I Told You I Was Freaky

I've come to the conclusion that to properly appreciate Flight of the Conchords' music, you must be slightly silly. There's no other explanation for why their latest album has received one or two mediocre reviews in the past week when in many ways it is musically better than their previous effort. It doesn't have the same range as their first self titled album- many of the tracks rely on R&B for their sources of inspiration and many are about relationships- but there is still plenty to like here.

The opening track Hurt Feelings reminds us that Bret and Jemaine are indeed rappers, even if Bret was told to try on a ladies' wet suit and Jemaine's family didn't call on his birthday. Anyone who has ever been told that they looked like a llama will be able to sympathise with the boys who deal out their 'autobiographical raps'. This is followed by the hilarious Sugalumps, a song which must have been inspired by a particularly well known Black Eyed Peas track from a few years ago about certain parts of anatomy.

Other highlights include Too Many Dicks On the Dancefloor, which warns of the perils if you don't check the 'bro-ho ratio' before going down to your nearest club. This song is addictive and tends to stick in your head. Also there's I Told You I Was Freaky, which proves that Bret's habit of standing around with a cup on his head reveals his true personality of craziness. Or Jemaine might break into your house and have a seance. There's a tribute to eighties pop in Fashion is Danger, the cannibalistic tale of Petrov, Yelyena and Me and a plea to Jermaine to avoid prostitution in order to relieve his debts. There's also a Peter Sarstedt tribute in Wandering Through the Avenues of Time.

The highlight of the lot is the incredibly catchy, funny and well written Carol Brown which is one of the best songs of the year. It's proof that the boys have moved on from clever lyrics to writing great songs. There are one or two less exciting patches here and there, like Angels, Demon Woman and Friends, but these are still enjoyable enough in their own way. Maybe you just need to watch the TV series as well... the 'video clips' accompanying each song are also great.