A fantastic band, but a sub-par effort.
As a reviewer, I've never felt dwarfed by a band whose album I was about to critique. From Springsteen to the Shins, I've always been able to take a step back and listen to the music without feeling an attachment to the artist. But when They Might Be Giants' new album, The Else, arrived in my mailbox and made its way to my car stereo, I suddenly became nervous. It's not that I have any great affinity for this band that has been making music since the year I was born – one of my closest friends is a rabid fan girl, but I only have an attachment to a mix CD of their work that she made me. It's just that their fan base is such a unique niche and their oeuvre is so cemented in the pop culture landscape after 25 years that it doesn't feel like what I'm about to say is even going to matter. But, because I'm something that resembles a professional, I'm going to say it anyway.…
Article comments
26 - arbitropia
i've been a fan since 1988, and this is easily their best album since "john henry." harmonies are excellent, words are excellent, melodies are excellent (as always). it doesn't suffer from the kitschiness/cutesiness that has plagued their albums since the mid-90s. each song is distinct and well-worth repeated listens. i'm not surprised the reviewer picked "contrecoup" as the best track, as it's probably the most conventional, an inoffensive mid-tempo ditty. this album is a thousand times more imaginative than anything i've heard this year. "i'm impressed," "climbing the walls," "withered hope," and "the mesopotamians" are all among tmbg's best work. also worth noting is the relative brevity of each track and the album in general. all killer, no filler, so to speak.
27 - Scott
I remember thinking "John Henry" was very dark when I first got it. Actually I still think that. Anyone else? Sort of off topic...but oh well...
Still liking The Else. There's a video for "with the dark" up on youtube now. It's pretty cool.
And, Shane, "Factory Showroom" is one of my favorites too. Definitely overlooked and under rated.
28 - Mike W.
This is the best album since lincoln.
29 - Stuart
I have to agree. and I'm one of those crazy fans who make people like them but if I tried to influence anyone into liking them based on this album, I may as well not bother, it really is quite disappointing. Still, they've done such other great work, I'm sure they'll bounce back.
30 - Nate
Clearly people (fans or not) cannot agree on what they think of TMBG current or past albums; I think this is a good sign for the band remaining fresh even after so many years.
31 - Cory
I've been a two-Johns fan since "Ana Ng" 900 years ago. I had no idea who Ana Ng was, but she sure sounded like a catchy young lass.
My reaction to THE ELSE was completely different: It's their freshest work in years, a vast improvement over the uninspired THE SPINE, which should've been buried at the bottom of a FRESH AIR tote bag during an NPR pledge drive. IMHO, the INDESTRUCTIBLE OBJECT EP gathered that album's best material into one consistent collection and offered a sweet "Caroline, No" cover to boot. An EP should never be an improvement over its full-length counterpart.
Interesting read, nonetheless. Keep up the good work.
32 - David
I bought this album and HATED it!!!!!!!!!
Then I listened again, just because I'm a fan... and found that it began to grow on me.
I actually made a mix of the album that excludes "Take out the Trash". It just has none of the cleverness that TMBG is known for, and felt like pop crap.
Mesopotamians is the song that hooked me, initially, and along with Bee of the Bird of the Moth, Contrecoup (which took some digging to understand what he's talking about) and I'm Impressed, I was pleasantly surprised.
Overall, the themes on this album seem really dark! We have a broken social relationship song in Upside Down Frown, a futile insanity song in Climbing The Walls, a cautionary song in Careful, a song about insecure inanity in Cap'm, With the Dark and Shadow and Withered speak for themselves, Contrecoup and Amnesia are both about head trauma, and Mesopotamians is a song about a band no one knows about. Yet, they mostly pull it off with catchy melodies.
With their usual wink and a nod in songs like Cap'm, I'm Impressed, and Climbing the Walls, I think TMBG has made a spectacularly fun album, and I can't wait to see them on tour in November.
33 - David Again
Oh, as an aside... nice review.
Also, this album felt like a return to the 90's TMBG, with horns and such. It didn't feel as fresh as The Spine, which did feel a bit uninspired nonetheless.
34 - jennimi
I am glad artists don't read comment threads, and just do what they want to do.
