Even though Flight of the Conchords predated Andy Samberg’s The Lonely Island, I Told You I Was Freaky feels slightly worn-out; Flight of the Conchords is a novelty act that’s no longer novel.
No matter how hard it tries to succeed on its own, its sophomore album is a collection of songs that fans have already heard on the band’s self-titled TV show. The release from these lovable Kiwis feels short, slightly gimmicky and thus somewhat all over the place. This must be said with reservations, of course.
First, “Too Many Dicks (On The Dance Floor)” has almost the same riotous dance appeal as “Jizz in My Pants,” but with smarter humor. It’s up to you, however, whether intelligence is something to be desired in the realm of dick jokes.
The other footnote here is that while they may be completely unserious, their songs stray dangerously close to legitimate music. Freaky has moments that sound like the real thing, which can be confusing when juxtaposed with lines like “My dungarees make them hungry/They’re over the moon when I don pantaloons.” Save for references to “frocks” and “livestock,” the opening to “Demon Woman” could be mistaken for a Tapes ‘n’ Tapes single.
The Conchords masterfully — and maybe unintentionally — blur the line between seriousness and sarcasm in all of the genres they tackle on this album.
Never, in the course of your daily music intake, will you want to listen to the entirety of I Told You I Was Freaky. But at the very least, you should add this to your iTunes library just so that these songs can pop up on shuffle every once in a while and catch you off guard. Brett and Jemaine are, after all, sublime rappers.
