You knew it had to come sooner or later. With the mega-popularity of today's so-called boy bands, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to pull off a spoof.
2gether is the soundtrack to the MTV movie of the same name, taking aim at such groups as the Backstreet Boys, N-Sync, and 98 Degrees for their lightweight pop and cookie-cutter teen-idol images. And it does so in a big way, with hilarious lyrics ("I'm losing my hair and my vision is shady / Last night I dreamt of an overweight lady") and typical boy-band mid-tempo rhythms and vocal stylings. The title track even rips off a few hooks from the Backstreet Boys hits "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and "Larger Than Life."
Much of 2gether, which is performed by the film's actual actors, plays the infatuation that teen fans have with their idols up to the hilt. "Rub One Out" even takes things a step further, proclaiming "Rub one out / I'll grab my crotch / Rub one out / Do you wanna watch?"
But in spite of 2gether being a satire, the music is just as sappy as some of the worst music of the boy bands, and as amusing as some of the lyrics are, they're not enough to make up for it. As a result, the songs on 2gether will not likely appeal to anyone but a few Backstreet Boys and 'N-Sync fans able to overlook the songs spoofing their idols.
The only redeeming track on the album comes in the form of the Dream Maker Club Mix of "U + Me = Us (Calculus)," featuring an uptempo disco beat, bubbling synthesizer loops, and spoken-word excerpts from the film's "Great Bob Boss" and Carson Daly of MTV.
2gether begs the question: Can something that is almost a parody of itself in fact be parodied?
