But when it comes to perfectly encapsulating the idea of “trying too hard”, look no further than “Bears and Birds.” It’s a glitched-out electronic track with none other than Banjo-Kazooie composer Grant Kirkhope providing the rapping, but even the bizarre novelty of hearing the phrase “Twerk Pope” from the famed musician can’t outweigh the unrestrained electronic buzzes and cringy lyrics. Not even the slamming club beat manages to overcome how bad it is. “Angel” has awkward rhythms for the verses and easily the worst vocal melodies in the entire LP. “Princess” goes for that low-hanging lyrical fruit without any really clever rhymes, but with a monotonous melody throughout. Sadly, the constant references to Final Fantasy, Mario, Zelda, Sonic and all the rest either aim for the lowest common denominator of gaming culture namedrops or just sound rhythmically unnatural. Now, I get it: this is a parody album built around all of the video games we’ve all grown to know and love since our childhood. These issues would be so much easier to overlook if the lyrics weren’t so…terrible. It’s a pretty weak opening number, despite its catchiness, and it constantly emits the idea of sticking to a template, instead of offering devil-may-care pop swagger. “I’m the Boss” manages to nail its hook immediately, but tends to run in circles for so long despite that. “The Raid” is a thudding club track, one that’s serviceable, but sadly uninspired. So many tracks run the gambit from half-backed imitations of styles to outright cringe. It’s here where you see the kind of playful vibe that Big Bad Bosses are out to snag.īut Big Bad Bosses’ curious highs are brought down by some lackluster songwriting throughout the LP. The humor here doesn’t reach for the easy namedrops and the samba beat is a highlight on the LP. “Egg Man” is a samba jam with some reggae-esque vocals and remarkably on-point lyrics, even in the slightly off-kilter rap verses.
It’s shockingly well-written, and since it doesn’t take itself seriously, it doesn’t feel like a jarring or unnatural inclusion. Most of the other great tracks on Power Overwhelming are ones that break the template, like “Another Villain”, which is a musical-theatre-style tribute to the heroes that the villains constantly combat. Both are radically different from all of the other vocal styles on board, while also staying true enough to the classic “boy band” aesthetic that Big Bad Bosses are clearly aiming for. “Anger Management” and “Capture You” feature some Michael Jackson funk and some superb R&B crooning respectively. Interestingly enough, the staples of the “male vocal harmony group” are normally set aside in the album’s best moments. Robotnik (Eggman, depending on your upbringing) are out to croon and rap alongside some hard-hitting beats and club aesthetics. Sadly, Big Bad Bosses’ debut LP, Power Overwhelming, manages to under-develop a lot of its pop sensibilities, and combined with some awful lyrics, doesn’t deliver on its pedigree.īig Bad Bosses is a calling card right down the way of classic gaming villains. By all accounts, this is an all-star lineup, and the planets are aligned to create a clever tribute to classic gaming. All four “villains” are joined by Jake Kaufman, the composer behind many retro-inspired games, including 2014’s Shovel Knight. Big Bad Bosses features Jirard “The Completionist” Khalil, Alex Faciane from The Dex, Nate “NateWantstoBattle” Sharp, and Satchel “Satchbag” Drakes, four gaming Youtubers donning their own gaming supervillain personas and bringing about a revival of the boy band phenomenon of the 90’s. 2013 gave us the middling Starbomb group, formed from Game Grumps leader Egoraptor and Ninja Sex Party, but 2015 gives us a new Youtuber helmed supergroup.
The internet is a goldmine for parody fodder, yet it’s somehow made it all the more disappointing at how few of these comedy albums actually transcend their novelty. In this age of Youtube, comedy albums are all the more common today than they were in the 90’s. Review Summary: Taking us through a day in the life of.the boss.
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