New Music: Al Yankovick is back and as weird as ever

best CROPPED mandatory fun

Mandatory Fun | Weird Al Yankovick

Admit it, during a long haul across America’s heartland one lonely night, you sang along with Eat It, Weird Al’s version of Michael Jackson’s hit Beat It. You now have new songs to learn. Yankovick’s latest album, Mandatory Fun, skewers 12 well-known songs, not the least of which is Pharrell Williams’ Happy. (Williams is said to have been honored to have his mega-hit parodied by the master.) Yankovick also takes shots at Miley Cyrus, Ryan Lewis, Lorde and even Cat Stevens. This is Yankovick’s 14th album, and while not necessarily mandatory for your smartphone’s playlist, it’s worth at least one listen.