Album Review: Ninja Sex Party – Cool Patrol

So this is my sixth Ninja Sex Party review, you can check out the previous reviews by clicking here, here, here, here and here. And if you like those make sure to check out my two Starbomb reviews which you can do by click here and here. Okay now that I’ve successfully cross-linked the entire NSP Discography to date let me tell you about the band themselves, Ninja Sex Party are a comedy musical duo made up of the aforementioned Danny Sexbang, who’s the vocalist for the group, and Ninja Brian who is the keyboardist. The band have been around since 2009 and have been rocking it pretty much ever since, they’ve released four original albums to date NSFW (2011), Strawberries and Cream (2013) and Attitude City (2015) which you can find my reviews of linked above and their latest album Cool Patrol (2018) which I’ll be reviewing today. They’ve also released two cover albums Under the Covers (2016) and Under the Covers, Vol. II (2017) which you can also find reviewed above. There are plans for a third Under the Covers album to come out in 2019, and you’ll need to make sure and keep your eyes out for that but for now, sit back and take a gander at my review of Cool Patrol, the latest album in the NSP discography which was released August 17th 2018 and is their first original album to feature TWRP (Tupper Ware Remix Party) as their backup band.

‘Intro (Cool)’ opens with a nice funky little beat that hearkens back to the classic NSP and even gives you a little history Lesson about the band as well. It really made me happy to hear NSP like this again, because while I enjoyed the cover albums, like really enjoyed them (see above links for evidence) I first got in to them because of their original music and even though this track was only a minute long it was filled with this warmth and familiarity and I just loved it.

‘Cool Patrol’ is the title track for the album and it opens with some awesome percussion, I mentioned in the previous jam this is really a return to their roots but in the intervening years they’ve really grown as musicians. Also maybe this is just me, I am prone to getting songs stuck in my head but when I heard ‘Cool Patrol’ I couldn’t stop singing it for weeks, my partner who also loves NSP was when starting to roll her eyes by the end but, it’s just so catchy with a nice smooth beat that’s easy to follow and you find yourself just bobbing along with it. Also I mentioned in the intro that this is the first original album to feature TWRP as their backup band and while Brian is a great musician it really adds something to have them join NSP.

‘Orgy for One’ is my second favourite track on the album and it’s only second best because the number 1 is amazing. You’ll find out which track is number 1 soon but for now I want to talk about this track, it opens with a really vibrant synth section that leads into Danny’s vocals which are stronger than ever, what I liked about this song as that it has a fantastic story to it and great musically, some artists struggle with one of those but NSP manage both and are funny to boot. Another song that’s just really catchy and I abused the replay button on Spotify listening to it.

‘Danny Don’t You Know’ is the track that earns the number 1 slot, not just on the album by the way, but it’s my favourite NSP song for sure and it stacks pretty highly in my list of top songs of all time. No exaggerating, no being biased, it’s just a great song, touching and emotional, funny and well balanced and you come out of it really appreciating Danny and feeling how much he appreciates his fans, if you’re even vaguely aware of his past then you know he’s been pursuing this dream of being a musician for years and he is so grateful for making it. God though I love this song, he’s just essentially walking is through his life in broad strokes but it’s so sentimental and and yet resonates broadly with the listener, again another shout out to Danny’s vocals which have grown in leaps and bounds. Also for any Stranger Things fans, Finn Wolfhard was in the music video for this track as a young Danny. Also around the 2 minute mark thing change up, get more upbeat and fired up hit it’s still just a good song and both parts of the track compliment each other well, plus the second half has some epic guitar sections and some fun bits with Danny and the audience.

‘Release the Kraken’ opens with sharp bracing guitars and Danny singing his way through the madcap wacky adventures of Danny Sexbang and Ninja Brian, in this track as the name suggests they are intending to release the Kraken, which is underwhelming as usual, like the time Danny was a Dragon Slayer. It’s a great song though and as I’m listening to the and getting used to NSP’s classic sound I’m really realizing how much I’ve missed it.

‘Ninja Brian Goes to Soccer Practice’ I knew when I read the title of this track I was going to enjoy it and I wasn’t disappointed, it’s just a brief little interlude but it’s very funny and if you need to quickly understand the characters then listen to this.

‘First Date’ has some built up guitars and some vocals that are similar to those in ‘Orgy for One’, but that’s where the comparison ends. Danny has this way of singing quickly but clearly that more singers should really take notice of and he knows how to push his voice to get the best result, that was actually my favourite thing about the cover albums, which you should also check out.

‘Smooth Talkin’ is another good song to learn about the characters Brian and Danny have developed over the years, the silent and murderous Ninja Brian and the sex obsessed Danny Sexbang who pursues woman with the zeal of someone who’s never even touched a boob. I liked this song because it could only be made by Ninja Sex Party, and yet it’s fresh and brand new.

‘Heart Boner (Part II of the Boner Trilogy)’ has a strong vocal opening, perhaps some of the best vocals I’ve ever heard from him and it’s strange complimenting someone’s melodic voice when they’re talking about their Heart Boner but it’s a talent that he has. This was another that got stuck in my head, it’s soft and catchy and a top notch entry on an already strong album.

‘Romance Novel’ is a song that’s more comedy than music but it’s great, another entertaining little interlude that reminds me why I love NSP. It’s also one of my favourite comedy songs from NSP as well. It’s weird to enjoy something that’s basically just rambling but I really did like it.

‘Eating Food in the Shower’ was the first song I heard from this album and it’s packed full of stuff to love, also I’d definitely catch the music video for this one if you haven’t seen it already. Also Danny has a girlfriend in this song, and she loves herself some breakfast. And any song with a mariachi band needs more attention. What I love about this song in particular and NSP in general is it a self-awareness, they know they are dorky fantasist and don’t try to hide it. They are honest and that’s where a lot of their charm comes from.

‘Courtship of the Mermaid’ opens with a quaint little renaissance theme, which goes so well with Danny’s voice it’s like they were meant to go together. Although I can’t stop picturing Ninja Brian playing a small wooden pan flute while dancing around Danny mischievously/menacingly. Aside from the melody, the song is another journey we go on, all narrated by Danny Sexbang in his own unique way.

‘GFY’ is another short track, it kicks off with whistles and sporty things, Danny would be a great cheerleader, I can almost see him in one of the little outfits…That’s all I’m going to say about that though. These shorter tracks could be seen as filler but they are an honestly enjoyable part of the album and having experienced the bands previous albums they wouldn’t be complete without them.

‘Mansion Party’ has Danny using his ‘sexy’ voice and spinning another epic yarn to win a lady. I’ve used catchy a lot in this review but this one is another that you find popping into your head, it’s easy to follow and impossible to forget. I especially can’t get the line “can’t stop, won’t stop. Dancing deep into the night”.

‘Outro (Patrol)’ is as you’ve guessed the final track on the album, and it closes things out nicely, it’s really just Danny talking to us and thanking us and saying butts and schpoodle and it’s really nice and again shows how grateful he and Brian are to be doing this as their actual job as I previously alluded to In ‘Danny Don’t You Know’.

So those are my thoughts on the latest album ‘Cool Patrol’ by the band Ninja Sex party and if you want to get your own copy then you can buy it here on Bandcamp and if you want to keep up with the latest from NSP then check them out on Facebook, Twitter and on their personal website. Also if you want to see the music videos for the various NSP tracks as well as behind the scenes stuff then check out their YouTube channel.

First Published on: https://offtherecordblog.org/

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