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)
No comments:
Post a Comment