To start this thing off, I’m going to post about Flight of the Conchords, New Zealand’s fourth most popular folk-parody duo something or other. Why do I start with this, you ask? I’ve been listening to them practically nonstop for the last couple of weeks and, to me, these guys are comedic geniuses. For those who don’t know, Flight of the Conchords is a parody band from New Zealand, composed of two people: Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement. In addition to releasing albums, they also have a show on HBO.
Well.
I might as well start with some of their music, I suppose. (Click the name. Sorry for abysmal quality.)
Business Time
Hiphopoppotamus vs. Rhymenocerous
The Humans Are Dead (a.k.a. Robots)
Something For The Ladies (a.k.a. Ladies of the World)
Issues (a.k.a. Think About It)
Those are just some of my favorites.
So, my thoughts:
Really, when I first listened to this (as a nice friend from a Zelda-related forum showed me, thanks Galedeep) I was astounded. How had I not heard of these guys before? Their banter and unique stage-presence makes me laugh, even after watching these videos ten to twenty different times, and so does their music. Not only are they funny, but they branch out into different genres. They aren’t just folk. Sure, they have folkier songs, but for songs such as “Hiphopoppotamus vs. Rhymenocerous”, there’s a rap-like lyrical style, and even the sorts of beats you’d probably hear in a rap song. There’s also songs like “Boom”, and I can’t even really begin to explain it is. You just have to listen to it.
Branching off from the sounds of the music, I go to the lyrics. Hilarious, hilarious, HILARIOUS. I can’t stop listening, because the way they write their lyrics makes them really infectious and memorable. For instance, in “Hiphopoppotamus vs. Rhymenocerous”, probably one of my favorite lines:
“They call me the hiphopoppotamus,
Flows that glow like phosphorous,
Poppin’ off the top of this esophagus,
Rockin’ this metropolis.”
It goes on, as well. Then you have a song like “Ladies of the World”, where there are lyrics like such:
“Redheads, not warheads;
Blondes not bombs…
We’re talkin’ about,
Brunettes not fighter jets, yeah.
Ooh, it’s got to be sweet sixteens,
Not M16s
When will the government realize;
It’s got to be funky, sexy ladies.”
And, in one of my favorite lines ever, the song says:
“If every soldier in the world
Put down his weapon and picked up a woman…
What a peaceful world this world would be.”
I really do think that these two men are geniuses of the highest degree.
And blah. That’s all I want to say.
LEAVE ME ALONE I’LL WRITE BETTER LATER
