Customer Reviews

The Spine

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There used to be two types of reviews for a They Might Be Giants album. One would aim for newcomers, curious about the band. The other would speak to established fans who long-knew they were going to buy the album and were seeking validation, while sitting at their computers in their TMBG caps and shirts, while sipping coffee from their Tony Millionaire mugs, while either nodding or poising their cursors over the "Not Helpful" vote button. Now there's a disturbing third type, those who have lost the faith and want to know if it's worth the cash, giving the Giants a second or third chance.

THE SPINE is They Might Be Giants's tenth album. I've been with the band since a little before JOHN HENRY hit the sales racks. Gotta admit: I'm a fan-addict. With shaky hands I would unwrap each new release, drop it in the player, and start grinning even before the first track began. Halfway through the album I'd be nodding, half-smiling, and wondering what in the world was going on here. By the last track, I'd still be nodding, vaguely pleased. The CD would go back into its protective case, and I'd listen to an old favorite: Apollo 18, Flood, Lincoln. Because THOSE were the Giants I fell in love with.

They Might Be Giants is a progressive band--gods of music, in my opinion. They are always producing, always writing, always playing. They love what they do and it shows. They're always pushing the limits, trying new sounds, bending old sounds, crossing genres, and perfecting their art. Call me "fan-addict-al," but TMBG become the music for me. Of course, with such proliferation, they're bound to generate a different sound than the last album. Every album is a hearty step up for these guys.

THE SPINE is no different. No different, although some of you have reasonable complaints that our heroes have "jumped the shark." I believe that you have to give each new Giants release a real chance--3 to 5 listens. Those first couple of times, you--like me--are bound to think, "Hm. A little weak." But each listen builds on the last. The songs grow on you. You will learn to hear the same subtleties of harmony and cleverness that won you over in the 80s and 90s. But don't expect to hear another FLOOD. And APOLLO 18 is still there for you to adore. Why expect this band to rehash the same-ol'-same-ol'? They won't. They shouldn't.

I've probably listened to the album twenty times this week. I can't get tired of it. While some of you (no offense intended) are busy writing emails about how this album sucks, I'm busy learning the lyrics. I'm singing them poorly, wondering how Linnell does that stuff with his voice, wishing I could muster Flansburgh's energy. I tend to think that it's the fans who have faced the shark and turned away, fearful of taking steps into a brave new future.

Believe me when I say that I understand your trepidation. But THE SPINE is a strong project--a great project when you consider that my original impression had been, "Hm. Weak." My only complaint is its shortness. It's approximately a half-hour experience. I'll take it. A half-hour of the Giants is far preferable to an hour of [INSERT ANNOYING BAND NAME HERE]. And it's not like the Johns are sitting on their butts. They've given us a children's album, a children's storybook CD, a free online radio, and much more in the meantime. Add up all those hours. THE SPINE is worth the two-year wait for a "studio release."

I guess there's a fourth type of They Might Be Giants review, for those fans who hated THE SPINE (as compared to the last album you listened to). You've made up your minds. I can't change your VALUABLE opinion. It just makes me sad that you're not going to be tagging along for the ride.

For you newcomers, I don't know if I'd suggest this album right off the bat. I WANT TO, but I won't. In your shoes, I'd first buy DIAL-A-SONG: 20 YEARS OF THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS. It's a little more crowd-pleasing, which means it's got the theme from MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE and "Birdhouse in Your Soul." You'll have to work your way up to understand (in an emotional sense) why THE SPINE is the best album yet.

Did I say the "best album yet"? I did. I always end up liking each album better than the previous. I feel as though I'm taking each musical step WITH the Johns (and the Dans), as sad and fan-addict-al as that sounds. I can't imagine a world without these alternative pop-rockers.

I'm not going to bother giving you a play list; you'll get that elsewhere. Nor will I attempt to describe the songs. Most of They Might Be Giants's stuff is up in the air for interpretation. The images inspired before your very ears are your own to tell. The lyrics and accompanying musical feats are how the Giants speak to you--versus speaking to the masses.

If I may add a quick note (hopefully not to be edited by the discerning AMAZON staff), I welcome anyone's emails regarding this album. I want to know what you think, even if you wildly disagree with me. Interpretations of songs are welcome.

Thanks for reading. Every TMBG album begins as a "weak" 2- or 3- star project. I give this one 5 stars. Is it because I've listened to it all week? Am I brainwashed? Maybe. But I've listened to [INSERT THE BAND I'M THINKING OF] almost as much, hoping for a shadow of the Giants, and coming up 3 stars or less. THE SPINE will grow on you. You may as well hit the REPEAT ALL button on your CD player and enjoy the spiraling boost to the stars.

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!

A number of TMBG fans have been feeling alienated and confused by a number of the Johns' releases, but this one leaves no one out. With classic-sounding absurdist pieces like "Stalk of Wheat" and "Wearing a Raincoat" for the oldie fans and rockin hits like "Experimental Film" and "Au Contraire" everyone gets something to love. The album is well put together, and seems to run seamlessly and purposefully.
My only complaint is that, while it is true that too long an album tends to drag, I found the album just *too* short. At less than forty minutes, I was shocked at my first listen to find that the album had already ended! Still, though, you have to gauge it by quality rather than quantity, and They Might Be Giants has come through with yet another fantastic album. Buy this album!

Let's go down the tracks on the good ole 5 outta 5 rating system, okay?

1- Experimental Film - 5/5 (#1 song of the album)
2- Spine - 3/5
3- Memo To Human Resources - 5/5
4- Wearing a Raincoat - 4/5
5- Prevenge - 3/5
6- Thunderbird - 4/5
7- Bastard Wants to Hit Me - 3/5
8- The World Before Later On - 2/5
9- Museum of Idiots - 5/5
10- It's Kickin In - 2/5
11- Spines - 3/5
12- Au Contraire - 4/5
13- Damn Good Times - 4/5
14- Broke In Two - 3/5
15- Stalk of Wheat - 5/5
16- I Can't Hide From My Mind - 5/5

Lovely little album.

Experimental Film-- A superb song that just feels *so* much like Them.

Spine-- Short, sweet and cute.

Memo To Human Resources-- Decent song from Indestructible Object EP

Wearing a Raincoat-- strange, wonderful song. Of the class of songs that I feel TMBG wants you to have fun singing (like Hovering Sombrero, House at the Top of the Tree, etc)

Prevenge-- Good, but much more a Mono Puff song than TMBG.

Thunderbird-- Delightful Linnell song. Probably will be one of your favorites.

Bastard Wants To Hit Me-- AMAZING. The first brilliant experimental song by TMBG in years. The other reviewers can't stand it, but I think they're just crazy. Give it a chance, it's so crisp, fun and paranoid. It's not dance music, but it is genius.

The World Before Later On-- Slow, short, solid track.

Museum Of Idiots-- You have to love this rendition. Crisp, beautiful, with horns playing accompaniment. They even seem to use horns for percussion. They've played MoI so many times Live that it must have been easy to perfect it on CD.

It's Kickin' In-- Another Mono Puff sort of song, but is experimental enough to stay in the TMBG realm. Quick, hopping, somewhat psychadelic.

Spines-- Half-minute of odd 'pop' music.

Au Contraire-- One of the best TMBG songs in years. Also on Indestructible Object.

Damm Good Times-- Flansburgh having fun, neat song.

Broke In Two-- Music reminds me a little of custom Weird Al riffs. Not overly impressive, but not bad.

Stalk of Wheat-- They're completely having fun with this one. So cute and playful.

I Can't Hide From My Mind-- Old school Dial-A-Song track, back with a completely different tune and a bit extended. Pleasant, slow and a bit tropical.

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.

Although not quite as accessible for new listeners as Flood or Factory Showroom, TMBG's latest album has a lot to offer for long-time fans and recent converts. From the catchy "Experimental Film" (see the music video at theymightbegiants.com) to the soulful strains of "The World Before Later On" to the frankly goofy "Stalk of Wheat", Linnell and Flansburgh cement their reputation as the cleverest, most versatile band working today.

As an aside, the current TMBG tour in promotion of this album is one of their best, with a good balance of new and classic material.

So why don't I give the album Five Stars? Two reasons: it repeats two tracks from the Indestructible Object EP, and despite the fact that it has 16 tracks, it clocks in at barely 36 minutes of listening pleasure. I'm in awe of their musical abilities, and don't really begrudge handing over my hard-earned samoleans, but they could easily have combined The Spine and its companion piece, The Spine Surfs Alone, into one album.

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.

Mule-minded consistency? Wow, they might be giants have been nothing if not inconsistent over the last few albums. This amazon reviewer is not a fan or well-informed. Even the die-hard fans have struggled to keep up with the experiments over the last few albums. Whether it's the creep-goth of "I've got a fang" or the slick sellout-pop of "another first kiss", Mink Car, They Might Be Giant's last commercial album, was about as incosistent as they come.

To contrast that, The Spine is a river of consistency, each song flows well into the next one (not something to be said of the last 3 albums) and the track order feels natural. The songs themselves are clever, witty, fun, spry, and yes, even the dreaded 'quirky'. The songs are for the most part tame, there are no violent mood shifts like 'john Henry's leap into 'Stompbox'; there are no tracks that feel too long, like half of 'Factory Showroom'. In fact, some of the tracks are kept extremely short, even to their detriment. But as a whole, it keeps the album paced well.

I think fans will delight in this catchy disk, though I suspect it will prove shallow after a while. I think they're trying to get a hit record here, maybe after watching fountains of wayne explode on a glossy version of their own formula. Though 'Damn Good Times' may get airplay, it feels like none of the tracks are really going to rocket up the charts, they're either too wierd or not wierd enough for the mainstream. But maybe they've just settled into a comfortable place with their music, with John L taking care of the 'undead' call outs, and John F being the narrator MC of a crazy party that never happened.

From first listen, it feels almost like a divided album, with the happy death songs at the beginning and the fun party towards the end. And don't get me wrong, these songs, though familiar in melody and meter, are some of the finest They have written in years. Each song is very well produced, with lush orchestrations or quirky electronics, as called for. L is one of the best melodists in Rock, and F is coming into his own as one of the most distinctive rock singers around.

Hey, and as long as it's a new album from They Might Be Giants, you should buy it. Buy it today. You'll love it. End of story.
-Olaf
(And what's with the reviewer starting with a Sting call-out?)

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!

It's good that they make clear to people that they are putting out childrens material separate from their normal stuff because some of these songs are funny only to people who get the self conscious humor. Songs like "Experimental Film" won't be enjoyed be all and "Prevenge" is almost too clever by half. They also don't try to make each song a sonic bookmark like they did early in their career so it may seem as if they've lost their touch, but that's not the case. They're just trying to write interesting songs and not necessarily interesting music anymore. It's definitely a more smooth approach and some may not like that, however, I do and I like their earlier stuff equally.