Pages tagged “flight of the conchords”

Playing the character of Mel on Flight of the Conchords seems like it would be a full-time job. What with all the T-shirt designs, awkward sexual advances and uninvited home visits, serving as the one-and-only superfan of New Zealand's fourth most popular digi-folk group sounds like a hefty commitment. Well, looks as though curly-topped comedienne Kristen Schaal has adjusted her schedule to cheat on her beloved Kiwis just a little, lending her absurd deadpan and kid-with-a-cold voice to a new show recently green-lit as a for-broadcast pilot on the U.K.'s Channel 4.

Bret and Jermaine of Flight of the Conchords could be part-time models, but they're full-time performers. Season Two of their HBO show is underway and they're prepping their untitled sophomore album for release. But apparently that's not enough for the New Zealand duo, because they just announced an extensive North American tour for April and May.

Looks like the United States' most popular show about New Zealand's fourth most popular folk-parody duo is cashing in on some of the comedic capital earned by its hilarious first-season run, pulling in some pretty funny guest stars to appear throughout the show's second season.

You're going to be very product at work today. Just not for a little while. What follows are some of the funniest musical moments ever synched to moving pictures, digitized and uploaded to the third most popular site on the Internets (even beating out Obamicon.me). Ah, the joys of a good YouTube video. Some of the following are old (by Internet standards), others will hopefully be brand new to you. But they're all musical, and they're all funny—whether that was the plan of those who created them or not. Put your headphones on, make sure your boss is on the phone and enjoy.

You know what time it is? It's business time.That time when Flight of the Conchords announce that fans will be able to purchase songs from season two of the HBO comedy only a day after each episode premieres.

It's eerily quiet here at the Paste office with most everybody taking a vacation day today. And I just said my goodbyes to Palmer Houchins, who as of Friday will be our first full-time Paste employee living in New York (Williamsburg, to be exact—hipsters, be nice to him). So I thought I'd just give you a round-up of cultural tidbits that our web team is too busy merry-making to otherwise tell you about...

Good news for Flight of the Conchords fans: The first episode of the second season of the hit comedy, helmed by New Zealand musician/funnymen Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, has premiered a month early on Funny or Die.

If the name "Aziz Ansari" only faintly rings a bell, that's about to change. The Human Giant co-creater and star reprises his role in Flight of the Conchords with the second season, coming Jan. 2009 (he plays a racist fruit vendor who can't tell New Zealanders from Australians, for the uninitiated). He's soon joining the Judd Apatow comedy machine, appearing in Funny People, Observe and Report with Seth Rogen and I Love You, Man with Paul Rudd. He's starring in the upcoming sitcom from the writers of The Office with an SNL-departed Amy Poehler. And come this Fall/Winter, he's taking it on the road: his "Glow in the Dark" tour will pass through eight states before ending with a three-day stint at San Francisco's Punch Line Comedy Club.

[Above: Kanye West and Steve Carell backstage at last year's Emmy Awards Gala]

Get that TiVo warmed up and catch up on your saved episodes of House and Ugly Betty: the Emmys are coming to TV land in September, and you’ll want to be prepared. The nominees for the ultra-cumbersomely-titled 60th Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmy Awards were announced today, and a full list is available online.

Click above to watch "Ladies of the World" from Flight of the Conchords' self-titled debut album, out now on Sub Pop Records.

Related Links:
News: Flight of the Conchords prep for album, tour; offer free MP3
Review: Flight of the Conchords - s/t
News: Flight of the Conchords rock Consumer Electronics Show

It was the last day of Sasquatch and you bet we made it count. From shout-along choruses to Swedish showmen to bearded guitarvaganzas to British soul men to naked people to much, much more, it was all there. Read on...

In our May edition of the "Paste 7" I called your attention to the free e-card website, someecards, which features electronic greetings that are witty, sometimes crude and very timely (example, a whole slew of cards dedicated to this summer's blockbuster movies). Categories include: Anniversary, Breakup, Cry For Help, Flirting, Get Well, Somewhat Topical, Workplace, and more.

But there is one category that has been glaringly omitted: Indie.

But don't worry, someecards masterminds! I've gone ahead and made some mock-ups for you! Might I suggest these additions to the someecards collection, inspired by some of my favorite indie musicians?


(Inspired by The Black Kids)


(Inspired by Camera Obscura)

New Zealand duo packs big laughs into little plastic disc

The Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement have already done a comedic radio show for the BBC. They’re working on the second season of a hilarious television series for HBO. And they’ve made the whole world LOL. What’s left but to follow up their EP with a full-length that further immortalizes some of their funniest songs recorded? Part of this collection’s genius is the way the two Kiwis effortlessly weave between musical genres—past and present—while celebrating the catchiest and most instantly recognizable clichés of each.

On the Pet Shop Boys ode “Inner City Pressure,” Clement and McKenzie slip into their most flamboyant British accents to sing about lower-middle-class urban poverty and the confusion that goes along with it. Background synthesizers evoke the ’80s while McKenzie sings, “You don’t know where you’re going / You cross the street / You don’t know why you did / You walk back across the street.” The deadpan delivery and ridiculous wordplay of “No one cares, no one sympathizes / You just stay home and play synthesizers” elicits an audible chuckle on even the fourth listen.

