Live In London (2019): By Flight of the Conchords
Watch the show? Wish they had more? Here it is. Listen to it. The whole thing. Over and over like me.
This one has so many great songs that aren’t published anywhere else and the live format allows for great banter and jokes to thrive. I wish they had cut some of their previously popular songs like “Robots” off the set list and wrote more for this tour. Still, it is a must listen for anybody who considers themselves a fan.
Jermaine has always had a little more spotlight. He has superior verses on many of the best songs like “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros”. Jermaine got the role in Disney’s “Moana” where Bret got a role in “Austenland”. I got to say though, Bret really shines on this album. Most of the new tracks feature Bret and he performs really well in the older songs. Maybe that’s moot. They’re a duo and not complete without the other.
The album is best listened to complete and straight through. Some of the songs can certainly be added to a playlist individually, but the flow of the banter and songs is best experienced whole. Good for a long drive.
The New Stuff:
New songs are all good and without a doubt the highlights of the album. Paired with the banter, it is an album in itself.
Father and Son — 9/10
A good opening track. On the first listen I thought, “wow, they’re actually making some serious material… hahaha, wait, nope”. It’s great to have comedians in the world to make light of divorce.
This is the most listened to song on the album, but I got to say a number of other tracks deserve that more than this one.
Band Reunion / Ian and Deanna— 10/10
They can’t not be funny. The banter track has so many good jokes on totally different topics. It is a great introduction and provides a perfect lead into one of the best tracks on the album… “Ian and Deanna”.
Something I love about this album is the fittingly English vibes. “Ian and Deanna” has a very The Clash feel. You gotta love the solo, it’s just so…Ian.
Summer of 1353–10/10
This one continues the English vibes with some medieval love. It has comical anachronisms and hilarious accent impersonations by Bret, complete with several gender-reversals and gender-reversal reversals. Good humor. Jermaine fans might start here because it is the only new track that felt like it really featured Jermaine.
Stana — 9/10
This track strays from the English vibe and actually reminds me a lot of Tenacious D. It has the Satan themes and goofy sexual phrasings like “buttone” (sp?). I didn’t care for it too much on the first listen, but it definitely grew on me. You catch more jokes with every listen.
Even with how silly the track is, the triumphant love at the end is very well delivered.
Seagull — 10/10
This one continues the UK vibe, sounding like something from Van Morrison. The piano solo is supposed to be obnoxious, but I wish it was a little more melodic. None-the-less this is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Goofy, catchy, creative.
Back on the Road — 6/10
It’s got a lot of jokes, particularly the classic rhymes of Jermaine reminiscent of the Hiphopapotomus. The track is a creative way of circling back to the different skits earlier in the show. The previous track “One More Anecdote” can’t be understood on audio, and this track explains that joke.
Bus Driver — 9/10
This one is really good. Take a tour through New Zealand and the personal life of Tony, the bus driver.
Shady Rachel — 8/10
This one is kind of strange with the whole spoon thing, but the minor jokes are great. Specifically the jazz references and jazzy sounds of phones, door bells, and sirens. The names are quite funny too.
Oldies But Goodies
About half the songs are found on their previous albums “Flight of the Conchords” and “I Told You I Was Freaky”. Most of these are well done, specifically “Inner City Pressure” — (9 /10), which… they nailed it. When I saw the second HBO episode featuring this song I was very disappointed. Thought it was a terrible follow up to the first episode (which had 3 of their best songs). I’m glad they picked this one for the show though. It fits the London context very well and the live mood very much improves the song compared to the studio version on their self-titled album.
“Carol Brown” came out really well. Despite Paul Simon being an American musician (a deviation from English vibes) it is well done. “Bowie” was a must do for the set list, although the studio version is preferable. It does flow very well into “Bus Driver” though.
“Foux du Fafa” It’s a fun song and done well on this recording, but the awkward silence is far too drawn out for an audio experience. Would have been better to experience live, but it’s still a good listen when playing the album through.
Songs I Wish They Replaced
I hate to say it, but their rap songs dropped the ball. It was a good idea to make a mash-up with “Mutha’uckas — Hurt Feelings” but the cadences on some of the best jokes are off. Rap music has a very studio/processed feel that is nailed on Flight of the Conchords’s other albums, but it doesn’t translate well to a live recording. The best thing about the track is Bret’s ‘Going to Town’ verse and subsequent belt out of ‘I’ve got hurt feelings’, kinda wish that was on the studio version.
“Robots” and “The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)” I could have done without. They are both great songs, but have had so much play and they fell a bit like old news here. I’d rather have had either new songs, or give some air time to some of their other great songs that didn’t get as much notice. Such as(!) “Think About It” and “Fashion is Danger”, both would have fit very well on this set list.
“Robots” does have a good binary solo. “The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)” has so much parody potential. They did reference the river Thames, but they could have gone so much further with the “beautiful as [insert British thing here]” lines. Missed opportunity.
Banter
The jokes in between the songs stitch it all together and give the performance a great flow. Definitely could have made a few stand-alone episodes from the new content here.
It is for them to miss. “Complimentary Muffin” is a most mundane story, part of their humor. I just might always think about this every time I see a muffin.
“Stuck in a Lift” is a good skit. I couldn’t ruin the punchline for you. You might anticipate it anyway, I did, but it didn’t detract from it.
“One More Anecdote" is hard to understand and probably the low-point of listening to the album. However, the second half of it is pre-banter for “Back On The Road” and that section is quite funny.
Conclusion
I can’t believe this hasn’t gotten more listens. It gets better every time. Go give it some ear-time.
