"Dilation" by Rory Scovel

I promise that we'll cover a lot of ground in this blog, including albums that weren't released in 2011, but I couldn't resist following up one of the most relentlessly positive comedians working today ("Live! Live your LIFE!") with something of a counterpoint.

It's not that Rory Scovel isn't likable. It's that, unlike many comedians, Scovel isn't afraid to spend time on stage not actively trying to be likable. He's willing to let his stage persona be what it is, and yet it never feels like he's holding the audience at arm's-length, the way a performer like Anthony Jeselnik (as great as he is) sometimes does. That a good chunk of his debut record is devoted to crowd work and in-the-moment demonstrates just how integral a sense of intimacy is to Scovel's style of comedy, and you get the sense that even after several minutes ridiculing a woman's apparently misguided love of her native Michigan, no ill will or grudges could possibly have been fostered.

Dilation is full of jokes that springboard Scovel into seeming tangents, several of which unfold as bits unto themselves. And the fact that every moment truly feels organic and natural proves just how much work it takes to make comedy seem so effortless.

(Dilation is available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify)

"Impregnated with Wonder" by Pete Holmes

Our inaugural selection is Impregnated with Wonder, the debut album from Pete Holmes, and my favorite comedy release of 2011.

What immediately stands out in Holmes' comedic sensibility is his willingness to simply be goofy. Opening with a bit about laughing out loud alone, he frequently revels in his own ridiculousness. While his enthusiastic style sometimes leans a bit on the "yelling guy" device for emphasis, it really never becomes grating, and repeat listenings soften the rough edges of Holmes' energetic performance. In the end, it becomes impossible not to appreciate how well-written and clearly-honed Holmes' observational riffs and flights of fancy are.

For interested listeners, Holmes is also the host of the You Made it Weird podcast, in which he gets incredibly personal with fellow funny people on his favorite off-mic subjects: Comedy, God, and sex. Holmes sometimes refers to the show as What the Heck with Pete Holmes, as it's very clearly inspired by Marc Maron's seminal WTF show. Fans of the latter will definitely enjoy this one too.

(Impregnated with Wonder is available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify)