You'll feel fine with The Spine in line
Jul. 19th, 2004 05:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vovatYesterday, I went with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bethje and her Uncle John to her cousin Christopher's birthday party. After that, Beth and I went to Borders and IHOP. I had meant to bring a coupon that I had for Borders, but I forgot it. I'm not sure I'm EVER going to actually use one of those things. At IHOP, I tried the new banana split pancakes, which were really good. Oddly enough, though, I preferred the strawberry topping to the blueberry, even though I usually like blueberries better than strawberries. Maybe it had something to do with how the toppings were prepared. Regardless, though, I liked the pancakes, so it's not like it matters that much.
In other news, I've FINALLY gotten to hear The Spine, and I wasn't at all disappointed by it. Overall, it seems to be a return to when They Might Be Giants songs were short and catchy; the longest one is only three minutes and ten seconds long. Fans who thought the band had lost their way with their recent albums will probably be glad to discover that these songs are ones that are easy to get into. On the other hand, fans of longer, somewhat more epic songs like "Sleeping In The Flowers," "The End Of The Tour," "Spiraling Shape," and "Hopeless Bleak Despair" might be a bit disappointed to find out that there isn't anything comparable here. Still, I doubt they'll be disappointed for long, since the vast majority of what IS here is done very well, and that's saying a lot for the album. It could probably have used a few more songs, though. I understand that a short but cohesive album can sometimes sound better than a long, rambling one, but I tend to have a particular fondness for albums that pack in as many songs as possible. Call it my completist tendencies, I guess.
I like the art in the liner notes. They're definitely in the style of an old-fashioned cartoon, and I like the inverted writing. I didn't think so much of it when I first saw the front cover, but I think the whole thing works quite well.
The album is identified as "They Might Be Giants' Tenth Album." I know they considered Factory Showroom to be their sixth, since it says so right in the liner notes, continuing the tradition that they had established in the first five. None of the albums in between Factory Showroom and The Spine are numbered, however, which leaves the true identity of the seventh through ninth albums up in the air. Mink Car and No! almost definitely count, and I'd probably say Long Tall Weekend should be considered the seventh, but a case could also be made for Severe Tire Damage, and possibly even They Got Lost.
Anyway, here's a song-by-song review. I'm not sure why I generally only do these for TMBG albums these days, but it just seems appropriate.
Experimental Film: Pretty catchy little song, and a good way to get things started. I don't know that it was the best choice for a single, though. As I said before, it seems kind of "safe," giving off a vibe of TMBG trying to sound like they did in their older singles, but not quite succeeding. Sort of like "Bangs," although I like it better than "Bangs," and it works better as an opener. Still a good song, but there are quite a few others I like better.
Spine: Not one of the best tracks on the album, but, really, could you expect that from a 33-second song? I like these short themed tracks, and this one has an amusing vocal performance by John Linnell. (Beth says it reminds her of XTC's Andy Partridge, and I guess I can kind of see that. It reminds me of something else, though, and I'm not sure what.) It's also a good introduction to the next song.
Memo To Human Resources: I already talked about this track when I reviewed the Indestructible Object EP, and it's the same recording. As other people have said, this really does seem like one of TMBG's more "mature" tracks. Not to say that they were IMmature in the past, but this seems like a song that they really couldn't have done (or at least done so well) on one of their early albums.
Wearing A Raincoat: Although there's always been some psychedelic rock influence to TMBG' music (especially in the lyrics), this is perhaps their most blatant foray into that genre since "The Day." There's an interesting structure to the lyrics, with each verse providing an unusual and messed-up transition to the next. ("Turning to drugs to help you sleep will only lead to sleep, and sleeping is a gateway drug to being awake again. Being awake is swimming around in a lake of the undead, and the undead are like a bunch of friends that demand constant attention.")
Prevenge: Excellent title. I wonder if anyone has ever come up with concept of "prevenge" before. It seems like an obvious bit of wordplay, but I don't think I've come across it before. The lyrics aren't really what I would have expected from the title. They're good, but I kind of expected more wordplay and/or an explanation of the title concept. I'd say this is the weakest of the album's three "John Flansburgh rocking out" tracks, but it's still quite catchy, and it's already starting to grow on me.
Thunderbird: This song was premiered in the live show in 1999, around the same time as such Mink Car tracks as "Cyclops Rock," "Man, It's So Loud In Here," and "She Thinks She's Edith Head." For some reason, though, it was largely ignored by the band, left the live setlists quickly, and didn't show up on Mink. That's unfortunate, since I think it would have been one of the better tracks on that album, while it gets lost in the shuffle here. Others have commented on how this recording doesn't rock quite as much as it did live, and how leaving out certain lyrics ("They devised a plan, they would melt a man, and they called it Thunderbird") wasn't such a good idea. I guess I'd agree, but maybe I'm just not as thrilled by the song itself as I used to be.
