The second helping of music from the hit TV animated series features every single musical moment from seasons 7-9. There are plenty of ingredients in the kitchen to make tons of unique burgers of the day. It delivers yet again: the burgers are well done and the fries are cooked to perfection.
What hasn't been already said about the hit animated TV show about a family owned burger restaurant just simply trying to make ends meet? Heck yeah I'm talking about Bob's Burgers, one of the best animated TV shows of all time! If you're a fan of the Belcher family and their many antics across the series, you must be familiar with how essential the music is to the show itself. You simply cannot talk about the show without talking about the quirky and insanely catchy tunes over the years. Back in 2017, famed Seattle indie label Sub Pop (you heard me right... that Sub Pop) released The Bob's Burgers Music Album: a collection of all the songs (107 of them to be exact) spanning across the show's first six seasons. It included all the great and iconic musical moments from "Bad Stuff Happens in the Bathroom" to "Electric Love." Now that we're four years after the initial release of the album, we're getting a second volume. Hallelujah! Appropriately titled The Bob's Burgers Music Album, Vol. 2, we're getting pretty much every musical moment across seasons 7-9. Which in hindsight doesn't seem like a lot considering it's only 3 seasons total. But we're looking at a whopping 90 songs here: almost 2 hours of material! And I listened to it all in one sitting. And I don't regret it one bit. Not at all.
Now my concern was initially: will there be just as many memorable musical moments as the first volume? And to answer that question: yes, yes, and yes! It's incredibly hard to top a musical gem as incredibly ear catching as "I've Got a Yum Yum" or "Whisper In Your Eyes" but Vol. 2 certainly has many catchy, fun, and outright hilarious moments that are just as memorable. Not only are these little burger morsels pure gold but I would say the production and mixing of these songs are genuinely great. I think many TV production companies would just slap them on a CD and call it a day but not Bob's Burgers. They really put in the effort again to create a quality sounding album and I'm not kidding. The instrumentation and production on Teddy's rendition of "Beyond the Sea" is legitimately better than a lot of big budget albums that have been released alongside this year (I'm looking at you, Certified Lover Boy and Donda). The guitars, percussion, and sunburnt keys are perfect for a hot Summer's day at the beach (or if you're stranded out at sea because someone who can't steer a boat invited you on a trip just to impress his ex-lover).
There are plenty of ingredients in the kitchen to make tons of unique burgers of the day. We've got the funky and grooving "Street Life," which is an ode to some drama-filled raccoons. The funk heavy disco of "Bruce the Goose" is inescapable and wouldn't stand out on a Talking Heads record. The ska on "Pesto in My Pants" is undeniably a breezy self-confidence booster. The sing-a-long musical "BFOT on the Kiss Spot" is enjoyably cute. "Makin' It by Hand" is a personal favorite of funky rhythms while also promoting DIY. We even got a feminist punk rock anthem a la "Girl Power Jam." How can I review this without even mentioning the powerhouse of an anthem that is "Hot Pants Rain Dance," a true disco gem that wouldn't sound too out of place on a Donna Summer record. The new wave influenced "Watching You from a Distant Place" reaches from a popular 80's rom-com movie.
Another thing to note about Vol. 2 compared to the previous record are the numerous musical medleys. For example, there are different versions of the same song, melody or theme played throughout like on the holiday episode where Linda's Christmas tree is stolen or the episode when Louise has the flu while her famed Kuchi Kopi nightlight has been destroyed. These can slow down the flow a little bit but I really enjoy the medleys that offer more variety like the "Fortress of Inzanity" medley. The songs feature a prog rock opera sound (similar to bands like Rush) and they genuinely sound like a pretty good homage to this genre and time period. Personally, I think these collections are best enjoyed by listening to it on shuffle rather than chronological anyway so these similar medleys really aren't that big of a deal to me. Before I conclude, I'd like to share more of my faves: the funky soul of "I Wanna Take You Higher," the campfire tune "Weasel Weasel," the Pokémon theme song parody "Barobu," the dramatic ukulele ballad "This Wedding Is My Warzone," the hip hop Halloween candy stick-it-to-them anthem "None of Your Business," and the perfectly Tina-esque medley of Tina's imaginative stories of all the random boys she runs into that day.
What's not to love about The Bob's Burgers Music Album, Vol. 2? The show hasn't lost its appeal and certainly the music hasn't gone down in quality, not one bit. If you're not a fan then sadly you won't find too much to enjoy here. Unfortunately these collections are for the true fans to indulge and they are not for the semi-casual viewer. I'm very happy Sub Pop is continuing to release these collections. They've done a really good job on the production and promotional side of things and whoever is doing the mixing and sound design: two pink bunny ears up! Honestly there isn't anything I can say negatively about Vol. 2. It delivers yet again: the burgers are well done and the fries are cooked to perfection. All I have left to say is I can't wait for Vol. 3. We're already into season 12 at this point so it should be soon... right? In conclusion: a second helping of music from the show down the hatch? Yes please!
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Beyond the Sea," "Pesto In My Pants," "Let's Swap Eyes so We Can Emphasize," "Barobu," "Makin' It By Hand," "BFOT on the Kiss Spot," "Hot Pants Rain Dance," "Hate the Way I Love You," "None of Your Business," "Watching You from a Distant Place"
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