Debs & Errol will geek your world in ‘CTRL+ALT+DUETS’

The Pop Mythologist February 1, 2014 Music

When good music and comedy come together the result can be nuptial bliss. I’ve just discovered the proof.

Debs & Errol are a two-person band who call themselves a “musical geek comedy duo with a daily comic.”

Well, it’s all true (even the daily comic part). They are indeed a musical duo who play and sing very geeky songs that are often quite funny. Their songs are so geeky, in fact, that any nerd should should be bubbling over with giddiness after listening to just a few of these.

Check it out. Here’s a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” called “TIE After TIE.” Guess what it’s about?

Now if that didn’t already put a stupid grin on your face, try this next one on for size, a parody of the song “Let It Go,” from the movie Frozen (just one of their numerous Disney covers), only it’s called “Make It So.”

Funny stuff, yes, but I’d actually be surprised if any passionate Trek fan who’s seen Star Trek: First Contact can listen to these lyrics sung so beautifully and not get goosebumps or even a sudden case of hay fever (*sniff* damn allergies):

Make it so, make it so

Say the words that you’re famous for

Make it so, make it so

You’re not here to start a war

I don’t care if your crew obeys

We both know you’re wrong

And I will stand up to you any day

On top of parodies/covers like these, the duo also write original material. And if you think the tracks above are geeky, here’s an über-geeky original song called “Wheatley,” based on the game Portal 2.

Debs & Errol’s first album of original music, the aptly titled Songs in the Key of Geek, was nominated for an Aurora Award and I expect their new album of covers, CTRL+ALT+DUETS, should receive similar accolades from the sci-fi/fantasy community at least if not the mainstream music community.

CTRL+ALT+DUETS‘ musical topics range the gamut from Tribbles and Tie Fighters to zombies, MMORPGs and the Commodore 64. Best of all, like their spiritual forerunner Weird Al Yankovic, they are clearly gifted with genuine musical and lyrical talent. Consider this amusing exchange between two lovers (or friends) set to the music of Aladdin’s “A Whole New World” in “A Virtual World”:

A virtual world
(Watch me sit here and grind)
It’s very boring don’t you see
(Social life, it don’t matter)
I find this all bizarre
We’ve come so far
Don’t go back to what you used to be

There’s even a touch of poignancy there in the last couple of lines if you consider the many real-life break-ups and relationship problems caused by MMORPG addiction. Tracks like “Falling Quickly” and “My Partner’s a Nerd” also walk this tricky line between comedy and tragedy, touching upon that sense of emptiness, loneliness and inadequacy that sometimes drives the escapist behavior so characteristic of the geek lifestyle.

CTRL+ALT+DUETS has plenty for the less geeky crowd to enjoy as well. Even without paying attention to the lyrics, you can just sit back and enjoy the duo’s lovely, versatile voices and instrumentation. In fact, with a few of the songs I even find myself preferring Deb & Errol’s version to the originals, mostly on account of Debs’ shimmering, gorgeous delivery and the crystal clear production. Certainly, this is a band that could write and perform bubblegum pop hits if they wanted to. They just have too much of an irrepressibly geeky, comic spirit to sing the usual songs about love and heartache.

Nope, the only kind of heartache that can be found here is when that cute, furry pet the narrator brings home in “Tribbles,” a delightful Taylor Swift parody, ends up becoming double trouble. And if you just happen to be suffering from a real heartache, Debs & Errol could be just the remedy you need to put a smile back on your face.