The best comedy duo to come out of NZ.
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The best comedy duo to come out of NZ.
Flight of the Conchords follow the release of their six-track Grammy Award-Winning CDEP The Distant Future with their full-length album debut, the conveniently titled Flight of the Conchords (which, not at all coincidentally, is also the name of their HBO television series).
Produced by Mickey Petralia (Beck Midnight Vultures, Ladytron Light & Sound) in Los Angeles, New York and Wellington, the album features fully fleshed-out and professionally recorded versions of Flight of the Conchords concert and television favourites.
The songs are heard here in expanded but reverent arrangements. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement's trademark acoustic guitars lead the blitz, backed by a diverse array of instrumentation.
These 15 songs pay homage to Pet Shop Boys, censorship, Marvin Gaye, sexism, Shabba Ranks and backhanded compliments.
Review
Taking the torch from Tenacious D and then taking 14 songs from the first
season of their HBO series (plus a 15-second outro), Flight of the Conchords'
first full-length release for Sub Pop is a strong serving of songs from the
dynamic deadpan duo. Unfortunately, since the show included a few songs per
episode, 11 of the songs didn't make it past the cutting-room floor, and gems
like “If You're Into It,” “I'm Not Crying,” and “Sello Tape” got the
axe, along with the character dedications and motivations “Cheer Up,
Murray,” “Song for Sally,” and “Bret, You Got It Going On.”
It's forgivable, though; a double-disc set of every song would have been
overkill, and most of the favorites make the cut on the CD. Fans still get the
neo-soul ballad “The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room),” the hip-hop attempt
“Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymnocerous,” the psychedelic acid trip “Prince of
Parties,” the dancehall anthem “Boom,” and the French pop lullaby “Foux
du Fafa.” While New Zealander dry humor and matter-of-fact delivery are huge
parts of the duo's allure, their adherence to their own style within a variety
of genres is the icing on the cake, and to quote Bret's reaction to the
stranger who is denied while trying to sell a cake at a pawn shop, “It's a
beautiful cake.” With each song, they expand their range, paying homage with
the strictest attention to details only music geeks will appreciate, be it the
Marvin Gaye “What's Going On” instrumentation in “Think About It,” the
Radiohead “Fitter Happier” vocal impersonations in “Robot,” the Pet Shop
Boys “West End Girls” similarities in “Inner City Pressure,” or the
many, many faces of David Bowie in “Bowie.” Versatility is their strength,
and they show it off well. If they weren't great songwriters, lines like
“Sometimes my lyrics are sexist/But you lovely bitches and hoes should know
I'm trying to correct this” and “The manager Bevin tries to abuse me/Hey
man, I just want some Muesli” might provide short-term laughs, but the music
is clever and catchy enough to give it merit for repeated listens. Buy the DVD
first to get the full story and then pick this up for road trip singalongs.
Jason Lymangrover – AllMusic
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