35 - blu
The reasons I like The Else seem to be the same reasons why the reviewer dislikes it. The reviewer's favorite song, Contrecoup, seems simplistic and repetitive and doesn't hold up as well as other songs after several listens. Meanwhile, deciphering the lyrics of a song like Climbing the Walls and Cap'm are part of what keeps me coming back for more.
Also, most people have been saying this is their best album since John Henry, which seems to be another way of saying that people didn't like Mink Car or The Spine. Don't forget though about No! and Here Come the ABCs. Many of us who were listening to Lincoln and the pink album years ago are buying those for our kids now. And while they may be written for kids, they are great albums and fun to listen to.
36 - Paul
I'm quite surprised at nearly across-the-board praise for John Henry, my favorite TMBG album. That one always seems to divide fans, but some serious love going on here. Also seems to be a lot of support for The Spine, another great divider. My kind of people. ;)
Anyway, while TMBG fans are quite diverse, there has always seemed to be two kinds to me (for the most part). The first is the kind of fan who fell in love with their early material and are attached to that sound. Which is perfectly understandable because their first few albums are absolutely inspired. But no matter how strage they get, there truly is a consistent sound throughout their first albums. Almost none of the songs could be done by any other artist.
Starting around John Henry, they got a much more diverse sound. And while each song is undeniably TMBG, there's less of a twisting of other sounds into their own and more of a branching out into other sounds.
That's where the second kind of fan appears. They love TMBG not for the unique sound they burned into alternative music, but for their craft. John and John are magical songwriters. When staring down a whole album or an entire era or catalog of their material, it's easy to overlook the fact that almost every single song is fantastic. Obviously, I fall into the second category of fan. I don't think this kind of fan is superior or anything. Their first albums are admittedly fresher and more eye-opening than any of their other work. But if you are less in a "sound" mode and more receptive to great songs, I think it's easier to appreciate their later material.
Factory Showroom has some massive classics like Pet Name and Spiraling Shape. In fact, almost every song is wonderful, and the only thing missing is force. If it were a high quality live album or had a big band, I think it would be regarded as one of their best (notice they started releasing live material around this time...probably not a coincidence). Mink Car was a major grower for me (Hopeless Bleak Despair, I've Got a Fang, Wicked Little Critta...man, the more I think about it, the better that album is), and I immediately loved The Spine. Even if you aren't a fan, the accompanying EP, The Spine Surfs Alone, is AWESOME. And that's where I think The Else is born. With the Dark, The Shadow Government, and Climbing the Walls are incredible. Some of the songs are a bit more forgettable than others. But I think that's because it's so continually solid AND because it consistently rocks. Without a change of pace, some very good moments get lost. So put it on shuffle or listen in chunks in order to digest it better, but the whole album is very good.
37 - chase
Some people here say that the album grew on them and I'm one of those people. When I first listened to it I was slightly disappointed. But after a while I started loving songs I initially didn't like all that much (Bee of the Bird of the Moth). I've been a fan ever since I was 6 and it's great that they keep shelling out great songs all these years.
38 - Eve
The Else grew on me as well. I have all of the TMBG albums on my iPod and at first, I would never CHOOSE to listen to The Else, I’d only listen to it when it came on while playing the entire thing. But now, often times, I find myself picking that one to listen to on purpose, over my favourites (Lincoln and Flood). I think the best songs on the album are definitely Linnell’s (I’m biased, I’ve always been more of a Linnell fan) but I found Take Out the Trash catchy, if a little “easy”. It’s still fun to play and sing along to.
As for the albums, Mink Car is my least favourite, but it grew on me and Drink! and Hopeless Bleak Despair are some of my favourite TMBG songs of all time. The Spine was okay, there were some really good songs on there (Linnell’s and also Damn Good Times and It’s Kicking In). As far as the previous albums, John Henry was a fine piece of work, Factory Showroom was so-so except for the brilliant Spiraling Shape and Til My Head Falls Off, John Henry was pretty darn good, and all the ones before that were simply great.
I must say though, I think Linnell’s solo effort, State Songs, is better than most post-Appolo 18 TMBG albums.