An icon as a parody musician, crucial commentator and reflector of popular culture, and most importantly a unique and extremely talented musician, “Weird Al” Yankovic has returned with his 14th album Mandatory Fun. While 2011’s Alpocalypse was marred by delayed release and poor promotion, Yankovic’s comeback has seen a perfectly orchestrated utilisation of releasing music videos on leading online publications (College Humor, The AV Club etc.) in order to finally overcome the decline of the traditional album format that could have seen Yankovic become an Old World relic.
Mandatory Fun sticks to the proven method of Yankovic’s madness, treading the fine line between stupid and clever on his pop parodies and the obligatory polka medley of the hits of the yesteryear.Album highlight Foil, a parody of Lorde’s 2013 inescapable Royals, is the album at its finest, shining as an ode to the usefulness of aluminium foil in preserving food spoilage, yet brilliantly shifts to a paranoid diatribe against the Illuminati and New World Order conspiracy theories. It’s the dependable formula of the humorously mundane juxtaposed with the bizarre that only Yankovic has been able to commercially exploit and succeed in.
The quality of Yankovic’s music has largely rested on the largely apolitical and inclusive nature of his lyrics. The generally simple and relatable subject matter (usually food or TV), coupled with the approach of humanising and grounding the larger than life megahits with typically banal and “uncool” subject matter, appeals to the universal desire for jest and gentle mockery of those larger than us.
The irony of Weird Al’s career outlasting essentially every other artist who he has parodied is beyond his scope of reference; his approach to creating admittedly predictable, yet genuinely humorous fun has long proved itself as having a place in popular music. Reportedly his final album release, understandable in an era of comedy dominated by much faster moving internet and TV, there’s a sense of reassurance and comfort in the fact that the only genuinely successful parody musician, much like a funny uncle you always looked forward to seeing on sporadic family get-togethers, is still with us and committed to consistently delivering his craft.
BY JOE HANSEN
Best Track: Foil
If You Like These, You’ll Love This: RAY STEVENS, FRANKIE YANKOVIC
In A Word: Dependable
