Mink Car

They Might Be Giants | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 11, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Restless Records
• ASIN: B00005NNKK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,260 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Bangs

2. Cyclops Rock

3. Man, It's So Loud in Here

4. Mr. Xcitement

5. Another First Kiss

6. I've Got a Fang

7. Hovering Sombrero

8. Yeh Yeh

9. Hopeless Bleak Despair

10. Drink!

11. My Man

12. Older

13. Mink Car

14. Wicked Little Critta

15. Finished With Lies

16. She Thinks She's Edith Head

17. Working Undercover for the Man

Editorial Reviews

Mink Car by They Might Be Giants

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Never a disappointment, those Johns..., October 14, 2001

By 

subpolka "subpolka" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mink Car (Audio CD)

For those of us well-versed on the TMBG's live performances (and their tendency to release songs on early MP3), many of the tracks on Mink Car are familiar. I'd been holding my breath for CD releases of the "Cyclops Rock" and "I've Got a Fang", and the studio versions do not disappoint; both are as infectious and excellent recorded as they are live. Some of the older staples - "Older", "She Thinks She's Edith Head", and "Another First Kiss" - have been re-vamped, but not necessarily for the better. While "Kiss" has been mellowed down to a sweet, country-esque ballad, the sparks in both "Older" and "Edith Head" have been virtually eliminated, leaving almost monotone recitations of the lyrics.

With the exception of those two songs, however, you've got to applaud the Giant's latest-and-greatest, as there are some really excellent tracks included. "Man, It's So Loud in Here" is an incredible burst of techno orgasma and now ranks as one of my favorite TMBG tracks, ever. "Wicked Little Critta" drips with stereotypical NY accenting and is utterly hilarious (as any song with a chorus that includes the word "critta" is destined to be). Equally admirable is Soul Coughing's Mike Doughty on "Mr. Xcitement", somewhat of a rap vaguely reminiscent of high school cheering squads.

"Bangs" - a haircut love song - and "Working Undercover for the Man" are equally illustrious. Hurrah!

Could easily go on and on about "Mink Car"s merits, but - for the sake of brevity - will conclude with this: a damn good album. Perhaps one of the Giant's finest. Whatever the case, definitely worth the... investment.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great experiment with great results, October 11, 2001

By 

Jon J. Marx (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mink Car (Audio CD)

There's some people who have torn into this album with a fury I haven't seen in some time, and it's not surprising that these are age-old fans of the band doing this... this happened when the band's first full-band album, "John Henry," came out. There were huge complaints: "What happened to the accordion?" "What happened to the drum machine?" "They sound different! They're CHANGING! No FAIR!" It's no secret that some of the most "loyal" fans can be the most pointlessly selfish... TMBG are experimenting again, trying to branch out, and some of their old their fans aren't appreciating it.

Mink Car has clearly found the Johns and the Dans striving for different things... experimenting with Doughty and mock-dance (that ain't "techno" on "Man It's So Loud In Here," folks... buy a CD from Moby or Orbital), toning down their usual pantented sound ("Another First Kiss," when I heard it in concert, was such a typical TMBG-sounding song... as did "I've Got a Fang," which is still offbeat, but MY GOD, it sounds like John and John dumped the song in some mad scientist vat of chemicals for a few months before letting it onto this album). At times the album feels like a compilation of parallel universe TMBGs that might have been; each song has such a completely different feel, but each one of them is pretty damn solid, and makes sense coming from the band.

This album is SUPPOSED to sound very, very different from their previous stuff, that is not a mistake. I think TMBG don't want to be stuck in a rut, any more than they were when it was just John, John, and the drum machine. I've been listening to them and loving them since Flood came out, and I loved this album on the first listen... I think the fans who hated it might find it growing on them in time. Even if they don't, I'd encourage the band to continue going where they headed with this album, because it rocks.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's growing on me, September 19, 2001

By 

Dennis Laycock (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mink Car (Audio CD)

When I first listened to 'Mink Car,' I couldn't get past the third song. That one, 'Man, It's So Loud in Here,' got played on REPEAT on my car CD player. The last time I did that with TMBG was 'Meet James Ensor.' Anyway, it's got an awesome pounding beat and incredible harmony. I can see this song topping dance charts; it's better than most of the [stuff] put out by artists who specialize in house music, like Moby or Fatboy Slim.

Other highlights are the 'lite' version of 'Another First Kiss,' also with great harmony and a cool acoustic guitar; 'Hovering Sombrero' and 'Bangs,' both in old 'Lincoln' style; "Yeh Yeh," just as fun as "No One Knows My Plan"; and the title track, with one of the greatest lyrics ever: "The silver chauffer says it's all in your head, when you're 24-karat dead." Also, "Hopeless Bleak Dispair" is quite good. However, "Mr. Excitement" has immediately become only the second TMBG song to exist that I won't listen to (the other being 'You'll Miss Me' from 'Lincoln.'). 'Cyclops Rock' also [isn't good].

TMBG fans will have heard many of these songs before, such as "Drink!", "Older," "Working Undercover for the Man," "Cyclops Rock" and "I've Got a Fang," all of which I heard in concert this summer.