(three briefs out of five)

“Underpants” is an inherently funny word – funnier than synonyms like “jockeys” or “briefs.” I don’t know why this is the case; it simply is. There’s also something inherently funny about the The Flight of the Concords, both the show and the band. Again, I’m not sure why, but you’ll have to take my word for it. It probably has something to do with the fact that they can distill the difficulty of trying to make it in New York City into a verse about recycled briefs in a synth-heavy tune inspired by the Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls”:

You know you’re not in high finance,
Considering getting second hand underpants,
Check your mind, how’d it get so bad?
What happened to those other underpants you had?

The eponymous album collects songs from the show, a remarkably entertaining piece of fluff that I’m both grateful and surprised was ever produced. Whoever at HBO saw the script and thought that a half hour show about shy, naïve musicians from New Zealand who play embarrassing gigs, are frequently mistaken for Aussies or Irish, and are clueless with the ladies: I salute you.

This is, of course, a parody album, but unlike something from Weird Al Yankovich, who generally takes a well-known song and changes the lyrics, the Flight of the Conchords do genre spoofs. “Inner City Pressure” isn’t exactly “West End Girls,” but you get the idea. By the same token, “Bowie” isn’t a riff on any one particular song by the “freaky old bastard,” but on all of his songs, from all of his phases.

Bret and Jemaine take aim at ‘60s French pop, hip-hop, Devo, those insipid social commentary songs that had their heyday in the ‘80s, and more. The trippy sitar-laced “Prince of Parties” is actually a pretty good song, even with nonsense lyrics (“I’m the Mickey Maori minstrel/You’re the high priestess of tinsel”).

This is a fine parody album – but it’s a parody album, so three briefs is as far as I can go. Not sure if it’s enough to amuse me all the way to the Season 2 debut in January (what is it with HBO and the endless waits between seasons?), but this is funny stuff. (CG)

(five briefs out of five)

Sometimes an album manages to perfectly capture a feeling. And sometimes that album will catch you by surprise and hit you over the head just at the right moment. Dare I say this is what happened to me the instant I popped She & Him’s debut disc, Volume One, into my car CD player. All of a sudden, the top of the car went down (even though it’s not a convertible - work with me here), the birdies began to sing, and everyone who passed me by was tan, fit, and wearing a brilliant smile (in central Jersey, this is certainly not the usual set of circumstances). Let the sunshine in!

She & Him are Zooey Deschanel (actress/hottie, whose films include Almost Famous, Elf, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, and The Happening, among others) and M. Ward (hip singer/songwriter with lots of cool friends in the music biz). They recorded a duet back in 2006 and decided to collaborate further - Volume One is the result. Although M. Ward has the big-time music resume, make no mistake, this is Zooey’s album - she wrote or co-wrote all of the songs (except for the covers, of course). M. Ward handles the production chores and contributes backing vocals on a couple of tracks (more on that in a minute). Zooey’s voice is front and center throughout, and although it’s not a magnificent voice, it draws you in, grabs you, and doesn’t let go.

The 13 tracks here are homage to the sound of classic 60’s popular music - take a spin through this disc and you’ll hear it all - from the ooh-la-la backing vocals on “Black Hole” and ooo-dum-dee-da’s of “I Was Made For You” to the Spector wall of sound production on “Sweet Darlin’” to the Mama’s and Papa’s feel of “This Is Not A Test.” To make sure you get the point, the two covers are classics from the 60’s - a Beatles tune (”A Hard Day’s Night”) and a classic Smokey Robinson song (”You Really Got A Hold On Me,” which the Beatles also covered). It’s on these two songs that M. Ward contributes backing vocals - his haunting tenor brings a dreamy, otherworldly vibe to the proceedings.

Wanna capture the feeling? Just lie back, close your eyes (think of your favorite sandy beach), turn up the volume on Volume One, and you’re instantly transported to a simpler time, when great music blared from the A.M. radio - all of the time. (MK)