Unessential Listening

Album Review

Massively popular in Australian radio, the comedy duo Hamish & Andy have made names for themselves through a mix of friendly banter, random comedic songs, and quirky interactions with the larger world outside of their station. Fans of the show are the immediate targets, of course, and they should be pleased. Surprisingly though, the comedy transitions well to new audiences here. There isn't much of the standard radio comedy that one might expect, but instead what are essentially closer to two-person standup acts. The majority of the bits transition well from the Australian audience, and the songs, while off and on musically, tend to be fairly well-written (and besides, where else can you hear a defense of albino movie villains set to Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"?). The straightforward comedy bits (and the blast from the past crank calls) are an excellent bit of cross-cultural exporting and worth a spin. With the potential to gather fans at the level of Flight of the Conchords, the humor is relatively sophisticated, highly quirky, and eminently accessible.