Bastard Wants To Hit Me: I have to wonder if this title was a reaction to all of the children's songs the band had written recently. Kind of similar to "Man, It's So Loud In Here" in that it uses an equalizer (or whatever it's called) and is sung by a paranoid (unreliable?) narrator. It's not as good as that song, though, although the production seems a bit better. Perhaps that's just because I preferred "So Loud" without the dance beats, though. Kind of forgettable overall (although the title is hard to forget), this might be the weakest of the album's more-than-a-minute-long tracks.
The World Before Later On: This song seems unfinished to me. The idea behind it, that we still don't have a lot of the Jetsons-style conveniences that we were supposed to have this century, is an interesting one, but it really seems like a lot more could have been done with it than two brief verses.
Museum Of Idiots: I first heard this song at a show at Propsect Park in Brooklyn back in August 2000. Back then, they were doing recordings with a full brass band, and there was talk of a brass band album. I was apprehensive about that, as it struck me as suggesting that there wouldn't be as much variety as on the typical TMBG album, so I'm glad they eventually decided to use this song on an album where it stands out, rather than where it sounds like every other track. The horns work really well here, the lyrics are excellent, and the song is probably my favorite Linnell-penned track on the album.
It's Kickin' In: Like "The World Before Later On," this might have benefitted from being a little longer. Not because it isn't complete the way it is, but because a slightly longer version might have made a better single than "Experimental Film." It's equally catchy (if not more so), but it rocks harder than the rather low-key "Film," and the kids still like the rock music, right? I guess it could still be the second single, if they have one, but I'm inclined to think that they'd probably go with the similar but weaker and longer "Prevenge" over this one (not that they'd necessarily pick either one, just that I think "Prevenge" has a better chance of being a single than "It's Kickin' In" does). Musically, this kind of reminds me of the Severe Tire Damage version of "First Kiss," only better.
Spines: A not-as-good complement to "Spine."
Au Contraire: Another song that was on Indestructible Object, and it's basically the same, although they replaced the flute solo with a guitar solo. The end of the flute solo is still there, though, which strikes me as uncharacteristically sloppy editing for this album. I've heard rumors that there are some copies of the album where this flute bit actually IS edited out, which would be odd if it's indeed true. The song itself is classic Linnell, using the same basic structure (three unrelated verses with a common theme that comes out in the chorus) as "Turn Around," "Certain People I Could Name," and the unfortunately still unreleased "No Answer" (and, for that matter, "Weird Al" Yankovic's TMBG style parody, "Everything You Know Is Wrong").
Damn Good Times: Excellent segue from the last song into this one. That kind of automatic progression from one song to another has worked so well on albums by other bands (particularly XTC's Skylarking), and TMBG hasn't really used it before. I had downloaded this song from tmbg.com, and it was an early favorite of mine, with its relentlessly catchy, fast-paced nature. The guitar solo at the end reminds me quite a bit of Camper Van Beethoven's "Tania," although that song used a violin instead of a guitar. I liked the CVB solo better, but TMBG's version still works.
Broke In Two: I think this song hasn't quite clicked with me yet. I like it overall, and the guitar line is cool, but it just isn't a favorite of mine. I have a feeling I'll get to appreciate it better after a few more listens, though.
Stalk Of Wheat: Like "Damn Good Times," I heard and loved this some time before the album came out. An insanely catchy (yes, I've been saying "catchy" a lot in this review, but damned if it isn't appropriate for almost every track) song with nonsense lyrics, kind of like "Shoehorn With Teeth," or something of the sort. Nice rhyme scheme, too.
I Can't Hide From My Mind: A pretty nice little slow song. The lyrics are especially good here, with a lot of skewed logic. I don't know that this is the best way to end the album, though. It leaves me wanting more. Okay, I guess pretty much every TMBG song does that, but this song doesn't provide much resolution. It's sort of like "Working Undercover For The Man" in that respect. Both good songs individually, but they sort of end their respective albums not with a bang but a whimper, as T.S. Eliot might have said.
I'll probably review the companion EP, "The Spine Surfs Alone," tomorrow, after I've had a chance to listen to it a few times.
bethje and her Uncle John to her cousin Christopher's birthday party. After that, Beth and I went to Borders and IHOP. I had meant to bring a coupon that I had for Borders, but I forgot it. I'm not sure I'm EVER going to actually use one of those things. At IHOP, I tried the new banana split pancakes, which were really good. Oddly enough, though, I preferred the strawberry topping to the blueberry, even though I usually like blueberries better than strawberries. Maybe it had something to do with how the toppings were prepared. Regardless, though, I liked the pancakes, so it's not like it matters that much. In other news, I've FINALLY gotten to hear The Spine, and I wasn't at all disappointed by it. Overall, it seems to be a return to when They Might Be Giants songs were short and catchy; the longest one is only three minutes and ten seconds long. Fans who thought the band had lost their way with their recent albums will probably be glad to discover that these songs are ones that are easy to get into. On the other hand, fans of longer, somewhat more epic songs like "Sleeping In The Flowers," "The End Of The Tour," "Spiraling Shape," and "Hopeless Bleak Despair" might be a bit disappointed to find out that there isn't anything comparable here. Still, I doubt they'll be disappointed for long, since the vast majority of what IS here is done very well, and that's saying a lot for the album. It could probably have used a few more songs, though. I understand that a short but cohesive album can sometimes sound better than a long, rambling one, but I tend to have a particular fondness for albums that pack in as many songs as possible. Call it my completist tendencies, I guess.
