Album: Album: Flight Of The Conchords, I Told You I Was Freaky (Sub Pop)

Musical parody is a tough thing to carry off well, but Flight Of The Conchords have succeeded like none before, with a top 3 album in America now followed by this collection of songs from their second HBO series.

In some cases, the source target is obvious: "Sugalumps" is a gender-swap take on Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps", while "Carol Brown" extends Paul Simon's "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" into absurd territory ("Tiffany had an epiphany", etc), with the listed ladies appearing as a Greek chorus, commenting on the singer's failings. Other songs rely on simple exaggeration, as when the title-track takes on a sinister stalker-ish tone, or when a list of things "Friends" will do includes "If you get murdered, I'll avenge your death". But some seem out of time: the folkie spoof "Rambling Through The Avenues Of Time" targets Sixties lyrical excesses, while the Bowie/electropop parody "Fashion Is Danger" wallows in being anachronistic, with Eighties references to "President Reagan... Thatcher... jazzercise!". The best tracks are the subtlest, notably "Hurt Feelings", featuring a sensitive rapper, and "We're Both In Love With A Sexy Lady", which takes the R. Kelly semi-spoken R&B style into territory too ludicrous even for Kelly.

Download this: Hurt Feelings, We're Both In Love With A Sexy Lady, Carol Brown, Sugalumps