Ninja Sex Party or NSP are a comedy musical duo made up of Dan Avidan, as Danny Sexbang, an oversexed Jewish Ninja, and Brian Wecht, a silent and somewhat homicidal Ninja. In 2015 the band expanded to include TWRP who joined them as the backing band on all subsequent releases and live performances. I have reviewed all the releases by the band to date, including their five original albums, three cover albums and most recently the album Level Up, which is a re-release of selected tracks from previous albums with updated vocals, instrumentals and the inclusion of TWRP. You can check out all of my previous reviews here.
Today, however, I will be reviewing their latest release ‘The Very, Very, Very, Very Classy Acoustic Album’ which was initially recorded as part of a virtual tour hosted on Moment House, which began on May 1st 2021 and ended on May 2nd 2021, with the set later being uploaded to Bandcamp on December 27th 2021. For this album, Jim Roach, also accompanied the band, on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, and you can see more from Jim Roach, by checking out this review from his latest project Shadow Academy by clicking here.
‘Introduction’ much like other intros from the group blend in comedy really well and are one of my favourite staples of their music.
‘The Decision’ has a powerful dramatic build, with high energy piano chords, building in intensity, perhaps unnecessary as Dan says but fun and welcome nonetheless. So ‘The Decision’ is and has been one of my favourite NSP tracks over the years so it’s good to see it get this acoustic treatment. I’ve always thought that Dan had a nice voice, and over the years as he’s performed more and more he’s only got better and more comfortable and confident in his singing, so being able to compare this to the original and see how far he’s come has been fantastic.
‘Unicorn Wizard’ has a jaunty little piano melody for the intro, that flows into a more high energy number, and again Dan’s voice is solid. I want to give a shout out to the instrumental backings, it’s so much richer than I was expecting, and really supports Dan perfectly. You really do get caught up in the beat and melody of this track.
‘Rocket Man’ is one of my favourite songs, and Dan really does it justice, his gentle, earnest vocals supported perfectly by the sonorous chords that fill the space and add weight to the track. Kind of ironic considering there’s no gravity in space. Sorry, that joke was terrible. But seriously though, it’s hard to cover the greats and you don’t get much bigger than Bowie, and yet Dan really injects sincerity into his performance and at each stage he is supported wonderfully by the piano and guitar accompaniment.
‘Heart Boner’ really works as an acoustic number, and really gives Dan a chance to shine vocals, he really lets go in this track and gives it his all. I remember liking this track before, but I couldn’t say it was one of my favourites but this rendition really captures me, something about hearing him deliver the innuendo laden lyrics with all of that passion and intensity, with an equally powerful and intense instrumental backing.
‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ was one of my favourite covers from ‘Under the Covers’, and even since 2016 Dan’s grown tremendously as a vocalist and it’s made me think what a journey we’ve been on with Dan and Brian, how much they’ve done and how they are always striving to grow as artists. I like that this wasn’t just a rehash of that original cover either, they add in new elements to make it fresh and unique and enjoyable in its own right.
‘Jim Roach Tunes His Guitar’ is one of the things I love about NSP, that they aren’t afraid to have a little bit of fun. It could easily be removed but it gives a flavour of the goofy nature that is at the heart of their music.
‘Wondering Tonight’ really blew me away. I’ve been watching Game Grumps since it started, and I’ve been listening to NSP since Dan joined the channel, and so I’ve been there to see them really grow as a group. And the fact that they can make songs like this that are not only phenomenal in terms of vocal performance but that they are still honest to the performers themselves, and the identity the band started with.
‘Danny Don’t You Know’ is perhaps my favourite Ninja Sex Party song because it brings into focus what I’ve talked about a lot throughout this review, about their growth and their development and how pure this song is. Also, much like what I said about ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ they easily just could have done a straight acoustic version of this song, but they added to it and made it a unique performance just for this album. I think I like this more subdued version, it might not have all of the bells and whistles but if anything it works even more because of that. I especially liked Jim taking the place of the audience, it was funny and cute and really tied the track together.
‘A Round Of Applause For Jim Roach’ continues these fun little inbetweens that add to the overall album. Plus having just listened to Dan and Jim’s new release as Shadow Academy, he definitely deserves some applause.
‘Dinosaur Laser Fight’ opens big, with more of that beautiful piano driven melody, and of all of the tracks so far I think this one fits the best as an acoustic number, and really ties together the full set. And just one more time, I want to praise the depth and talent of Dan’s vocals and how much he’s grown over the years. I also want to truly commend Brian for his tremendous piano performance throughout, and Jim for his superb guitar playing.
So that’s what I thought of Ninja Sex Party and ‘The Very, Very, Very, Very Classy Acoustic Album’ and if you want to check that out for yourself then head on over to Spotify. Make sure and support the band by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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