Flight of the Conchords (2008)

By Sean Lynch

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Musical comedy is a strange beast, especially when it comes to CD releases. No matter how funny a song is live, it's never going to be considered a "classic piece of comedy" because it's more than likely just as enjoyable as a proper song. However, no matter how well crafted and catchy the track is a legitimate piece of music - it will always be considered a "novelty comedy track".

While the Flight of the Conchords self titled album, which is made up of "cleaned up & honed" versions of the songs taken from their cult hit HBO series, delivers some pretty catchy beats (and an abnormal amount of rap) - it's sadly the comedy which has been lost in the transition from performance to the studio.

The appeal of the Conchords (who have been doing the comedy circuit long before they became HBO's latest love child) isn't so much the perfectly composed nature of their songs (as they are presented - and very well at that - here) but moreso they're complete lacked of proffesionalism.

So, sadly, a good dose of the humour (which has been the basis of their act for so many years now) is severely non-existent here, which is a real shame.

That said, there are some great production values which help veer most of the tracks away from novelty territory. Foux du Fafa and Au Revoir are surprisingly soothing, while Boom delivers the sort of noise Shaggy wishes he was still delivering.

The slew of rap tracks range from superb to average - the highlight being the radio hit Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros, which delivers a great deal more than the less than humerous "grower" Mutha'uckas.

The guys are at their best when offering up their spin on electro, with the Pet Shop Boys inspired Inner City Pressure and the brilliant Daft Punk-esque Robots standing as the two most refined and comedically enjoyable songs on the album.

It should be said that the comedy isn't completley lost here, it's just watered down slightly from the strengths they possessed on the show and from their live shows. The Most Beautiful Girl (in the Room) is wordy genius, as is the similar A Kiss Is Not A Contract.

Bowie delivers something for the music fans - but the big laughs are reserved for the Barry White inspired brilliance of Business Time. With lines like:

"Next thing you know I'm down to just my socks and you know when I'm down to just my socks what time it is...it's time for business. It's business time"

and

"Girl, tonight we're gonna make love. You know how I know, baby? Cause it's Wednesday. And Wednesday night is the night that we make love. Tuesday night's the night that we go and visit your mother, but Wednesday night is the night that we make love. Cause everything is just right conditions are perfect. There's nothing good on TV. Conditions are perfect...You're trying to say, Oh, yeah. It's business time".

The best bet it to grab the DVD or see them live, because that's where the comedy really shines through. None the less it's well worth checking out if you are a fan, but it's the sort of album that will likely end up covered in dust in your CD case after a few years (as is the case with any albums by Tripod, Lano & Woodley's "Sing Songs" or Adam Sandler's "Theyre All Gonna Laugh At You") because at the end of the day - it's really hard to justify listening to a comedy album in the car when you could be listening to "real music".

Extra points for the awesome cover art!

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

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