Under the Covers IV Review - A Poor Showing

By Jack LeJeune

Under the Covers IV is, unsurprisingly, the fourth cover album from Ninja Sex Party. Ninja Sex Party is a glam-rock comedy band comprised of Dan Avidan and Brian Wecht, who perform under the personae of Danny Sexbang on bass and vocals, and Ninja Brian on keyboard. NSP was formed in 2010, and collaborates with band TWRP as their backing artists. Along with four entries in their Under the Covers series, they have released six studio albums since their formation in 2010.

Unfortunately, despite their accomplished career, UtC IV is their least favorite of mine. The track list for each UtC is essentially the same: a collection of 80s ballads, classic rock hits from the 60s-90s, and then a goofy oddball or two for variety. At this point, one might have expected them to run out of the real heavy-hitters, but IV includes "(Don't You) Forget About Me" and "Can't Fight This Feeling," along with favorites of mine like "What a Fool Believes" and "The Power of Love," so the issue at hand is not in the catelogue. Neither does the issue lie with the talent: both Dan's voice and the instruments all around have shown their prowess in previous original and cover albums. The missing link for this album seems to be a lack of energy.

The primary objective of a cover song, I would say, is to add onto the original or change it for the better. You want to make it better, or at least make it "your own," since better is subjective. In their past cover outings, NSP had achieved this. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" from UtC II or "Safety Dance" from III are standouts in my mind; "Sugar" ups the tempo and changes the instrumentation for a clearer and more energetic take, and “Safety” slows it down slightly and adds a funky instrumentation. Both covers make the songs distinct, and to my taste, better. UtC IV’s songs lack this. All of them are just straightforward covers, and Dan’s habit of “cleaning up” the vocals with a clearer and breathier tone really doesn’t work when the rest of the band are just playing the music. The most baffling decision, in my opinion, was to remove the guitar on “Can’t Fight This Feeling” – the point of an ’80s power ballad is the power, and they just took it out. The album sounds like it was recorded for easy listening, removing intensity and complexity from the music, which their previous cover albums did not do.

The album isn’t un-listenable, nor does it have any glaring production errors, it is just NSP’s weakest album. Give it a listen, and maybe you’ll find it more amenable to your tastes. “Walk the Dinosaur” and “SOS” work for me, so it’s not completely devoid of enjoyment, but it’s otherwise a tepid listening experience.