While the Flight of the Conchords--a.k.a. New Zealand comedian/musicians Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie--first garnered U.S. attention with their self-titled HBO TV series, the "folk-parody" duo made its recording debut in August 2007 with THE DISTANT FUTURE EP. Issued on Sub Pop, the six-track outing offers both studio and live samplings of the Conchords' Tenacious D-like wackiness, as best revealed on the style parody "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," a slacker "slow jam" filled with awkward attempts at seduction.

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, Flight of the Conchords' Sub-Pop EP The Distant Future is their debut. New Zealand's "fourth most popular folk-parody duo" released a live album and a box set of their radio show down where the water flushes the other way, but North Hems probably became aware of them through the 12-part series for HBO or, just as likely, the global menace of file-sharing. The Distant Future seems made to be a souvenir of the former, or maybe it's a placeholder till their promised full-length appears. Whichever it is, it is frustratingly short, giving only a taste of the deadpan, so-dumb-they're-smart world of the Conchords. It's hilarious as the two overestimate their understanding of life, love, and the future, the last of which they see as a world run by robots who know two dances, the classic robot and the new robot boogie. The live version of "Robots" is equaled by the studio version of "Business Time," which sounds something like having Barry White trying to sex up the most mundane suburban relationship story, that is if White were white, from New Zealand, and with thick glasses. Completing the trifecta is the casual "Banter," which is "just a professional version of talking" that every great band masters. Spinal Tap for the 21st century indie kid. More please. ~ David Jeffries