Photo courtesy of www.HBO.com/Conchords / The Collegian
“Flight of the Conchordsâ€Â get raunchy on latest album, “I Told You I Was Freaky,â€Â and soar to comic heights.
The New Zealand band composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement formed in 1998 as a comedy/music duo. Their self-titled series about two unsuccessful, aspiring rockers hailing from New Zealand premiered on HBO in 2007.
The band’s second full-length album, “I Told You I Was Freaky,â€Â released Oct. 20 on Sub Pop Records is a compilation of songs featured in the second season of the Emmy-nominated series, written by and starring the two band members.
As the name of the album suggests, it’s anything but G-rated. With songs titled “Sugalumpsâ€Â and “You Don’t Have to Be a Prostituteâ€Â the two-man band isn’t concerned with politeness. That fearlessness paired with absurd and hilarious lyrics makes “I Told You I Was Freakyâ€Â a treat to listen to.
The dirtier the songs get, the louder the laughs elicited.
The synthesizer-heavy “Sugalumpsâ€Â proclaims the attractiveness of a certain part of the male body to members of the opposite sex. “You’d probably think that my pants had the mumps,â€Â Clement sings. “They look so good, that’s why I keep them in the front.â€Â
Vocal distortions and electronic beats pulsate through “Too Many D**ks (On the Dance Floor),â€Â fueled by complaints of the lack of women at a nightclub, or as it’s described in the song “the dance floor bro/ho ratio,â€Â clarifying that “five to one is a brodeo.â€Â
The backbone of the album is the ability of “Flight of the Conchordsâ€Â to write a witty song about almost anything. From the sexual escapades of angels to cannibalism, the band runs the gamut of uncomfortable topics, not shying away from any of them.
“You Don’t Have to Be a Prostitute,â€Â channeling The Police’s “Roxanne,â€Â finds Clement so deep in money problems that he resorts to selling his body. McKenzie pleads with him to stop, asking “Do you have any other skills, like typing?â€Â
When detached from the episodes of the show, many of the album̢۪s songs lose their full comedic impact, but still manage to amuse.
On the track “We’re both in Love with a Sexy Ladyâ€Â both men argue over which of the two a so-called sexy lady was checking out. Without the companion visuals, the back and forth between McKenzie and Clement is almost more confusing than funny. But, when it’s established the woman has a lazy eye, lyrics such as “She’s smokin’ with the eye that’s broken, I think it’s hot / The way she looks left a lot,â€Â leave the listener chuckling.
There is no cohesion to “I Told You I Was Freaky,â€Â but it’s the album’s spontaneity that keeps it entertaining. While not all of the songs are outstanding, there is enough creativity and humor to make it a good album and a great laugh.