Conchords take flight with new batch of musical comedy

By Steve McElwee

- For the CDT

Band: Flight of the Conchords

Album: “Flight of the Conchords”

Label: Sub Pop

A strong cult following and an infinite amount of indie cred wasn’t handed to Flight of the Conchords. HBO didn’t offer them an exorbitant amount of money and the coveted Sunday night-time slot for nothing. Since1998, the due has been working endlessly to get there.

Flight of the Conchords, “formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo,” was once bumped from a concert by a tribute band of themselves, Like of the Conchords, so it’s evident this stardom thing didn’t happen easily or overnight.

The two’s latest self-titled release follows in the humorous tradition of their live shows, HBO program and past records. It’s the stinging sense of humor that melts with the perfectly penned pop songs that makes what they are unleashing on the masses so special.

Musical comedy may not be the first thing on everybody’s to-do list, but you should definitely pencil in listening to Flight of the Conchords. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement are more laid back and less in your face than the majority of their counterparts, Tenacious D, Spinal Tap, etc. They have the folk thing going on, and the dash of hip hop they add gives it that flavor that is hard to duplicate.

“Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenocerous” is the type of lyrical battle that you would have overheard on the streets of the Bronx and Queens if DJ Kool Herc was from the South Pacific instead of the grimy slums of the Northeast. It is a ridiculous old-school showdown that showcases both the lyrical flow and instrumental talent that these two lads possess.

The only negative about this song, and for that matter the entire record, is that there is no visual. Simply listening to the record itself takes away some of the punch line from the joke as is evidenced when Jemaine spits a verse and then pauses staring at the camera realizing that he ran out of rhymes, translating awfully for the sap who doesn’t subscribe to HBO.

David Bowie is a weirdo. He’s great, but he is an (space) oddity. Flight of the Conchords pays tribute to rock’s chameleon by concocting a clever, crude and comical take on the guy. The concept and ultimately the final product of “Bowie” is enough to make Major Tom float back to Earth in his tin can to hear the brilliant mocking of the man who made him famous.

From a musical standpoint, “Bowie” isn’t the best constructed song on the record, but is by far the funniest. It is so over the top, and the impressions of the rock ’n’ roll superstar that the duo provides is hysterical. The seriousness of Bowie is shattered by the sheer silliness that McKenzie and Clement exhibit on this track. I think that the lyric “I'm jamming out with the Mick Jaggernauts / and they think it's pretty cool, man,” sums it all up.

Even the term “musical comedy” sounds uninteresting, but Flight of the Conchords not only makes it bearable, they leave you craving for more. They have hit that enigmatic comedic nerve that many have tried to do puncture before, ultimately failing and leaving the audience with a blood clot. After years of touring, Flight of the Conchords may now be the “most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo” coming out of New Zealand, well that is until Like of the Conchords signs with Showtime.