Flight of the Conchords

The hilarious New Zealand duo gained popularity from their self-titled show on HBO. It's hard to separate the Bret and Jemaine in real life from their characters, Bret and Jemaine, and not just because they share names. The two sing their songs in character, to the riotous laughter of fans old and new. Flight of the Conchords' first EP, "The Distant Future," is a gem that includes live performances of some of the band's most popular songs. The LP "Flight of the Conchords" rehashes some of those tracks and includes most of the songs from the first season of their television show. The second LP "I Told You I Was Freaky" is again chock-full of songs as they were performed on the show. Flight of the Conchords partly parody songs, but what is more incredible is the way they parody musical genres as a whole. David Bowie parodies belie an insight into 80s pop, and when the Conchords take on rap, you'll never know what hit you. (It might be the Hiphopopotamus or the Rhymenocerous.) The lyrics are always fun, jaunty, and irreverent, and there's nothing more fun than trying to memorize all of them. Typically, Bret and Jemaine perform in small venues. Their show is part comedy routine, part concert, and part sing-along for those who know them best. The pair emanates energy as they play the "mom guitar" and "dad guitar" as well as a variety of other instruments. It's a delight to hear favorites from the show, like "Business Time" and "Albi the Racist Dragon" performed live, especially since the latter isn't included on any of their albums.