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Editorial Reviews
2011 album from the veteran Alt-Rock duo. Recorded over nine months in New York City with producer Patrick Dillett, Join Us is a truly remarkable album. From inspired electronic excursions to blazing mind-crushers featuring their legendary barn-storming live band...They Might Be Giants is back. From the opening chime of "Can't Keep Johnny Down" to the climactic blast of "You Don't Like Me" this is TMBG at their finest. Combining a knack for infectious melodies with a quirky, bizarre sense of humor and a vaguely avant-garde aesthetic borrowed from the New York post-punk underground, They Might Be Giants became one of the most unlikely alternative success stories of the late '80s and early '90s.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download
What's the best way to judge a They Might Be Giants album? I've been a big fan of theirs basically my entire life, I've seen them live seven times, I own virtually every piece of music they've ever released. But to read most of the reviews of Join Us by some of the other hardcore fans, you'd think this album (like the last one and the one before that) was the second coming of Christ. To uncritically gush over a TMBG album does nobody any good, so I won't be doing that. Conversely, you've got hardcore fans that say TMBG sold out before the clock struck 1990 and nothing they've done since then has been any good at all. I'd like to think I don't take the band so seriously. So I'll just try and be honest with "Join Us". That seems like the best route to me.
I'll briefly preface the review by saying that I haven't liked much of TMBG's output in the last ten years. "Mink Car" was kind of a mess and "The Spine" was really bland. "The Else" was better, but very lopsided. The band's style had gravitated to straight rock in the 2000's, and in the process they lost that fun experimental essence that had made them so unique in the eighties and nineties. On the other hand, "No!" was excellent, and "Here Comes Science" was refreshing in its zaniness, so I had some hope that "Join Us" would be an improvement.
The short answer is that yes, it certainly is an improvement. Even a glance at the track listing gives the first indication that this album has more in common with "Lincoln" than "The Spine", as most of its 18 tracks are less than three minutes long. And like their earlier efforts, each song feels like a nice vignette, with a wide spectrum of styles and themes being visited throughout the course of the album. Flansburgh really steps up to the plate on "Join Us", delivering some of his most experimental works in fifteen years with tracks like "Cloisonne" and "Protagonist". Linnell backs him up with his trademarked pop masterpieces like "Canojaharie" and the wickedly dark "When Will You Die" (perplexingly made darker by the fact that it is set to the peppiest horns ever written). Where the Johns join forces lyrically is where some of the best magic happens, like the synth-fused "Never Knew Love" and the brilliant-yet-unfortunately-named "Spoiler Alert" (which features a simultaneously-sung dual narrative, if you can wrap your brain around that).
Not every song is great on "Join Us", but the missteps here (like the bland "Let Your Hair Hang Down") are merely mediocre. And overall, the album has a hyper-clean sound that lacks warmth, and can get to be grating upon repeated listen. But these are minor quibbles, and the most important thing about "Join Us" is that it feels refreshing and fun. It's good have They Might Be Giants back.
I'll briefly preface the review by saying that I haven't liked much of TMBG's output in the last ten years. "Mink Car" was kind of a mess and "The Spine" was really bland. "The Else" was better, but very lopsided. The band's style had gravitated to straight rock in the 2000's, and in the process they lost that fun experimental essence that had made them so unique in the eighties and nineties. On the other hand, "No!" was excellent, and "Here Comes Science" was refreshing in its zaniness, so I had some hope that "Join Us" would be an improvement.
The short answer is that yes, it certainly is an improvement. Even a glance at the track listing gives the first indication that this album has more in common with "Lincoln" than "The Spine", as most of its 18 tracks are less than three minutes long. And like their earlier efforts, each song feels like a nice vignette, with a wide spectrum of styles and themes being visited throughout the course of the album. Flansburgh really steps up to the plate on "Join Us", delivering some of his most experimental works in fifteen years with tracks like "Cloisonne" and "Protagonist". Linnell backs him up with his trademarked pop masterpieces like "Canojaharie" and the wickedly dark "When Will You Die" (perplexingly made darker by the fact that it is set to the peppiest horns ever written). Where the Johns join forces lyrically is where some of the best magic happens, like the synth-fused "Never Knew Love" and the brilliant-yet-unfortunately-named "Spoiler Alert" (which features a simultaneously-sung dual narrative, if you can wrap your brain around that).
