KEY POINTS:
As a fan of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement aka Flight of the Conchords ever since way back before they were the 4th most popular folk parody band in New Zealand, it was with a certain trepidation that I got my hands on a copy of their latest
full length album.
In fact, it seems insane that a band with such critical acclaim and a history dating back to the late 1990s would only now have put out their sequel to 2002's Folk the World Tour and their recent Grammy-award winning The Distant Future EP.
I won't lie - there was a certain disappointment when I looked at the track listing; of the 15 tracks on the album, 11 of them have existed in some form or other previously (be it on the recent EP or in the first series of their HBO television show).
But that disappointment was tempered by the fact that these are the superior and definitive studio versions of such favourites as Robots, Hiphopopatamus vs Rhymenoceros, and Business Time.
The album kicks off with the faux French fumblings of Foux du Fafa, where Jemaine and Bret espouse such wondrous terms as "Gerard Depardieu", "baguette" and "Jacques Cousteau" over a frothy little samba type number. The overall effect is something akin to a slightly surreal French lesson for beginners.
From there, the smart lyrical stylings of the band kick in with the Pet Shop Boys pastiche Inner City Pressure, where the duo talk of the madness of living in suburbia and how prostitution could help you to a career as a flautist - it sounds absurd when it's written down but makes absolute sense when you listen.
Regular favourites Hiphopopatamus vs Rhymenoceros, Robots, Think About It and Business Time are widely known thanks to the HBO shows and prior radio shows for the BBC. Here, the studio approach gives Jemaine and Bret a slightly more polished touch but they still retain the original lo-fi feel.
Mutha'uckas will be the new favourite among those who aren't actually allowed to swear yet - and shows, once again, the duo have a way of turning the banalities of paying rent into something catchy which lodges itself in your brain - forever.
Long time collaborator Rhys Darby helps the lads out with Leggy Blonde - though it's Jemaine who steals the song with some kind of terrifying impersonation of rappers like Shaggy.
The album concludes with a return to the French flavour as they bid us Au Revoir.
It's a long time until the next series of their sitcom hits the screens (it's expected some time in 2009 thanks to the ongoing trickle after effects of the USA writers' strike) and there's no word yet on whether they'll be back in Aotearoa anytime soon, so this latest witty offering from Bret and Jemaine goes a long way to satisfying long term fans - as well as all those who've been with the boys since the recent Grammy wins and TV show.
It's been a long time coming, but the Conchords album is well worth the wait.
