The Bob's Burgers Music Album (With Bonus 7", Digital Download Card) (4 Lp's)

Ever since the hilarious and strangely heartwarming animated series Bob's Burgers debuted in 2011, fans have clamored for a collection of the show's music, and understandably so: Along with its quirky visuals and characters, the songs are an essential part its magic. As the show's seventh season drew to a close, The Bob's Burgers Music Album finally arrived, in all of its 112-track, 118-minute glory. Collecting virtually every musical moment of the series' first six seasons, the set has plenty of room for the series' classics and songs that might have slipped by. As on the show, there are many examples of the voice actors' brilliance. John Roberts voices matriarch Linda Belcher, who lives her life like a non-stop musical, and delivers highlights with spontaneous show tunes like "Kill the Turkey" and "Gravy Boat," a duet with Linda's sister Gayle (Megan Mullally). Eugene Mirman gives fart-sampling aspiring musician and middle child Gene a blustery enthusiasm on "Silent Love" and "The Snake Song," and it's easy to hear why Dan Mintz's remarkably deadpan voice has made horse- and boy-crazy eldest daughter Tina Belcher a breakout character on "It's Called Fate (And It's Great)" and "Mononucleosis." Even the Belchers' most faithful customer, Teddy (Larry Murphy) gets a showcase with "I'm Falling for Helen." However, the show's most valuable player might be Mullally, who helps make "Electric Love," a duet between Gayle and the Belchers' landlord Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) about the relationship between Thomas Edison and his elephant Topsy one of the finest and funniest songs ever to appear on TV. Bob's Burgers excels at these kinds of set pieces, which range from showstoppers like "Die Hard/Working Girl Musical Medley" to inspired duets like the Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) and Louise (Kristen Schaal) number "Bad Stuff Happens in the Bathroom." The show's grasp of pop culture is just as brilliant, spanning references to French pop on "Jeff (Il Est Mort)" to pick-up artists on "The Prince of Persuasia." The series' long-running love affair with the '80s shines on the Goonies tribute "Taffy Butt," which finds Cyndi Lauper transforming "Good Enough" into a musical epilogue to a disappointing treasure hunt in an abandoned taffy factory. The line between parody and homage gets blurrier on the songs by boy band Boyz 4 Now; "Coal Mine" and "I Love You So Much It's Scary" are just as catchy -- and a lot funnier -- than the output of their real-life counterparts. The Bob's Burgers Music Album gets even more meta on the indie rock covers of some of the show's best songs, including St. Vincent's standout version of Tina's identity crisis "Bad Girls." The sheer size of The Bob's Burgers Music Album means that Gene Belcher might be the only one with the stamina to listen to the entire set more than once, but it's great for obsessive fans who can finally own the whole shebang. ~ Heather Phares