PROS: catchy | quality musicianship | never drawn-out | great replay value

CONS: “Fashion Is Danger” | few true “new” songs

I Told You I Was Freaky is, from beginning to end, undoubtedly fun – and perhaps the best comedy music album released in recent memory.  Though ten of the thirteen Flight of the Conchords tracks on this album have been released as singles on the American iTunes store, I Told You I Was Freaky is the first time these songs have been put together in one package for worldwide distribution, and more importantly, this is the first chance fans have gotten to own these songs on an actual disc.

Right from the get go, Flight of the Conchords draws you with dancey beats and catchy lyrics.  The simple chorus in “Hurt Feelings” will have you singing “I got hurt feelings, I got hurt feelings”, most likely before your first run through the song is over.  I Told You I Was Freaky keeps the momentum going throughout the album with few snags.  “Sugalumps” is a dance floor proclamation of testicular sexiness, much akin to a male version of the Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps”; while “We’re Both In Love With A Sexy Lady” makes fun of long-winded story-based hip-hop tunes and still manages to fit a catchy chorus in the mix.

The album’s title track is more on the silly side of things, but never goes so far as to get old.  Lyrics like “Here I am, all dressed in snake skin/ Now I’m in your kitchen making love to your cake tin/ Oh no. Is this the one you bake in?” and “At ten o’ clock I asked some ghosts for a three-way/ Yes it’s creepy/ I told you I was freaky” prove that Flight of the Conchords’ particular brand of humor is still ever present in this album as in last year’s self-titled debut.

Clocking in at only three minutes and fifteen seconds, “I Told You I Was Freaky” is the second longest track on the album, which is one of the album’s strongest points.  With most tracks hovering between two and three minutes, Flight of the Conchords does not allow time for tracks to grow old.  Often the downfall of comedy songs – or even full albums – it is really hard to say that any of the album’s jokes are dragged out too long.  The Lonely Island and “Weird Al” Yankovic could learn a thing or two from I Told You I Was Freaky.

Few tracks on the album really hold it back.  “Rambling Through The Avenues Of Time” does not quite live up to the quality of some of the other tracks, and “Fashion Is Danger” is the track most likely to grow old quickly.  These two songs, right in the middle of the album, are perhaps the lowest point in the album.  But because the tracks are only a couple of minutes long, you will probably not find yourself reaching for the skip button the next time through the album.  “Petrov, Yelyena And Me” picks the album back up.  With its classic feel, the song sounds like it was taken from a children’s album, and is one of the few tracks on I Told You I Was Freaky that does not mention male genitalia.

Besides being genuinely funny, the songs on I Told You I Was Freaky are quality pieces.  If Flight of the Conchords were to replace the silliness with serious lyrics, the album would have no problem passing as a legitimate (that is to say, non-comedic) release.  Some songs, like “Carol Brown”, actually tread the line between comedy and serious sentiment very closely.  With lyrics like “Carol Brown just took a bus out of town/ But I’m hoping that you’ll stick around” and instrumental arrangements that mirror their more serious contemporaries, Flight of the Conchords strike a masterful balance between comedy and quality musicianship.

As an added bonus for those who pick up a physical copy, the band has said on their myspace blog that the CD will ship with a sticker, four buttons and a lyric book complete with chords so you can play along.  It is an ingenious advertising plan – not only do fans get bigger bang for their buck, but YouTube will soon be filled with acoustic I Told You I Was Freaky covers.

I Told You I Was Freaky is out now on Sub Pop Records.

(4.5 out of 5 beards)

Track Listing

01. Hurt Feelings
02. Sugalumps
03. We’re Both In Love With A Sexy Lady
04. I Told You I Was Freaky
05. Demon Woman
06. Rambling Through the Avenues of Time
07. Fashion Is Danger
08. Petrov, Yelyena and Me
09. Too Many Dicks (On the Dance Floor)
10. You Don’t Have to Be a Prostitute
11. Friends
12. Carol Brown
13. Angels