I finally got my order of the Alpocalypse album in the mail yesterday, just in time before I go on vacation this Saturday. Yes, that’s correct. The king of parody has finally released a full-length album. And I bought the hard-copy (something I rarely do).
First off, I was a little bit disappointed, but that had more to do with the fact that 5 of the album’s 12 tracks were also on his “Internet Leaks” EP album (only released digitally), which I already bought on iTunes when it came out. Plus, since the album included a DVD with music videos, I didn’t find the newly released video for Perform This Way on the list. I haven’t seen the DVD quite yet, but that missing video could probably have been expected, given that the video wasn’t released that long ago. It can still be found on YouTube, though, so I shouldn’t be complaining.
Anyway, back to the rest of the album, I can say that quality-wise, it matches up with Weird Al’s usual standard found throughout his career. He certainly proves he’s still alive, still kickin’, and still keeps me smiling from the lyrics. And in good Weird Al tradition, a polka medley of recently charting tunes, called “Polka Face” (yes, a wordplay on Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”).
Aside from his previously released EP tracks, there are a few tracks that stand out. “Party in the CIA” was quite the kickin’ surprise (my expectations were set low due to the original track – “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus”), and I can only imagine the song being used as an unofficial theme song within the CIA – or at least I bet someone working there gets a laugh and a kick out of it. Another fun one was “TMZ”, which deals with the topic paparazzis in general, not just the ones working for celebrity news website TMZ, and the lengths they go to just to get an “off” image of a celebrity in their natural habitat (you know, “real life”).
Of the EP tracks, my absolute favorite has to be “Skipper Dan”, mainly because it was released shortly after my previous vacation to the USA two years ago, where I actually went on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disney World (and a similar ride at Universal Studios). I recognized every bit from my ride experience, and that’s when humor really strikes best – the element of recognition.
If I include my initial memory of the EP tracks into this album (and not my disappointment of not having too many new tracks), I’d say this is a great album, on par with Weird Al’s previous work.
Rating: 
