Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, the folk music comedy duo from New Zealand, have done it again with their latest album, I Told You I Was Freaky. McKenzie and Clement make up the group Flight of the Conchords, whose take on comedy is both subtle and widely
outlandish.

Ever since the group’s formation in 1998, their level of success has been on a constant rise. Performances at several comedy festivals helped them become widely known, and they made their way to Europe. The duo made a major commercial debut in England with a BBC 2 radio series comprised of six episodes. The episodes were aired in 2005 and were incredibly successful among listeners. It is not a surprise that this exposure landed McKenzie and Clement a half-hour comedy special on HBO’s One Night Stand later that year.

I Told You I Was Freaky, due to be released on Oct. 20, features all of the tracks that viewers enjoyed in season two of the HBO hit series, Flight of the Conchords. McKenzie and Clement take it upon themselves to explore all sorts of genres of music, including, but not limited to, rap/hip-hop (“Hurt Feelings,” “Sugalumps”), electronica (“Fashion Is Danger”), and R&B (“We’re Both in Love With a Sexy Lady”).

The best song on this album is the sentimental “You Don’t Have to be a Prostitute.” To put it in context of the series, as Jemaine and Bret are unable to pay their bills because of the depletion of their band fund into bum investments, Jemaine chooses to hit the streets to make ends meet. Realizing that they have more than enough money after discovering that their investment is not a scam, Bret sings the song addressed to Jemaine in the style of The Police’s “Roxanne.”

Their song “Demon Woman,” a spoof of the Cliff Richard tune “Devil Woman,” shines on the album as well. Fans of the show will remember this song from the episode in which Jemaine goes on a dinner date with a fanatic fan who refuses to let him sing or speak while wearing an Art Garfunkel costume. This then cuts to a music video which is a spoof of Judas Priest music videos.

In the midst of the hilarity created in this album, the band found a way to fit in social commentary. The song “Fashion is Danger,” surely plays on the electronica genre of music, but most importantly the fashion world. The model lifestyle is certainly the butt of the joke as the two name off ridiculous poses, cities they have traveled to, as well as other nonsensical phrases.

There is no doubt that I Told You I Was Freaky will be a worldwide smash when it hits the shelves. With songs of sadness and songs of praise, Flight of the Conchords will be able to win over new listeners as well as keeping old ones hooked. The album features bonus content including buttons, stickers and a lyric book that contains the chords to each of the songs. This release will surely be groundbreaking considering the content and extras that are packed within.