They Might Be Giants
http://www.tmbg.com

styles: college rock, alternative rock
others: Dead Milkmen, Beck, Ween

No!
Idlewild/Rounder, 2002
rating: 7.2
reviewer: christopher rose

The career of They Might Be Giants strikes me as similar to that of filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Certain personal parallels can be drawn: I am a huge Robert Rodriguez fan; El Mariachi and Desperado are simply amazing movies. Equally, TMBG albums like Flood, Severe Tire Damage, and Apollo 18 still find consistent rotation in my stereo. Rodriguez, after several years, chose to leave the Quentin Tarentino-esque filmmaking style to pursue the more family-oriented adventure/comedy of Spy Kids. I have nothing against Spy Kids, it is a is a well made and well written movie, but I just can't seem to get into it quite the way I did during that final fight sequence of Desperado or the first two thirds of From Dusk Till Dawn. But, comparing Spy Kids to such recent children's releases as The Country Bears or that Native American horse cartoon, and Spy Kids starts to look even better. And to a child, Rodriguez seems to have the formula correctly calculated, as it has become a modern children's favorite. Spy Kids is not Rodriguez's best work, but the targeted audience is different, so to compare Desperado to Spy Kids is, honestly, unjustified. Likewise, TMBG's new "children's album," No!, is not the best work they have ever produced. BUT, to a child, it is perhaps the closest LP to perfection.

I only wish that I had the opportunity to listen to No! during my elementary days when, instead, I was jamming to the likes of Joe Scruggs and the Aladdin soundtrack. Not only is the production quality outstanding, but 13 of 17 songs include flash-like animated interactive PC journeys through the album that are nothing less than mesmerizing. Cartoon robots, dancing birds, and potato chip eating mice parade around the screen to the discretion of the user as they parallel the particular song being played. It is a sort of controlled exploration into the minds of the Johns.

Aside from the incredible enhanced goodies, songs on No! are a disappointment as they barely peak the two minute mark before abruptly ending. While this is good for a child's attention span, I personally desired track lengths that surpassed that of Weezer's Green Album. And, while the album contains enough of TMBG's quirky lyrical content, such as a first person encounter of a broom's refusal to sweep, there are no "Birdhouse in My Soul"/"Particle Man"/"She's an Angel" classic anthems contained therein. No! is likely to be an album of mediocre interest for the next few months, but in the end, not many songs would make it onto a TMBG's Greatest Hits compilation. Any diehard They Might Be Giants fan most likely already owns No! and probably had most of the tracks long before the CD was released, but for those only partially interested, money might be better spent on their previous record, Mink Car.

1. Fibber Island
2. Four of Two
3. Robot Parade
4. No!
5. Where Do They Make Balloons?
6. In the Middle, In the Middle, In the Middle
7. Violin
8. John Lee Supertaster
9. The Edison Museum
10. The House at the Top of the Tree
11. Clap Your Hands
12. I Am Not a Grocery Bag
13. Wake Up Call
14. I Am a Grocery Bag
15. Lazyhead and Sleepybones
16. Bed Bed Bed
17. Sleepwalkers

Then: The Earlier Years
Restless, 1997
rating: 9.2
reviewer: tamec

Then: The Earlier Years comprises They Might Be Giants' first three releases, along with many B-Sides. This review will take on each release by 
itself.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS (S/T) (1986)
The '80's were not a proud time in the history of music. Newly discovered synthesizing technologies have dated much of the music produced from the decade to an unlistenable degree. Most of the stuff on the charts has been reduced to laughable camp. While '60s and '70s music still retains much of its integrity, the same can't be said for the maligned '80s. But wait! There are some bright spots to be found. In addition to pioneers like XTC and My Bloody Valentine, geek rockers They Might Be Giants got their start in the mid-80's. 1986's self-titled album is 19 tracks long, and sports the mix-tape favorite "She's an Angel", in addition to their MTV debut "Don't Let's Start". Quirky, lovable songs run the length of this album -- their most off-the-wall release.

LINCOLN (1988)
Their second album, Lincoln, is arguably their best release. Eighteen tracks of the goofy, the weird, and the just-plain fun comprise the album created by the two Johns; again armed with guitar, keyboards, an accordion, and a drum machine. The album sounds surprisingly fresh, even after 13 years. In addition to many others, opening cut "Ana Ng" remains a fan favorite, as well as the second track, "Cowtown". Lincoln is slightly more refined than its predecessor, and while the songs are still weird, their lengths make them feel a bit more like actual songs (though they're still all around 2:00).

