I Told You I Was Freaky
by Flight of the Conchords
  • Record Label: Sub Pop
  • Release Date: Oct 20, 2009
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. AllMusic
    70
    Considering the circumstances, FOTC's second Sub-Pop outing, I Told You I Was Freaky, has some worthwhile moments.
  2. Alternative Press
    70
    The second full-length from the New Zealand duo is pulled almost entirely from the second season of their HBO series, but little is lost in translation. [Nov 2009, p.109]
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  3. Boston Globe
    80
    While memories of the accompanying visuals of the jokes from the series helps, it is by no means strictly necessary to enjoy the humor and musicianship of Freaky.
  5. Dot Music
    60
    Despite the hilarious wordplay though, it's hard to imagine anyone returning over and over to the actual tunes, you're far better off with a DVD and its accompanying visual gags.
  6. Drowned In Sound
    70
    Individual tracks will wax and wane in popularity, and the genitalia humour of 'Sugar Lumps' et al might attract a wider audience who don’t understand the deadpan atmosphere of the rest of the show, but it’s hard to grow tired of this peculiar couple and their music.
  7. Entertainment Weekly
    58
    The sophomore studio set by Flight Of The Conchords, which gets off to a disappointing start with a string of lame loverman jokes over even lamer dime-store production. [23 Oct 2009, p.60]
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  8. Hot Press
    80
    Another dose of brilliant pop parody from the NZ twosome.
  9. Mojo
    60
    Like the second series of their HBO sitcom, from which most of the tracks here are culled,...Freaky feels a little rushed, but there's still plenty to love. [Dec 2009, p. 95]
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  10. musicOMH.com
    70
    I Told You I Was Freaky is a smart, funny, musically vast album, giving everyone's favorite kiwis a chance to broaden the canvas of their twitchy, awkward, displaced brand of comedy.
  11. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    Even shorn of their comedic context, the best of these tracks still have the power to rupture internal organs at 20 paces.
  12. Paste Magazine
    41
    As much of Freaky wallows in the jokes, the record runs out of ideas astonishingly early.
  13. Pitchfork
    67
    The separation anxiety that Freaky induces is its unfortunate undoing, though we can least be glad that someone had the good sense not to include dialogue interludes for context's sake.
  14. PopMatters
    50
    On I Told You I Was Freaky, the joke often appears to be that they’re performing a certain kind of song (like sing-song-y a cappella or reggae), rather than the song’s actual content. Such jokes wear thin quickly, making them novelty songs in the worst sense of the word--amusing when new, tired immediately thereafter.
  15. Prefix Magazine
    75
    I’m not convinced that the second season, while musically not that adventurous (R&B and hip-hop tracks take up a lot of the disc) doesn’t measure up (and occasionally surpass) the heights of season one and the group’s self-titled debut.
  16. Rolling Stone
    60
    On the second full-length album from this comedy duo, electro beats and white-soul croons bump against jokes about cannibalism and girl troubles--in other words, nothing terribly new for these smart Kiwi guys.
  17. Slant Magazine
    50
    The material is better served in context, complete with music videos and framed with dialogue, whereas as a standalone record it misses more than it hits.
  18. Spin
    50
    Like most comedy albums, this one loses its luster upon repeated hearings.
  19. The A.V. Club
    67
    It’s antithetical to quibble over issues of originality and cohesion when dealing with song parody, anyway; even when resting on their laurels, the Conchords have a singular ability to pen a damn funny song.
  20. The Boston Phoenix
    63
    Much like the show’s second season, this second disc fails to build on its predecessor, rehashing the same digs at male bravado, emotional insecurity, and musical eccentricity.
  21. The Guardian
    60
    If you haven't watched the TV series, what are you supposed to make of Friends, with its weak gag about gay men? Or Petrov, Yelyena, and Me, a gurgling shanty about cannibalism that flounders ­musically and lyrically? But that's the weaker half of the album; the sublime half works irrespective of prior ­knowledge.
  22. Uncut
    60
    The second helping of this sitcom following Flight of the Conchords; Kiwi synth-poppers in New York, was almost as funny as the first, though most critics agreed the songs were weaker.
  23. Under The Radar
    70
    Freaky succeeds not just because it's hysterically funny, but because the songs themselves are authentically good, with hooks and melodies and instrumentation solid enough that you'd go back and listen again even if there were no jokes at all. [Fall 2009, p.58]
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. bruger
    Jan 24, 2020
    10
    simply wow. pure comedy. beautiful I guess. haven't listened to it and don't plan on doing it any time soon.
  2. TrilobiteG
    Nov 19, 2015
    10
    Hilarious. My childhood was this album and helped motivate me to get to school because of how hard I was laughing. The Flight of the ConchordsHilarious. My childhood was this album and helped motivate me to get to school because of how hard I was laughing. The Flight of the Conchords are truly a talent beyond measurement.… Full Review »
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