They Might Be Giants Album: “The Spine”

They Might Be Giants' last rock album, 2001's Mink Car, was a decent but rather disjointed collection of tunes. The Spine, billed as the Brooklyn-based alternative-pop duo's 10th studio album, is their most cohesive to date, and among their best (though not quite as endearing as their self-titled 1986 debut, nor as consistently strong as their 1988 follow-up Lincoln, still my 2 favorite TMBG albums). With 16 songs crammed into 36 minutes, there's scarcely a wasted word or note -- though it kinda makes you *wish* there were more! The disc's overall sound is a fresh, invigorating mix of retro New Wave, power-pop, and psychedelic rock with traces of funk, electronica, jazz, cabaret, and vaudeville. For the most part, the usual playful absurdism and dark humor of TMBG's lyrics are reconciled with a newfound middle-aged gravity; after all, sweet-voiced singer-guitarist John Flansburgh turned 44 and twangy-voiced singer-keyboardist John Linnell turned 45 earlier this year.

A few of these tracks can actually stand among the Johns' very best: Linnell's rollicking ode to alcoholism, "Thunderbird" (a staple in the band's live shows since the late 1990's, finally making its way to CD); his unusually emotional ballad "Museum of Idiots"; Flansy's vulnerable, melancholy closing track, "I Can't Hide From My Mind" (the first verse and chorus of which he originally performed in the 2003 rockumentary Gigantic); and "Memo to Human Resources," Flans' affecting ode to white-collar depression and alienation, originally featured on this spring's Indestructible Object EP. But the remaining tracks are generally worthy additions to the TMBG songbook. Among Flansburgh's other contributions: "The World Before Later On," a mournful little ballad about how the future ain't what it used to be (think a Randy Newman tune with lyrics by Jonathan Richman); "Prevenge," an insanely catchy mid-tempo power-pop number; the punkish "It's Kickin' In," which sounds strikingly like Elvis Costello's late-'70s work with the Attractions; and the Prince-y 30-second interlude "Spines," on which Flans gets to show off his funky side *and* sing like a girl. (Linnell's own 30-second interlude, "Spine," is short and sweet, his goofy vocals recalling Morrissey and XTC.)

Linnell begins the album with "Experimental Film," a witty, power-poppish opener on the order of 1986's "Everything Right Is Wrong Again," 1988's "Ana Ng," and 2001's "Bangs." On the '80s-style New Wave love-gone-wrong song "Broke In Two," he ditches the detached observation of 1988's similarly-themed "They'll Need a Crane," and instead goes the 1st-person, unreliable-narrator route, with amusing results. He also contributes a pair of bouncy, humorous ditties -- "Au Contraire" (featuring virtually the same arrangement as on Indestructible Object, except that squealing guitars now replace the mid-song flute solo) and "Stalk of Wheat" (featuring himself on accordion and Flans on backing vocals). Linnell's lyrics on the swirling psychedelic-pop number "Wearing a Raincoat," a wallow in futility and depression, could be related to Flansburgh's "Memo": Linny's song gets inside the narrator's head ("When you think of that, you hurt your mind, and you'll need a friend to talk you down"), while Flansy's addresses the external situation ("Then the people came to talk me down, and I got some advice...").

Okay, some of these tunes smack of desperation to get away from TMBG's kid-oriented work of the past 2 years, especially "Thunderbird," "Memo", Linnell's "Bastard Wants to Hit Me" (a hilarious, demented little techno ditty in which he may well be poking fun at his fear of dealing with his own fans), and Flansburgh's "Damn Good Times" (a silly, fun '60s-style garage-rock number). But even so, who can blame the Johns for wanting more grown-up fare to counterbalance the NO! songs they've still been playing in concert?

Bottom line: Some songs on this disc are stronger than others, but there's not a skippable track here. Excellent work, boys!

I've been a TMBG fan for a lot of years - about 16 actually, as I was introduced to pieces of their debut and "Lincoln" shortly before buying "Flood" in '89. Listen...I know all about different strokes for different folks, and all about to each his/her own. But (imho) those who pine for "Lincoln" and "Flood" and the pink album are sentimentalists - from everything I've heard, TMBG has gotten steadily better, more lyrically interesting and musically sophisticated, with every album.

Whereas early albums were filled with word salads like "Rabid Child" and "Hot Cha," successive albums contain songs with actual emotional resonance - "Museum of Idiots" on this album stands out as possibly the most emotionally complex song on any TMBG album. Don't get me wrong; it's still TMBG, and clever/jarring lyrical juxtapositions still trump heart-on-the-sleeve confessionals. But when Linnell sings "Chop me up into pieces / If it pleases, if it pleases / And when the chopping is through / Every piece will say I love you," it's a surprisingly moving testament to romantic fatalism. Combine those lyrics with a circus-like brass accompaniment and you've got a vastly more fully-realized song than anything on the pink album (with the possible exception of "Don't Let's Start"). To top it all off, both of the Johns are much less tied to the nasally vocal style of their early days. Linnell has become an especially evocative vocalist, and even John F. opens up a little on "Damn Good Times."