MISCELLANEOUS T and other included bonus tracks
The rest of the music on this 2-CD set is a mixed bag, like most bands' bonus tracks. There are true early gems like "We're the Replacements", "The Famous Polka", and "Now That I Have Everything". And there are throwaway outtakes like "Fake Out in Buenos Aires". Whatever you think, it's nice to have this stuff immortalized on plastic.

Forgive the long-winded re-cap, but this is a LOT of music. Fortunately, it's only about $20-25, and anyone with an interest in the band should pick this up at the first opportunity. I guess the '80s weren't so bad, after all.

1. Everything Right Is Wrong Again
2. Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head
3. Number Three
4. Don't Let's Start
5. Hide Away Folk Family
6. 32 Footsteps
7. Toddler Hiway
8. Rabid Child
9. Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes
10. (She Was A) Hotel Detective
11. She's an Angel
12. Youth Culture Killed My Dog
13. Boat of Car
14. Absolutely Bill's Mood
15. Chess Piece Face
16. I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die
17. Alienation's for the Rich
18. The Day
19. Rhythm Section Want Ad
20. We're the Replacements
21. When It Rains It Snows 
22. The Famous Polka
23.
24. For Science
25. The Biggest One
26. Kiss Me, Son of God [Alternate Version]
27. Mr. Klaw
28. Critic Intro
29. Now That I Have Everything [*]
30. Mainstream U.S.A. [*]
31. Fake Out in Buenos Aires [*]
32. Greek #3 [*]
33. I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die [*] 
34. I'm Def [*]
35. Don't Let's Start [*/demo version]
36. '85 Radio Special Thank You [*]
37. Ana Ng
38. Cowtown
39. Lie Still, Little Bottle
40. Purple Toupee
41. Cage & Aquarium
42. Where Your Eyes Don't Go 
43. Piece of Dirt
44. Mr. Me
45. Pencil Rain
46. The World's Address
47. I've Got a Match
48. Santa's Beard
49. You'll Miss Me
50. They'll Need a Crane
51. Shoehorn With Teeth
52. Stand on Your Own Head
53. Snowball in Hell
54. Kiss Me, Son of God
55. Hello Radio
56. It's Not My Birthday
57. I'll Sink Manhattan
58. Nightgown of the Sullen Moon 
59. World's Address [Joshua Fried Remix]
60. Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had a...
61. The Lady Is a Tramp
62. Birds Fly
63. Kitten Intro [*]
64. Weep Day [*]
65. Big Big Whoredom [*]
66. I'm Getting Sentimental over You [*]
67. Become a Robot [*]
68. Which Describes How You're Feeling [*]
69. Swing Is a Word [*]
70. Doris Cunningham [*]
71. Counterfeit Fake [*]
72. Schoolchildren Singing "Particle Man" [*]

 

John Henry
Elektra, 1994
rating: 8.0
reviewer: tamec

I was tempted to overrate this album, just to show 'em. In 1994, people who were in love with TMBG's "vintage" stuff, that is, They Might Be Giants, Lincoln, and Apollo 18, were shocked. The Johns had laid down their drum machine and picked up a whole band, complete with horns. The result? To some, the geeks had lost their geeky charm, but to others, myself included, they'd finally hit it big enough to realize their musical ambitions. Unshackled by costs, the band turns out some true classics, including "I Should Be Allowed to Think", which quotes Alan Ginsberg, and the incredible album closer "The End of the Tour". Catchiness hadn't left the boys, either; "Out of Jail" is one of their best. While the weak spots here ("Snail Shell", "Unrelated Thing") gave critics room to accuse the Johns of no longer 'trying', this album is just as big and rewarding as any of their other work, with the possible exception of the sublime Lincoln. A must.

1. Subliminal
2. Snail Shell
3. Sleeping in the Flowers
4. Unrelated Thing
5. AKA Driver
6. I Should Be Allowed to Think 
7. Extra Savoir Faire
8. Why Must I Be Sad
9. Spy
10. O Do Not Forsake Me
11. No One Knows My Plan
12. Dirt Bike
13. Destination Moon
14. A Self Called Nowhere
15. Meet James Ensor
16. Thermostat 
17. Window
18. Out of Jail
19. Stomp Box
20. The End of the Tour