![]() The problem was that in accentuating the differences between TMBG's grownup songs and kids' fare, they ignored the fact that a lot of their fans were just grownup kids. Instead of feeling like an organic shift, it seemed desperate, as if the guys were trying to say, Yes, but we still rock. Even so, if you're among those whose CD player can't wrap its laser around the Factory Showroom bonus cut "Token Back To Brooklyn" hidden in that disc's Track Zero, you can grab it on Long Tall Weekend.Īs TMBG edged further into their sequence of "family-friendly" albums, first with No! in 2002 and then with Here Come The ABCs in 2006, the rest of their new music began to eschew quirkiness in favor of more traditional arrangements. This album might have been a brave, even prescient move from a technological standpoint, but only a small portion of it stands up to repeated listening. The other songs, though, feel hokey and unfinished-"Operators Are Standing By" is little more than a jingle, and the backwards a cappella vocal on "On Earth My Nina" is just plain unpleasant. "Lullaby To Nightmares" is a gnarly, sax-fueled samba, and the guitar-based version of "Older" is less grating than the Mink Car re-recording. (A few CDs were produced, but it's unlikely you'll ever come across a copy.) The best songs were the ones originally slated for 1996's Factory Showroom the gently rolling, midtempo "Certain People I Could Name" has an appealingly low-key Linnell vocal over well-placed piano tinkling, and "Reprehensible" does a great job of parodying the vibe of mid-century lounge music. As the first online-only release by a major artist, it positioned them as leaders of the digital music revolution. Each of the band's projects has its moments, and Long Tall Weekend is no exception. ![]() ![]() Not to put too fine a point on it.įirst off, even the worst They Might Be Giants album isn't all that bad. Here, then, are the group's thirteen previous full-length adult releases, from worst to best. Nor does it encompass their numerous live releases, rarities compilations or EPs, though a handful of those are collected in a separate section at the end of the article. Note that this ranking doesn't include TMBG's five albums aimed at children. In honor of this milestone, we've looked back on their career and ranked their previous studio albums. In March, They Might Be Giants digitally released their latest studio album, Phone Power. Of course, few elder statesmen continue to make music at the rate this most prolific of bands does. From their early days as an arty Brooklyn-based duo to their current status as a five-piece, world-touring indie rock band that also dabbles in children's music-and by "dabbles in," I mean "wins Grammys for"-John Flansburgh and John Linnell now stand as elder statesmen of their particular genre. But as this fearlessly eclectic group once sang, time is flying like an arrow, and the clock hands go so fast they make the wind blow. It's crazy to think that They Might Be Giants have been recording for 30 years.
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