There’s no denying that a couple of Kiwi comedy folk musos trying to crack the big time in New York is pretty damn freaky. That they’ve managed two successful HBO television series and now this, a second full-length album of tunes lifted from the show, is absolutely outrageous. As with last year’s outstanding debut, the duo stumble through another impressive slew of genres, parodying and lampooning everything from sensitive new age rappers with Hurt Feelings to the problem of a dancefloor crowded with too many male appendages. Most of the time, it works.

However, it’s a high wire balancing act that also occasionally falls flat. A couple of songs sound contrived or a little unfinished. This isn’t surprising given the obvious pressure of producing a follow-up to their previous smash in a much shorter time frame. Older songs, Petrov, Yelyena And Me and Angels don’t quite have the spark of a Robots or Inner City Pressure, while some of the newer songs suffer from being disconnected from the context of the show.

Fortunately, the good tracks are great and the wordy approach often rewards the returning listener. There are enough clever turns of phrase and witty observations that it's unlikely you'll catch them all the first time around. Then there's the outright hilarity of the guy's declaration of a female fixation for their Sugalumps and that You Don’t Have To Be A Prostitute.

With the astounding quality of last year’s debut perhaps raising expectations a little too high, it takes a few listens to get right into I Told You I Was Freaky. While not everyone’s a winner, there are still enough giggles and unmissable genre parodies here to make it more than worth a listen.

Troy Foster

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