Reviewed By: Emanuel Caros

The debut stand-up album from Kyle Kinane, Death of the Party, does exactly what most comics strive to do.  Kyle’s relaxed, conversational demeanor on stage creates a personal feel that is a much needed change from the abrasive shouting of more popular comedians.  Unlike the two-headed Comedy Central monster that is Lewis Black and Carlos Mencia, Kinane sounds like he’s just some guy, beer in hand, that walked up on stage, and was really funny.  With stories ranging from getting pulled over on a bicycle to peeing in a Cholo bar (I’m sure that’s a demographic on the Census…) Kyle’s smart jokes work throughout all 10 tracks while never crossing the fine line of being too high-brow .  There’s even a little jab at Nicolas Cage, which always warms our hearts.  At times he takes a Maria Bamford-ish approach with his punch-lines, and in other situations he’s got a Mitch Hedberg feel; both of which are easy ways to make audiences crack up.  A fairly new face in the national alternative comedy scene, Kyle Kinane makes a nice entrance with Death of the Party. 

The album probably isn’t available at Target or Best Buy, but it can be found on aspecialthing.com, the amazing nook of the internet dedicated to alternative comedy created by the underrated Matt Belknap.  A Special Thing has released comedy albums by such current stars as Paul F. Tompkins and Doug Benson.

7.5/10