Keeping things simple, funny and lovely.
Grammy and Academy Award winning Bret McKenzie, most well-known for his band Flight of the Conchords and their television show of the same name, is renowned for creating funny, strange and unique songs primarily for film and television. His songs have garnered international recognition, being performed by the likes of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, Celine Dion, Lizzo, Homer and Lisa Simpson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Spongebob Squarepants, Tony Bennett, Mickey Rooney and many more (via Sub Pop). On his sophomore album, Freak Out City, McKenzie sticks to his script: keeping things simple, funny and lovely.
McKenzie developed Freak Out City while performing live across New Zealand and the United States with the State Highway Wonders band (via Sub Pop). The influence of McKenzie’s musical heroes, Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman, is evident on this record, where McKenzie playfully weaves humor and heart into his songs. Overall, the album is a joyful record steeped in Americana, Latin and soul influences and containing simple yet profound lyrics. Demonstrative of this is the title track, “Freak Out City,” as well as “The Only Dream I Know.”
“Freak Out City” is a commentary on the rise in conspiracy theorists as peoples’ personal worlds crumble and more fall victim to online misinformation. That is made quite obvious, “He said I’ll send you a link, see what you think / There’s a whole lot of shit they don’t want you to know / Well then I, I get the feeling his world is unreeling / He’s going down the, down the rabbit hole.” Though there’s a simplicity to how the subject matter is presented, it’s not without its wisdom, “I can’t believe anything / I can’t believe what I see / If this could happen to you / Then it could happen to me.” Additionally, the song skillfully incorporates McKenzie’s signature whimsy (the “woahs” as the vocalists presumably fall down the rabbit hole) even amidst the dark nature of the topic. “The Only Dream I Know,” an admitted personal favorite, is an ode for the dreamers that oozes in country charm and yearning. Again, McKenzie keeps the language and meaning accessible, but clever and heart-warming, “No, I can’t leave a dream / If you know what I mean / Dreams got a way of sticking ’round / Put ’em six feet in the deep / They come find me in my sleep /And turn my world upside down.”
McKenzie delivers an album that follows the trend of much of his previous work: straightforward, but humorous and heart-warming writing and melodies that are sure to inspire joy in their listeners.
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