Flight of the Conchords

New Zealand’s formerly fourth-most famous guitar-based digi-bongo a capella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo have finally put out their first full-length album, and though it’s all laughs, it’s nothing new from Bret and Jemaine. For fans of their hit TV show “Flight of the Conchords,” their eponymous debut album will likely just be sort of a season-in-song disc, but for those unfamiliar with the HBO series the laughs might be a little out of context. With the new season right around the corner, it would have been nice to see a preview of things to come, but any fan devoted enough (and there are many) to buy the album instead of—or in addition to—the season one DVD won’t walk away disappointed.

Musically, the Conchords have made some tweaks to the versions of the tracks that appeared on the show, and though the duo’s instrumental work will go largely underappreciated next to their hilarious lyrics, it does deserve a close listen. The synth-heavy Kraftwerk-meets-spoken-word 80s parody song “Inner City Pressure” is a fine example of production value adding to the humor of the song. A mock lament of rough and tumble city life, the track gets to the point where you can almost see Bret’s solemn expression mouthing the words to the chorus. “Boom,” a song that wasn’t really all that funny on the show, is buoyed considerably by bringing the beat into the foreground, making far more noticeable the dancehall-reggae caricature intended by the instrumentals.

“A Kiss is Not a Contract” and “The Most Beautiful Girl (in the Room)” also benefit from improved mixing, with the acoustic guitar coming through crisply in both songs.

Some of the songs, however, are actually hurt by the slightly replanned song structures, most notably fan favorites “Bowie” and “Robots” (originally “The Humans are Dead”). Transforming the entire first half of “Bowie” into a spoken word section might have made the track easier to understand for those unfamiliar with the context, but it inadvertently ruined some of the song’s funnier bits, most prominently the original reference to David Bowie’s 1971 release “Changes” and the formerly yelped “Would you like my jumper, Bowie?” “Robots” suffers similar symptoms, as some of the robot voices that were hilariously over-the-top in the show and on stage have sadly been toned down.

Nonetheless, no change could affect a classic like “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros,” which showcases the two comedians’ lyrical prowess. Jemaine (Hiphopopotamus) raps: “My rhymes are so potent that in this small segment I made all of the ladies in the area pregnant / Yes, sometimes my lyrics are sexist but you lovely bitches and hoes should know I’m trying to correct this.”

“Think About It,” the album’s fourth track, is the real standout. A hilarious rib at the state-of-the-world songs that come around every few years, the duo managed to perfectly recreate the strolling rhythm and world beat feel of 2001’s all-star benefit song “What’s Going On.” Everything from the over-the-top vocal flourishes to the a cappella ending to Jemaine forgetting the catchy chorus is flawlessly put together to poke fun at the predictable structure of celebrity collaboration records. They even touch on all the issues: “They’re turning kids into slaves just to make cheaper sneakers, but what’s the real cost? ’Cause the sneakers don’t seem that much cheaper. Why are we still paying so much for sneakers when you are having them made by little kid slave babies—what are your overheads?”

As disappointing as it was to see only one new track (a substance-less farewell track that’s only 22 seconds long), fans of the show will still appreciate the release. With a following larger than most digi-bongo folk comedy musicians from Oceania, Flight of the Conchords (the band) should be happy with “Flight of the Conchords” (the album) as a well-crafted product of “Flight of the Conchords” (the TV show).