Originally Published September 19, 2011
There’s a lot of people out there that aren’t gonna ”get” T.J. MILLER’s new album, THE EXTENDED PLAY E.P. At 41 tracks and over an hour in length, it’s not only not an E.P. – but it’s not the standup comedy that he’s known for, either. With this album, Miller enters the dangerous world of musical comedy.
The production is surprisingly solid for what plays like an indie rap album with grooves that recall bits of BEASTIE BOYS, BLOODHOUND GANG, and BECK – yes, three B’s.
Miller works the acting realm alongside his comedy, and EXTENDED PLAY finds Miller inhabiting a character (with his same name) much in the way that Simon Rex lives as DIRT NASTY. There’s the obligatory self-titled track T.J. Miller that brings the massive beats to allow Miller to bust a rhyme on how he’s like Home Depot, Sarah Palin, and his Mom’s Friend. There’s odes to geographic locations, and while you won’t be finding Compton, L.A., New York, or Boston in here – you’ll get a highly-detailed anthem for the city of Appleton, Wisconsin. Yeah, I’ve been there.
It’s a safe bet that Little Mi$$ Party Animal may have a bit of a Ke$ha in it’s blood, and there’s appearances from friends, family, and fellow comedians here and there… but, the bottom line is what’s important here.
The Bottom Line: I may eventually reduce all of my comedy “reviews” to one line – Is it funny or not? In this case, YES. Just know your subject going in, just as Miller himself appears to have read the comment threads on his own IMDB page to inspire the lyrics for Battle of the Century, Part V.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