Not every song is great on "Join Us", but the missteps here (like the bland "Let Your Hair Hang Down") are merely mediocre. And overall, the album has a hyper-clean sound that lacks warmth, and can get to be grating upon repeated listen. But these are minor quibbles, and the most important thing about "Join Us" is that it feels refreshing and fun. It's good have They Might Be Giants back.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I anxiously waited for this album since they first announced they were releasing another adult album, and I must say this was worth the wait. From "Can't Keep Johnny Down" to "You Don't Like Me" there is not a track on this album that I would skip over. My personal favorite at the moment is probably "When Will You Die" which is a rather humorous song in its own way. One of the other amazing songs is "Canajoharie" which is a straight forward rocker. "Spoiler Alert", "Never Knew Love", and "Cloisonné" are also fantastic songs. The weakest track is probably "Dog Walker" though it does have it does have a couple of nice lines.
Though it is an amazing album, I don't think this is the album that someone who has never listened to TMBG should start on. Instead they should start with "Flood" or possibly "Lincoln" and if they like those they might want to work their way up to this album.
Though it is an amazing album, I don't think this is the album that someone who has never listened to TMBG should start on. Instead they should start with "Flood" or possibly "Lincoln" and if they like those they might want to work their way up to this album.
11 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download
I only got the album today, but I love it. Usually it takes me a little while to really dig a new TMBG album, but this one I liked right off the bat. The songs range from "great" to "fantastic", and the album as a whole sounds wonderful. I don't think I'll have any "skip" songs on this album. I realize that I'm fangirling and not being terribly technical in my review, but I really do think it's a great album.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good, but not incredible
The first things I have noticed while reading these reviews:
- Most people long for the same 90's feel
- Some people want them to change (I just read some guy who... Read more
- Most people long for the same 90's feel
- Some people want them to change (I just read some guy who... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jim Wulff
4
I give this album a 4 out of 5 because it's they might be giants alubm and they are good and stuff and what not.
Published 4 months ago by Arik Johnson
They actually are Giants
Granted, TMBG caught my ear when I first listened to Flood 20 years ago. Their serious attention to melody, harmony and rhythm on songs that seemed so lighthearted was interesting... Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Rafferty
They Might Be Giants have become "Adult Contemporary"
Reading the lyrics sheets for the songs of Join Us didn't seem to indicate much wrong. The lyrics seemed regular They Might Be Giants, swift wordplay and a not-all-too-serious... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Colin Y.
Getting back to basics
It's nice to see TMBG getting back to making songs for those of us who are above the age of seven. : It's a good album that is reminiscent of their older work and has quite a few... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Annie Haden
Good old fashioned TMBG again
I was delighted when I previewed this CD on amazon as it sounded just like the old TMBG stuff I got into in the early 90's. The album in full did not disappoint. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Fionn Stafford
disappointing
I was very excited to receive "Join Us" in the mail, as I loved TMBG's last adult outing, "The Else. Read more
Published 8 months ago by James Armstrong
great album
Great album, great songs. Even after 30 years, TMBG can still make great music. I bought this CD last month and it is still playing in the car CD player. :)
Published 8 months ago by A.E.N. "Amanda"
An excellent return to form!
For a few albums there, from the Dust-Brothers-helmed The Else to the two recent back-to-back kids albums, it felt like TMBG were struggling to reinvent themselves -- but Join Us... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Rev. Pee Kitty
A collection of songs, some better than others
This is not a great album.
Many of the songs fail to be what they could be - it feels like the band didn't go back after mixing the songs to say, "Wait, this doesn't... Read more
Many of the songs fail to be what they could be - it feels like the band didn't go back after mixing the songs to say, "Wait, this doesn't... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Asher L. Stuhlman
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