100 Albums That Make Me Love Music: 82. Garfunkel & Oats: All Over Your Face

Every Tuesday I discuss One of the albums that make me love music

 

82.Garfunkel & Oates: All Over Your Face

Garfunkel & Oates I discovered through scrubs. I found an episode of Scrubs: Interns (the Scrubs web-show) of Kate Micucci (as Gooch) playing a song with Ted. The next week they played part of the song on the show. The song was Garfunkel & Oates’ song Fuck You (with lyrics changed to Screw You). I became a fan of the band and while I enjoyed their album Music Songs it didn’t seem like anything super special, I was already familiar with all of the songs from their youtube videos and the production was average enough so when I saw the track list for All Over Your Face I went in with low expectations, at least half these songs were Music Songs I thought.

However, I was immediately blown away. These recordings were a major step up in production value and quality. The fact is that while Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci are great at writing in your face foul-mouthed comedy songs they’re greatly under appreciated for their good vocals (and their purposefully bad ones too) and have a great ear for melody.

I don’t want to cover every track (although their are only ten) but I want to focus on 5 particular tracks that stood out for me.


1. You, Me and Steve - The opening track to the album because with chimes. Musically the song is simply but the harmonies between Riki and Kate are to die for. More importantly their word play and catchy chorus’ are to die for. When the album first came out I couldn’t stop singing lines ‘Are you gay for Steve I think you maybe and that would be alright/But let a bitch know just what your steez is so I know if I should shave tonight” or just singing the ‘do do do do do do steve’ chorus.




2. Gay Boyfriend - I’m going to be honest. Gay Boyfriend is one of the best songs in music comedy history. Ironically it’s not even really that funny of a song but musically it’s just perfection. What makes this song work is that it’s taken seriously musically. Anyone could write a song like this off in the realm or production values but between the claps in the background, an excellent use of a keyboard and a catchy chorus this song could have been on a Bryan Adams album during the 80’s. Every time I hear it on my iPod I stomp my feet and sing along, which is weird since this was my least favorite song from G&O’s youtube but yet my favorite song on the album.


3. Fuck You - The song Fuck You proves that if they wanted Garfunkel &Oats could be a pop group if they wanted to. Besides the titular punchline the song is one of the best love songs I’ve heard lyrically in years (which is both a compliment to Kate and Riki and insulting to the state of music). But lines like ‘I’ll try to be less of a loser’, ‘Am I I-magical enough for this to happen?’and ‘Like can lead to Like like and Like Like can lead to love’ are absolutely adorable. Other artists could learn a lot from this girls on what’s cute and smart at the same time


4. This Party Just Took a Turn For the Douche - The first time I heard this song I immediately fell in love with it. It’s a great mock of bad-hip hop. Kate and Riki actually are decent rappers and drop similes & metaphors so good that it’d make the Beastie Boys jesus but my favorite moment in the song (and possibly the whole album) is hearing Kate Micucci singing Jim Croce through Auto-tune.


5. Place to Rest - Kate and Riki are more than just saying fuck in songs a lot. They have a soft side. Much like how As you Are was my favorite track on Music Songs, Place to Rest is a serious and adorable closing track to the album. After we’ve heard about sex with ducks, weed cards and one night stands we end on a serious note. Kate and Riki are still humans and there’s a human need for love and compassion. In comedy it’s so easy to be cynical and negative that the hardest thing to do becomes shedding your comfort blanket of comedy and be sincere. Place to Rest absolutely oozes with honesty and sincerity. If you didn’t fall in love with Garfunkel & Oates’ sense of humor... you will fall in love with their honesty on this closing track

Perhaps I just over analyzed a 25 minute comedy album, but I sincerely love this album and would rank it with the likes of Weird Al, Tenacious D and Tom Lehrer in their prime.

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<----- 83. Johnny Cash: American IV Man Comes Around

81. Colin Hay: Going Somewhere ----->