Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie have created somewhat of a massive following of their ‘guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo’ known as Flight of the Conchords. With multiple award nominations and completely sold out tours, surely if they released an album it would sell just as well? Not quite.
The problem is that none of this is new material. Everything on the album feels a bit stale. Their aim is simply to make the listener laugh, not to focus on the actual music, so really you’re just hearing the same joke you heard a couple of months ago, only now you have the option of playing it over and over until you begin to become numb to it all. Lines like ‘You probably think that my pants have the mumps, Its just my sugar lumps’ don’t tend to last through time. Even writing it makes me feel immature and dirty. It’s often a case of hit or miss with much of Flight of the Conchord’s music, with songs like Petrov, Yelyena and Me and Demon Woman rarely getting more than smirk if they’re lucky. As a fan, it’s all a bit disappointing.
It’s not all bad. They have included some gems from the series, including Hurt Feelings, We’re Both in Love with a Sexy Lady and You Don’t Have to Be a Prostitute. For a comedic duo who have seen so much success recently, this album doesn’t live up to expectations. That might simply be due to the fact that their form of comedy works best on the TV. You just don’t get the awkward moments or the randomness of watching their landlord having a steel drum solo in the middle of You Don’t Have to Be a Prostitute. And that’s the problem. Had this been my first listen to the duo, it may have been far more enjoyable, instead I find myself replaying the same one or two songs.
Stefan Philpotts