RE:Commend: Garfunkel and Oates

When you look at the great, old-school rock'n'roll duos from the late 60s to early 80s, the groups "Simon and Garfunkel" and "Hall and Oates", come to mind. And when you look at these two closely, you'll realise that within the duo-dynamic, one of them is the all-singing, all-dancing front man, while the other often waddles around in the background, awkwardly strumming away at a six-string. This, of course, is a notion that comedians/actors/musicians, Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci have tongue-in-cheekily picked up on, naming their two-girl comedy folk band after these underplayed "second bananas", in the form of Garfunkel and Oates.

    But the sweetly ironic thing is that these guys are anything but "second bananas", with enough pure, undeniably raw humour in their off-beat songs to claim them as top banana; every time. Just have a listen of any one of their songs, and within moments you'll be giggling at the crude, cutesy and ultimately true lyrics that accompany the Ukele/Guitar combo they've got going on. There's an upbeat tune about getting your medical marijuana licence featuring comic, Doug Benson, in "Weed Card"; a melodical venture into the true thoughts of everyone with "Pregnant Women Are Smug"; and a no holds-barred, F-Bomb-athon in the aptly named "F**k You" (which surprisingly starts out as a pretty little love-song). Other highlights include "Handjob, Bland Job, I Don't Understand Job", "This Party Just Took a Turn For The Douche", and the Christmas-themed, guest-star packed "Present Face".

   While their humour is certainly that of an adult-level, it's hard to disagree with their explicit lyrics when they're used to such amusing comedic affect; gangsta rap, this is not. And so it doesn't come as much as a surprise that the pair have landed a pilot deal with HBO, with a show that's promised to be "Glee with dick jokes". Think of them as a female version of the hilarious Flight of The Conchords, and you'll get an inkling for how funny this show could be...

  With a mass internet fanbase that rises day by day, two albums already produced and a third to be released later this month, it's safe to say that these gals are sticking around the comedy-music scene for a while. So start getting used to them now, and be thankful for the uplifting laughs they'll bring you: line by line, lyric by lyric, chord by chord.

So check out this G'n'O classic, "You, Me and Steve":




And don't forget that Garfunkel and Oates also have a website, a Youtube Channel, a Facebook Page and Twitter! Plus all their albums are available via iTunes: what are you waiting for? Go buy!


ATR
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