Flight of the Conchords, Sub Pop, 2008

What makes great art great? Is it some deep meaning conveyed by the piece that offers enlightenment about one of life’s fundamental conflicts? Is it an intricate dissection of the human condition, told through a rich sonic landscape that conveys themes in conjunction with the lyrics? Or is it a deeply personal journey of growth and self-actualization?

Of course, all these answers can be correct. As an art critic and enthusiast, I would argue that the best art usually does meet these criteria. Sometimes, however, art should simply be a joy to consume. Few albums achieve this goal as well as Flight of the Conchords’ eponymous debut. Released in 2008, the duo’s 15-track LP is a masterclass of fun, funny, and memorable music. It’s clever, versatile, sonically impressive, and boasts an impressive combination of sophisticated and crude humor.

The album begins with “Foux Du Fafa,” one of the weaker tracks on the album but nonetheless a fun parody of 1960s French aesthetic. It is entirely in French, although the French is, for the most part, beginner phrases with no cohesive connections.

The albums continues with a legendary 3-track run of “Inner City Pressure,” “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros,” and “Think About It.” “Hiphopopotamus” is a song poking fun at the braggadocio often found in rap; it’s hilarious to hear these two nerdy white men from New Zealand rapping about tea with their grannies. The other two songs, however, are quite a bit more serious than Conchords music tends to be. They address issues of poverty, violence, AIDS, and drugs, albeit within the framework of comedy music. “Inner City Pressure” also stands out for its awesome, synth-heavy techno sound.

Track 5 is “Ladies of the World,” a hilarious ode to lovely women everywhere. The catchy R&B production layers vocal tracks over beautifully strummed guitar and drums, the perfect soundscape for this sexy tune. Next comes “Mutha’uckas,” a diss track to all the assholes out there. Quite the turnaround from “Ladies of the World.” This track has some brilliant fruit-related bars that always make me crack a smile.

The next track is “Prince of Parties,” a song meant to emulate an LSD experience. The lyrics are nonsense, but the sitar adds a cool and unique element to the music. It’s reminiscent of later Beatles work, in which George Harrison would accompany the band’s ridiculous lyrics with sitar. This is followed by “Leggy Blonde,” the only song on the album sung by someone other than Jemaine Clement or Bret McKenzie. Rhys Darby, who plays the character Murray in the Flight of the Conchords TV show, tells a tale of woe for a lost love with memorable hair and limbs. One part of this song features percussive elements performed using office supplies such as scissors and a paper shredder, which is an excellent touch.

Side B, while excellent, has a couple more duds than Side A. It starts off well with the futuristic “Robots,” featuring an iconic bassline and voice effects. This song has become arguably their most well-known song and is a staple of live shows.

After “Robots” comes my personal least favorite track, “Boom.” I’ve never liked this song much; it isn’t super funny, the style is kind of annoying, and overall it just isn’t as clever as most of their music is. Following this is “A Kiss is Not A Contract,” which is not particularly memorable outside of some good wordplay and a positive message about consent.

The next song, however, is one of their best. “The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)” is among the funniest songs I have ever heard. This addictive pop song features beautiful melodies, a lush and soft soundscape, and hysterical lyrics about a woman who is beautiful but not THAT beautiful (put it on for Valentine’s Day, I’m sure it will be appreciated!).

The last truly great track is “Business Time,” a song about weekly sex in the mundane life of a middle American family. The spoken word lyrics of the verses and ad-libs make this song one for the ages. The last full-length track on the LP is “Bowie,” a space-age homage to David Bowie. It’s good but not great, and can drag in some parts. The nods to Bowie’s “Space Oddity” are pretty great, though. The album ends with a 20-second outro called “Au Revoir.”

This album is, from top to bottom, a joy to listen to. With only one real flop in the tracklist, Flight of the Conchords is constantly entertaining, wickedly funny, and musically diverse. There’s something for everyone in this album, and it really can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime. While it would be fruitless to search for any concept or deep, cohesive meaning in this album, it does everything else a piece of music should do. Any music fan would be remiss to overlook this musical experience.

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