Customer Reviews

Flight Of The Conchords

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The really funny thing is, that the humor aside, this is just a really good album. (CD... project... whatever...)
If you aren't listening to the lyrics and just have it on the background you'll find the rhythms and sounds a little retro and old school sometimes.. but just extremely well done.
Unlike lots of comedy music acts, these guys are actually incredibly talented musicians with an incredible gift for song writing and musicality.
It's true what a couple reviews have said, that much of it is funnier and fresher in sound and and feel in the much more pared down live acoustic versions.
But it is kind of apples and oranges to me... and it all makes a nice salad.
I've found myself humming one or another of these songs for the past two weeks and, again-and-again - it is what I reach for to put in while I'm just surfing the web or whatever.
Often I'm not even listening intently to the lyrics and laughing any more... I'm just not thinking about it and grooving to the groove.

Best CD I've bought in a long time really.

- m

This summer was all about Flight of the Conchords. Forget about Rhianna and her umbrella, or shawty's gitten low, and all those other groups and performers. Give me the Rhymenacerous vs. the Hiphopotamus any day, they can spit rhymes like hot FIRE!!! Not only do they have a good beat, they're clever. My only criticism is what happenend to "Who Like's to Rock the Party?" The song that was continuously attempted to be sung on the show but was never finished. "Pencils in the Wind" is missing as well, but it's still one of the best records of 2008.

Let's face it: The Flight of the Conchords are not a band, they're comedians. Unfortunately, these audio only songs do lose a little something when you don't see Bret and Jemaine taking themselves totally seriously with these ridiculous songs. Don't get me wrong, these songs are absolutely funny, but only if you're already a fan. There isn't really much difference between the songs from here to the versions heard on the HBO series. So my recommendation is this, if you love the guys and you love the songs and the HBO show, then go ahead and buy the album (or more accurately Season 1 soundtrack). If you haven't seen the show or the Conchords' shtick before, then see it and judge whether or not you like it. Also, there are a few notable omissions from the disc:

I'm Not Crying (On the Distant Future EP)
If You're Into It (Also on the Distant Future EP)
Albi the Racist Dragon
Bret You Got It Goin On (Available from iTunes as a pre-order only bonus track, too late)
Frodo, Don't Wear the Ring
Sello Tape (I love this one, I wish they put it on there)
Cheer Up Murray
Song for Sally
Mermaids
Jenny (hillarious)

Also, they could have done without Leggy Blonde (not very funny). O well, it's still nice to have for posterity's sake so that you can sing along and laugh with all of your other Conchord's fan friends.

Flight of the Conchords

If you're already familiar with Flight of the Conchords, then there's not a lot I need to tell you about this solid disc. If you're NOT familiar with Flight of the Conchords, well then, you may want to consider becoming such.

Flight of the Conchords is a "folk parody duo" that plays whimsical songs about whatever they happen to feel like writing about. Most of the tracks on this particular disc all stem from the first season of the TV show they did on HBO. Many of my favorites are contained herein, such as "Boom" and "Hiphopapotamus vs Rhymnocerous", and, "Bowie". A couple tracks make a second appearance on this disc, having already been featured in the "The Distant Future" EP. ("Business Time" is the first one that comes to mind.)

For anyone looking for a light-hearted, comical listen, this disc is definitely. If you're already into the Conchords, this disc will not disappoint. If you're new to them, for the price, this is a GREAT starting point.

The stars of HBO's comedy series finally has its own full-blown soundtrack, and it's a gentle if pointed musical satire. The music is funny and full, and often the jokes are more musical than farcical. It allows Flight of the Conchords to poke fun at everyone from Radiohead to Ravi Shankar, from Prince to the Pet Shop Boys.

But part of the joke is that, on the show itself, the band is unaware of the fact that they're inept and over-reaching. So when a sweet sounding sound like "A Kiss is Not A Contract" suddenly buckles under lyrically and proclaims "you're as beautiful as a dream....or a prostitute." Just when you think the song might come off as conventional, out comes a squirting lapel flower. What you also get is that Jemaine and Bret are fond of the music they send up (kind of like Weird Al Yankovic without the broadness). They understand the music and the fans of it.

Why I only give this CD three stars is that the jokes -- like any humor -- eventually loses its punch. The most pointed humor, the anti-censorship "Motha'uckers", gets the gag over by what it doesn't say, kind of the way Jimmy Kimmel's "Unnecessary Censorship" skits work. "The Flight Of The Conchords" is good fun, almost on the level of The Rutles. Your need to have it will depends on your level of fandom for either the show or musical satire.

Many FOTC fans know that the best versions of many of their songs are not the ones from their TV show. There are much better versions of "The Most Beautiful Girl", "Hiphopopotamus", "Robots" and many other popular tracks from either previously-released material, or live performances that can be seen/heard online. That's not to say this isn't a good album, but not all of their songs were improved by the overproduction evident on these tracks, and in many cases the altered-for-tv lyrics different from earlier, more funny or more spontaneous performances.

If you're a hardcore fan, you already have these tracks anyway, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy the album to let the corporations know that FOTC is worth investing in for several more new seasons.

I hate to give this album 3 stars, because I don't want people to think that Flight of the Chonchords only worth 3 stars, because they are definitely worth more and are absolutely hilarious, as well as musically talented. However, as a couple of other reviewers have said already, a handful of the songs on this album lose their appeal because of being recorded in-studio. The Conchords are much more enjoyable when their performances are spontaneous. I would recommend looking for live recordings. If you can't find any of their live stuff or don't want to do so, this wouldn't necessarily be a bad album to settle for, just not optimum. Hopefully they will record a live album soon!

Let me start off by saying, I do agree with most of the reviewers that this album feels a bit to polished to keep 100% of the charm of the Conchords, but I also do highly recommend it. I played some of the tracks for some friends that had never heard of FOTC and they still laughed and enjoyed the songs. I also would have liked to have seen a few more, well all, songs on this album, but I understand a bit about marketing and traditional CD length as well to realize that it is not too likely to have everything on one CD. I think there may be a second CD coming out in the future, or possibly they were left off to get you to buy the series.
All in all, I really enjoy this album, I also have their Distant Future album which includes some of the same songs some of which are done live, some not. I recommend them both as a set to get the full experience, or if you are buying for a FOTC fan.

Everytime I listen to any track on this CD it makes me laugh and think of the episodes those songs come from. If you like the series you'll like the CD a lot.

Although Flight of the Conchords may not be a "real" band, this is a fantastic album. Of course the lyrics are hilarious, but even the melodies are good. Play it during your next party and see what kind of a reaction you get.