Flight of the Conchords: Flight of the Conchords

Release Date: April 22, 2008

Label: Sub Pop

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www.conchords.co.nz

A song parody is a bit of a one-trick pony. The first listen may bring a few chuckles, but, later, the results can be far less amusing — for once the novelty is gone, there usually isn’t a lot of interesting music to fill the gap. (I’m sure more than a few of us still have a couple Weird Al records lying around somewhere unloved). So what does this mean for “New Zealand’s 4th Most Popular Folk Parody Duo”?

The Flight of the Conchords’ self-titled debut album is collection of songs taken primarily from the first season of their half-hour HBO series. Though unlikely to cause much excitement, the Conchords’ have enough subtle wit and nuance to craft a comedy album worth more than just one listen.

Among its best, “Inner City Pressure,” an homage to ’80s synthpop, succeeds in being funny in both its stereotypic synthesized backdrop and its self-mocking lyrics, “You don’t measure up to the expectation. When you’re unemployed, there’s no vacation. No one cares. No one sympathizes. You just stay home and play synthesizers.”

Later, “Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymneceros” and “Mutha’uckas” showcase the hard-hitting world of New Zealand rap, featuring rhymes about drinking tea, racist grocers and frustrating experiences with ATMs.

And any David Bowie fan is sure to love “Bowie,” a “freaky” journey through the musical shapeshifter’s personas in the ’70s and ’80s that dares to ask Ziggy Stardust the question “Do you have one really funky sequined spaces suit or do you have several ch-ch-changes?”

Inevitably, the album is missing a few gems from the HBO series, like “Bret, You Got It Going On,” “If You’re Into It” and “Cheer Up, Murray,” but what it really needs is new material. The first season of the series aired close to a year ago, so releasing what amounts to a soundtrack now seems a bit anti-climactic. The Conchords’ debut will best serve pre-existing fans as a companion piece to the DVDs of the HBO series.

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Devin Vaughn can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275 or [email protected].