Flight Of The Conchords

The Distant Future (Sub Pop)
by Tim Den

I doubt most of you need an introduction to Flight Of The Conchords, the New Zealand comedy/acoustic duo has been doing quite well with their HBO show, and they’ve made plenty of appearances on late night TV to roaring responses. This, then, is their first foray into the recording business, a six-song EP made up of mostly tunes you’ve already heard one way or another. Problem is, as much as these guys exhibit great timing and absurdity in other mediums, an audio recording doesn’t do them justice. Without seeing Jermaine’s face, a sense of nonsensical mastery is lost. It’s as if you have to witness him deliver these ridiculous odes to boring sex, pathetic come-ons, and bizarre sci-fi tales because his face is what greases your laughter gears for the next punchline. You can almost see the next stupid/brilliant sentence coming from a mile away just by watching him. On record? Not so much. Tenacious D do a helluva better job at it.

But shit, funnier in person or not, these are still some fine ass songs. Just like you can laugh and rock out to The D, Flight Of The Conchords aren’t all gimmicks. They can actually write some tunes, which makes this EP worth getting if you simply have to have more of Jermaine and Bret. But for you newcomers, do yourselves a favor and watch the show first.
(www.subpop.com)