My favorite stand-up comedians are the ones who are victims of their own overactive intelligence, and Kyle Kinane is exactly that kind of comedian. He's got the obsessive geekiness of Patton Oswalt mixed with the dark, self-loathing deprecation of Louis C.K., but rather than being just some amalgamation of other comedians, Kinane is a real original. His first stand-up album, Death of the Party, is a brilliant introduction to the comic and one of the best debut records I've ever heard. It's an album for discerning comedy nerds -- the kind you'll return to over and over again, playing for the people in your life to determine once and for all who your real friends are. If they laugh, you know that you understand one another. If they can't see why Kinane is funny, they have no business being your friend. This is that kind of record.
Death of the Party finds Chicago native Kinane riffing on his own potentially frightening appearance, soul-crushing day jobs, bicycle cops, insomnia, the best cruises one can take, the realization that he might be an a-hole and more. What I really love about every routine Kinane performs is that they never feel like written bits; he doesn't seem to have an agenda of the clever jokes he needs to get out into the audience or recorded on CD. He's just onstage talking, being himself and being naturally funny. He's totally relaxed and has an organic, off-the-cuff delivery that's shockingly assured for a debut comedy album. Kinane doesn't appear to be "on"; he's just this smart, dark and hilarious in everyday life. And now he's got a microphone.
Of course, I'm in danger of overselling the record, so allow me one small nitpick. If I have any reservations about Death of the Party, it's that it's just a bit uneven; it sags a little in the middle before picking up for a bravura finale involving insomnia, barbecuing over a volcano and the burdens of being a midnight scientist ("Midnight Scientist," by the way, also would have made a great title for the album). The criticism is truly minor, as this is a great stand-up record and a remarkable debut from a comic I'll be following for the rest of his career. It might be a tad too early to dub Kinane as the second coming of Patton Oswalt, but his first album is nearly as good as Oswalt's debut, Feelin' Kinda Patton and that's saying a whole lot. If that means he's got a Werewolves and Lollipops in him still to come, I absolutely can't wait for his next album.
All great comedians have to start somewhere, but few start out quite this great: Death of the Party marks the start of what's sure to be a long career for Kinane -- this despite the fact that it was recorded by the comic at a time when he's still supporting himself with another line of work. There's a real charm to hearing Kinane discuss his current day job and the idea that he's still struggling to make a living at being a full-time stand-up comic; it captures him at a very specific point in his career, before it blows up. And take my word for it, it's going to blow up. With an album as good as Death of the Party, Kinane's not going to be working a day job for long.
- Album Release Date: 2/2/10
- Label: AST Records