The sonic quality of the disc is absolutely impeccable thanks to McKenzie and Clement’s exceptional musicianship and the production of Micky Petralia (Beck, John Cale). The music essentially acts as the “straight man,” and because the instrumental performances are are so faithful to their source-material inspirations, the playfulness of the lyrics tickles the funny bone with extra precision. If the quiet-storm funk of “Business Time” and lyrics like “I remove my clothes very, very clumsily, stripping sensuously over my pants” don’t get you, the sing-along chorus will undoubtedly win you over. This is top-flight stuff, and not just because I needed to glancingly reference the band’s name before signing off.

It’s definitely “Business Time” for Flight of the Conchords, who are preparing to release a new album, film the second season of their HBO show, and hit the road for a national tour.

New Zealand’s self-proclaimed "fourth most popular digi-folk paradists" broke onto the comedy scene in 2005 with the premiere of their BBC radio show Flight of the Conchords. Loosely based on the Conchords' (a.k.a. Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie) search for success in London, the show became an almost instant commercial hit.

The radio show inspired an HBO sitcom that introduced the duo’s signature blend of bone-dry humor and catchy tunes to American audiences. It was so popular that the Conchords were voted the single most popular digi-folk paradists in the U.S. (Well, not really. But they certainly would be if such a vote actually took place. Take that, you finicky New Zealanders!)

The Grammy-winning Conchords confirmed on their MySpace blog that they've been working on a second season of their HBO show, which will likely premiere in January 2009. The duo’s first full-length album, thankfully, will be available much sooner. Flight of the Conchords features professionally recorded versions of the duo’s most popular songs, including “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros” and “Mutha’uckas” and is slated for release April 22 on Sub Pop Records.

And finally—the Conchords are embarking on a nationwide tour in May. Stops include two dates in New York, a couple gigs in Cali, a performance at the Sasquatch music festival in George, Wash., and complete and total avoidance of the Southeast (c'mon guys, do you really want to see your little buddies down with a frown?). Browse the Flight of the Conchords’ tour dates, as well as the full tracklist from their debut album, below.

The best tour on the street, depending on the street:

May
5 - Upper Darby, Pa. @ Tower Theatre
6 - New York, N.Y. @ Town Hall Theater
7 - New York, N.Y. @ Town Hall Theater
9 - Washington D.C. @ Lisner Auditorium (2 shows)
10 - Ann Arbor, Mich. @ Michigan Theater
11 - Milwaukee, Wisc. @ Riverside Theater
13 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ Orpheum Theatre
14 - Chicago, Ill. @ Chicago Theatre
15 - Denver, Colo. @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House
26 - George, Wash. @ Sasquatch! Festival
27 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Nob Hill Masonic Center
30 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Orpheum Theater

Flight of the Conchords tracklist:

1. Foux du Fafa
2. Inner City Pressure
3. Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros
4. Think About It
5. Ladies of the World
6. Mutha'uckas
7. The Prince of Parties
8. Leggy Blonde
9. Robots
10. Boom
11. A Kiss Is Not a Contract
12. The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)
13. Business Time
14. Bowie
15. Au Revoir

MP3: "Business Time"

Related links:
Conchords.co.nz
Flight of the Conchords on HBO.com
Paste: Conchords’ Clement, Sam Rockwell to star in Broncos

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

From the same husband and wife duo that brought us the ultra-quotable Napoleon Dynamite in 2004 comes a new adventure in the slightly absurd. Jared and Jerusha Hess will soon unleash Gentlemen Broncos, a film that follows the misadventure of a high school student attempting to reclaim a fantasy novel idea from Ronald Chevalier, the renowned writer that stole it from him.

The movie follows the storyline of the book, seen from both the perspective of the student, played by Michael Angarano (Lords of Dogtown), and Chevalier, played by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords). Sam Rockwell (Matchstick Men) plays the protagonist that comes to life as both authors’ versions of the book.

Mike White and Ben LeClair of Nacho Libre fame will produce the film, which is set to begin filming in March.

Thanks to Vulture for the tip!

Related links:
News: Flight of the Conchords rock Consumer Electronics Show
HBO: Jemaine Clement’s Bio
Sam Rockwell on IMDB

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

In a beautiful moment of multi-platform convergence, Flight of the Conchords recently performed at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Bret and Jemaine, the members of New Zealand’s 4th most popular folk-comedy duo, regaled the crowd with their technological creativity and seduction techniques.

Fortunately, what happened in Vegas did not have to stay there, thanks to the magical powers of YouTube. Click here to watch Bret astutely observe that there are more ladies on the Internet than there are ladies on the Internet (it’s true) and hear Jemaine explain the erotic power of a shirt with a large curry stain. Oh, and there are also jokes about camera phones because the boys know their audience.

If you simply must have more, check out the first season of HBO’s Flight of the Conchords on DVD and look out for Bret and Jemaine’s debut album on Sub Pop, out on April 22.

Related links:
Stereogum: Flight Of The Conchords Show Off Their Gadgets...
Flight of the Conchords on MySpace
Flight of the Conchords on HBO

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.

New Zealand comedy band Flight of the Conchords will release its debut full-length record on April 22 via Sub Pop, The Playlist reports. Mickey Petralia, who has previously worked on Beck's Midnight Vultures, will produce the album.

Clearly, it's "Business Time" for Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie. The first-season DVD of the duo's HBO television series is out now, and The Distant Future EP recently earned a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album.

Related links:
HBO.com/Conchords
Conchords.co.nz
YouTube: Flight of the Conchords - "Business Time"

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.