People certainly will always complain about the current cast of Saturday Night Live. It doesn't matter how many good sketches there are, there's always dismay and longing for the good ol' days, some long lost time when comedy wasn't in short supply and laughs were a dime a dozen. I'm a big believer in that this sentiment is always unfounded, and the quality of SNL's product (like a good president) can't be seen until years after it's in the can.

A couple years ago there was a very in depth retrospective about the cast and seasons of SNL during the 90's. My favorite commentary in this look back came from producer Michael Shoemaker when he looked back on the ratings free fall that took place in the mid 90's when there was a huge drop of cast members followed by an influx of fresh meat. This new talent consisted of future SNL favorites and now multi-million dollar comedians Adam Sandler and Mike Myers. But there was still backlash and criticism and a blasting New York Magazine cover story didn't make things any easier. Shoemaker points out "Now people look back and say, 'Those were the good times; it's this bunch I don't care for.' And it's always that way."

Having said that, despite some break out hits, this is once again one of those times. The cast is full of young new talent like Bobby Moynihan, Abby Elliot, Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson, and even the veteran players are young in their own right, especially Andy Samberg. But personally, I think the show is as good as it's always been, but people are blinded by continually seeing only the good sketches from the infamous "good ol' days." Luckily the release of the full seasons of SNL on DVD put things in perspective and we can see that the sketch comedy show has always had it's highs and lows.

But there's been one recent part of SNL that has been as consistently funny as the staple Weekend Update segment. I'm talking of course about the SNL Digital Short. Brought to the table by Andy Samberg and his comedy troupe known as The Lonely Island, this has become a staple of every episode of SNL. Modern classics like Lazy Sunday, and D*ck in a Box (as well as the very recently popular Jizz in My Pants) border on Weird Al Yankovic kind of comedic musical brilliance. Lucky for us The Lonely Island has decided to release an entire album of their outrageous and vulgar musical stylings (including the aforementioned hits). Collaborators on the album include Jack Black, Justin Timberlake, Norah Jones and more. Even professional rapper T-Pain gets in on the action in the newly released single of the forthcoming album Incredibad hitting stores next Tuesday, February 10. The single is "I'm on a Boat" and takes aim at the glamorous cash money lifestyle represented so fruitfully in today's musical culture. We've embedded the audio below, and I anxiously await a proper video...maybe even on Saturday Night Live.