As self-ascribed descriptions go, few are more apt than the label embraced by Flight of the Conchords, "New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo." Blatantly self-parodying and stylistically spot-on, this absurdly cumbersome distinction should explain Flight of the Conchords' performance at the Michigan Theater Saturday evening.

While the Kiwi duo of Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie is probably best-known for its largely fictional self-portrayals on last summer's self-titled "Flight of the Conchords" series on HBO, its history extends back nearly a decade. Students of theater and film, the pair met as roommates at Victoria University of Wellington in 1998 and founded its musical-comedic partnership soon thereafter. In 2002, they self-released their first album, "Folk the World Tour," an assemblage of live takes recorded at various concerts in New Zealand.

At the same time, the group got a significant boost with a series of appearances at prominent music and comedy festivals. The rise culminated in McKenzie and Clement's first taste of widespread exposure when they landed a comedy series on BBC Radio 2. Again titled "Flight of the Conchords," the six-episode musical comedy spot allowed them to hone their writing skills and further develop the rich characters that comprise their fictional lives.

"Flight of the Conchords" the TV series premiered on HBO in June and quickly became one of the year's biggest hits and was named to top-ten lists by both Time and Entertainment Weekly. The internationally syndicated, 12-episode run proved a brilliant vehicle for the duo's nuanced hard-luck comedy and poignant overly-literal songs. HBO has renewed the show for a second season, expected next year.

August's "The Distant Future" EP, which marked the pair's debut release with American label Sub Pop, garnered the Best Comedy Album award at this year's Grammys. Late last month they issued their premier full-length for Sub Pop, yet again a self-titled product. Featuring re-recorded version's of the TV show's soundtrack, it landed an impressive number-three debut on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Although Flight of the Conchords only has twelve cities scheduled on this American tour in support of the album, Ann Arbor was fortunate enough to be one of them. Clement and McKenzie have proven remarkably successful in delivering their schtick via an array of mediums, and stage is no exception.