Quick Review: Attitude City

[Disclaimer: This album is NSFW, and as such, this review might be slightly NSFW as well.]

Released on July 17, 2015, Attitude City is the third album from the band Ninja Sex Party. The band, made up of the fictional characters Danny Sexbang (Daniel Avidan) and Ninja Brian (Brian Wecht), describes their music as '80s-style comedy jams'. I would describe Ninja Sex Party's style as 80's rock with heavy emphasis on synths and harmonies. Of course, the lyrical content of their music is always comedic, and usually concerning sex in some manner. For example, some song titles from previous albums include "No Reason Boner", "FYI I Wanna F Your A", and "Three Minutes of Ecstasy". However, not all of their songs are about sex, such as "Unicorn Wizard" (in which Danny fantasizes about being, well, the Unicorn Wizard), "Best Friends Forever!" (in which Ninja Brian murders all of Danny's other friends), and "Dinosaur Laser Fight", which is about what you'd imagine from a song with such a title.

Attitude City is, without a doubt, the best album Ninja Sex Party has put out to date. Listening to their older albums in order, from NSFW to Strawberries and Cream and finally Attitude City, it is easy to hear the development of Danny and Brian's musical talent. The drastic contrast between the auto-drum and single-keyboard-part style of "The Decision" from NSFW and the booming arena rock anthem-styled "Dragon Slayer" from Attitude City is staggering. Some of the best songs from Attitude City include "Attitude City", "Peppermint Creams", and the aforementioned "Dragon Slayer". These songs in particular highlight the booming chord progressions and especially Danny's magnificent vocals, both melodies and harmonies. Ninja Sex Party also bring it down a notch with the 'ballad' "Why I Cry" and the softer "Party of Three", showing that they are capable of making great music without relying on loud, booming chords. The album ends with the progressive epic "6969", an homage to Rush's "2112" done as only Ninja Sex Party can. "6969" demonstrates phenomenal songwriting ability, as like "2112", the song frequently changes style and tempo while still sounding like a concise package. If I had one complaint about the album, I'd say that the mixing still doesn't sound 100%; some of Danny's vocals are a bit too echo-ey, and not everything sounds as tight as it could be. Also, the album is a little on the short side; although it has 13 tracks, five are short interludes or skits.

The Verdict: Attitude City is Ninja Sex Party's best album to date. They have improved tremendously over the years, and their latest album perfectly demonstrates their style of booming chords and soaring vocals.

Best Songs: "Dragon Slayer", "Attitude City", "6969"

Listen If You Like: Starbomb, Strawberries and Cream (Ninja Sex Party), humorous, synth-driven 80's-style jams

Final Rating: 9.5/10