CD Review
Trevor Moore: Drunk Texts to Myself
3 stars (out of 5)
Drunk Texts to Myself is an absurdly themed comedy album with a bit of musical prowess. The topics, characters and genre of song are a frenzy of unpredictable motive. Overall, many of the songs attack materialism, commercialism or moral trespass, while others are designed as a vehicle for a more outlandish, singular concept or joke.
“Pope Rap,” the leader of a charity institution gangsta rapping about gold and chains, evolves from a simple parody of money-loving radio to a sharp criticism of the Vatican. There is a very forward moral, and it’s hilarious for the Pope to call out the Dalai Lama because he doesn’t “monetize that shit” but I’m not sure it justifies the mediocre hip-hop that adds an unfortunate irony to Moore’s breakthrough on The Whitest Kids U’Know.
Tracks like “Maybe it’s Because (I’m a Bear)” might not be different enough than the genre they are mocking. It is a pining emotional ballad about unrequited love, the only punch line being that the speaker is a bear. This does not make for enough fun during 3:22 of otherwise unremarkable emotional vulnerability. However, the authentic emotion, however coyly delivered, does add yet another depth to the multifaceted album.
“Drunk Texts to Myself,” the title track, is a successful blend of the serious and not so serious. It creates a questioning atmosphere about the state of mind where comedians make many of their idea pulls, and the unsuspected one-liners hint to different portions of the psyche, creating a very full feeling. Many can relate to the chronology of striking thoughts incurred during a night out. Backup vocal falsettos like in Bud Light’s “Real Men of Genius” ad campaign elaborate the quirky concepts and exacerbate the absurdity of their intoxicated author. This is the most abundant crop of one-liners in the set.
Ten different songs, some with intros and outros or clean versions, assure that Drunk Texts to Myself delivers enough ingenuity and variety to outshine its melodies which are, all in all, a vehicle for comedy rather than a delightful listen in themselves.
