky charisma that makes this more of an enjoyable listen, and with the vibrant dance grooves of the production, this track is just a silly number that works well within a club environment, but will look weird if you enjoy listening to it by yourself.

3/5

Track 5- Champagne Showers (featuring Natalia Kills)

Released as the records second single, Champagne Showers was described by the duo as the ultimate party song, but ultimately fails to live up to that claim. With slightly more of a straightforward dance pop edge but still retaining the funky electro house energy the group are known for, the song is all about the group being the ultimate party people who are going to make you sweat and give you a night you won’t forget, presumably through intoxication by champagne. The message is highly unoriginal in execution, and the vocals are so heavily Auto Tuned that it feels like we are listening to robots making music, and you can’t understand why Natalia Kills is even credited on this track. The only fun thing about the track is the frenzied nature of the dance driven beats and the way the song dips and rises in energy, but ultimately this is a very passable party song.

2/5

Track 6- One Day

Featuring a little bit of a Euro pop sound mixed with the group’s typical style, One Day is another party tune that has a lightness about it that suggests this might be a good track to listen to in summer party destinations like Ibiza. The song lyrically focuses on the group rapping/singing about how one day they are going to get this girl, with the concept being sweet and less bland than some of the other tracks, but ultimately being hindered by clichéd references to money and partying. The song is also vocally poor as once again the use of Auto Tune is so heavy the songs personality just seems to evaporate. The punchy dance beats mixed with the lighter synth notes gives the song this fun dance sound that is infectious enough to move around to, but by this point in the record LMFAO seem to firmly establish that they are a one tone duo.

2.5/5

Track 7- Take It to the Hole (featuring Busta Rhymes)

Take It to the Hole is an electro house tune with a slight urban feel in the production that is designed purely for egotistical guys who just care about their looks and sex. The songs title is repeated a ridiculous amount of times and just becomes really annoying, whilst both LMFAO and Busta Rhymes just come across as horrible men who don’t have any sense of charisma and who will waste their life away. The production is the only thing that is mildly appealing in terms of the frenetic sound and fuzzy electro bassline, but at this point the sound is also very familiar and so is definitely not enough to make this a good listen.

1/5

Track 8- Best Night (featuring will.i.am, GoonRock and Eva Simons)

Best Night is more of a refined dance tune that is still very clichéd but is sophisticated enough to be a much better listen than some of the other tracks on the record. The song finds the group talking about this girl having this great night and how they and this girl just want this night to last forever. The message is sweet in a way but ultimately becomes annoying because of the Auto Tuned raps of LMFAO and will.i.am, who just come across as lifeless. Simon’s smooth vocals lifts the quality a little bit in terms of her light vocal giving us a catchy chorus, but equally her voice is annoyingly distorted and lacks vocal passion. The punchy dance rhythms of the track with the heavy bass and clattering electro beats gives the song a lighter and nicer dance sound, but ultimately this track is a typical dance track that is better than the other offerings from the record but which still feels subpar, particularly because of the vocal performances.

2.5/5

Track 9- All Night Long (featuring Lisa)

All Night Long is a clunky synth based pop tune with a slight shiny, 80’s pop feel to it. Here we find the group telling us of how this girl is playing with them and how they could be together all night long, so very simply the group give us there typical shtick and just sound annoying. The lyrics also get too sexualised in some places and are just uncomfortable to listen to. Vocally things are extremely annoying, as the guys try to sing a bit more and are just a real Auto Tuned mess. Guest artist Lisa is equally as annoying and Auto Tuned, whilst the snappy synth production just keeps the track ticking along and just elevates the annoying quality of the vocals.

0.5/10

Track 10- With You

Final track With You is another pop party tune but ends the album on a lighter 80’s synth pop feel and is a bit sweeter in sentiment (if only a little bit). The duo here rap of annoying things like taking shots and being with their crew, but the chorus is nice and quite catchy, with the robotic style vocal also sounding cool rather than annoying. The chorus is also nice in terms of the sentiment of only enjoying life with this person, with the duo nicely showing off their camaraderie with some of the lyrics. With the songs production the duo blend funky synth notes with a bouncy pop texture that feels light and fresh and fun to dance to, and so whilst the last minute of the song is really annoying, this actually isn’t a bad track to end the record with.

3/5

Final Review

Sorry for Party Rocking is a dance pop mess. Whilst LMFAO may be fun to listen to when you are drunk in a club, they definitely only have one style and over an entire album it is ridiculously annoying. The raps are the same, the beats are the same, and the vocals are Auto Tuned so badly it makes me wish I hadn’t even listened to this record. This is an album that very few people should have bought, and I suspect that the shocking statistic of 1.4 million people reportedly buying the record all just like to get drunk a lot.

2/10

Best Track- Party Rock Anthem (featuring Lauren Bennet and Goonrock)

Worst Track- All Night Long (featuring Lisa)

 

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