When they do revisit the absurdism of past work, the results are generally richer and more suggestive - "Stalk of Wheat" is a fun house cacophony whose main point seems to be that the writer is out of ideas. This theme was addressed on their debut in the song "Number Three," but where that song was a bumpkin parody with a banjo on its knee, "Stalk of Wheat" employs a novel call-and-response rhyming scheme (I had a thought bubble / OF TROUBLE / Of trouble and strife / And I'll have it for the rest of my life) and manages to provoke bemused fascination. "It's Kickin' In" has plenty of nonsense, but here it takes the form of a fake foreign accent utilized to annoy a waitress as mischief-enhancing substances take effect.

I feel a little guilty writing this review. In the end, TMBG's songs are clever little genre smash-ups that probably don't need all this high-falutin' analysis. I do think, however, that people should be careful not to canonize the Giants based on two or three early albums - they continue to grow, and not get stuck in the past, which is all we can (and exactly what we should) ask for.

I'll admit, on the first listen, only about three of the songs on this CD seemed distinct or interesting (they probably were It's Kickin' In, Au Contraire, and Damn Good Times). The first half of the CD actually seemed to be fairly average.

However, I then listened to it several times more, and found myself smiling at the lyrics or tapping along to practically all the other songs. Now, my only problem with this CD is that it's so short. I got the feeling, when it reached I Can't Hide From my Mind, that it was only halfway done, yet the song ended the CD. It just feels somewhat incomplete. The songs are good, but they seem to have picked up steam, and then just left off halfway through. Of course, I'd rather have a short CD of good songs than a long CD with filler, so I can't complain too much.

Most of the songs on here now are quickly becoming favorites (barring, of course, the really short Spine and Spines, as they seem a throwback to Fingertips, from Apollo 18 - not a bad thing, but definitely not candidates for favorite spots). Experiemental Film has really grown on me - I was able to sing along to it after only a couple listens, and it was quite fun. The music video for it (in collaboration with homestarrunner.com) is great, and I must agree with another reviewer on here that it definitely reminds me of Ana Ng's video. Memo to Human Resources and The World Before Later On, both slower songs, seem to appeal more after listening to the lyrics (though what the heck is a "space face"?). Bastard Wants to Hit Me really is amusing, just for the lyrics. I loved Au Contraire from the first time I heard it, and Broke in Two is great.

Overall, it's a worthwhile CD. Even though it is kind of short, I think I'm changing my rating to 5 stars, because it just keeps running through my head, and each listen is still amazing.

They Might Be Giants. But, they're not. Their music could be, however. This is the latest offering from a band that has dominated the underground with off-beat lyrics, a kind of stream-of-consciousness theme purveying over all their songs. "The Spine" does not disappoint.

The tunes are more than anything else addictive. Toe-tapping and finger-drumming are symptons that might occur when you put on this latest work. From "Experimental Film" (an absolutely marvellous piece that was made into a hilarious video at www.homestarrunner.com) to "I Can't Hide From My Mind," TMBG gets the blood flowing, the beat going, and tells of universal tales and mannerisms without making it sound at all ordinary.

The complete abandonment of all rules of logic in their words gives the overall flavor of something ethereal, yet not so far up in the strata that we can't relate or understand. As smart as these two guys are, what's more important to remember is that they never put themselves on a pedastal above everyone else. Their themes are truly shared experiences that we all go through, they just have a way with language that puts us in a dream-like state experiencing these things again. More importantly, since it's all so upbeat, we know we can come back to listen again and again and never be for want of a cheering-up.

If you're a fan, you will love their latest, a must-own. If you don't know as much about them, try the samples Amazon offers below and truly consider buying this album. (Also, if you have small children or impressionable kids, have no fear, the language is clean, too). Enjoy!

All of the tracks on this album are strong, which TMBG hasn't been able to match since Flood. Best of set is Experimental Film, with the accompanying video available from www.homestarrunner.com. There are some songs that I'm not quite as taken by, but I'm swayed by the clever/surreal lyrics, particularly Wearing A Raincoat. The styles seem to run the gamut from the first Self-Titled debut, Lincoln, Apollo 18, and John Henry. Stalk Of Wheat is arguably the strangest song on the disc, being a 30's style song. Reminds me of the Bonzo Dog Band.

Some complain that the disc is too short, weighing in at a quick 35:55. However, if you're willing to pay a little more, you can buy the package deal from www.theymightbegiants.com, and get The Spine Surfs Alone EP. It has a few songs that are well worth adding to the disc, as well as the obligatory songs I would always skip, had they made it on Spine in the first place. You can also pick up the exclusive track "Renew My Subscription" from the iTunes Music Store, which is well worth it. Put all together, that gives you an additional 13:55 of music for a total of 49:50. Very respectable, if pricey.