I like the art in the liner notes. They're definitely in the style of an old-fashioned cartoon, and I like the inverted writing. I didn't think so much of it when I first saw the front cover, but I think the whole thing works quite well.
The album is identified as "They Might Be Giants' Tenth Album." I know they considered Factory Showroom to be their sixth, since it says so right in the liner notes, continuing the tradition that they had established in the first five. None of the albums in between Factory Showroom and The Spine are numbered, however, which leaves the true identity of the seventh through ninth albums up in the air. Mink Car and No! almost definitely count, and I'd probably say Long Tall Weekend should be considered the seventh, but a case could also be made for Severe Tire Damage, and possibly even They Got Lost.
Anyway, here's a song-by-song review. I'm not sure why I generally only do these for TMBG albums these days, but it just seems appropriate.
Experimental Film: Pretty catchy little song, and a good way to get things started. I don't know that it was the best choice for a single, though. As I said before, it seems kind of "safe," giving off a vibe of TMBG trying to sound like they did in their older singles, but not quite succeeding. Sort of like "Bangs," although I like it better than "Bangs," and it works better as an opener. Still a good song, but there are quite a few others I like better.
Spine: Not one of the best tracks on the album, but, really, could you expect that from a 33-second song? I like these short themed tracks, and this one has an amusing vocal performance by John Linnell. (Beth says it reminds her of XTC's Andy Partridge, and I guess I can kind of see that. It reminds me of something else, though, and I'm not sure what.) It's also a good introduction to the next song.
Memo To Human Resources: I already talked about this track when I reviewed the Indestructible Object EP, and it's the same recording. As other people have said, this really does seem like one of TMBG's more "mature" tracks. Not to say that they were IMmature in the past, but this seems like a song that they really couldn't have done (or at least done so well) on one of their early albums.
Wearing A Raincoat: Although there's always been some psychedelic rock influence to TMBG' music (especially in the lyrics), this is perhaps their most blatant foray into that genre since "The Day." There's an interesting structure to the lyrics, with each verse providing an unusual and messed-up transition to the next. ("Turning to drugs to help you sleep will only lead to sleep, and sleeping is a gateway drug to being awake again. Being awake is swimming around in a lake of the undead, and the undead are like a bunch of friends that demand constant attention.")
Prevenge: Excellent title. I wonder if anyone has ever come up with concept of "prevenge" before. It seems like an obvious bit of wordplay, but I don't think I've come across it before. The lyrics aren't really what I would have expected from the title. They're good, but I kind of expected more wordplay and/or an explanation of the title concept. I'd say this is the weakest of the album's three "John Flansburgh rocking out" tracks, but it's still quite catchy, and it's already starting to grow on me.
Thunderbird: This song was premiered in the live show in 1999, around the same time as such Mink Car tracks as "Cyclops Rock," "Man, It's So Loud In Here," and "She Thinks She's Edith Head." For some reason, though, it was largely ignored by the band, left the live setlists quickly, and didn't show up on Mink. That's unfortunate, since I think it would have been one of the better tracks on that album, while it gets lost in the shuffle here. Others have commented on how this recording doesn't rock quite as much as it did live, and how leaving out certain lyrics ("They devised a plan, they would melt a man, and they called it Thunderbird") wasn't such a good idea. I guess I'd agree, but maybe I'm just not as thrilled by the song itself as I used to be.
Bastard Wants To Hit Me: I have to wonder if this title was a reaction to all of the children's songs the band had written recently. Kind of similar to "Man, It's So Loud In Here" in that it uses an equalizer (or whatever it's called) and is sung by a paranoid (unreliable?) narrator. It's not as good as that song, though, although the production seems a bit better. Perhaps that's just because I preferred "So Loud" without the dance beats, though. Kind of forgettable overall (although the title is hard to forget), this might be the weakest of the album's more-than-a-minute-long tracks.
The World Before Later On: This song seems unfinished to me. The idea behind it, that we still don't have a lot of the Jetsons-style conveniences that we were supposed to have this century, is an interesting one, but it really seems like a lot more could have been done with it than two brief verses.
Museum Of Idiots: I first heard this song at a show at Propsect Park in Brooklyn back in August 2000. Back then, they were doing recordings with a full brass band, and there was talk of a brass band album. I was apprehensive about that, as it struck me as suggesting that there wouldn't be as much variety as on the typical TMBG album, so I'm glad they eventually decided to use this song on an album where it stands out, rather than where it sounds like every other track. The horns work really well here, the lyrics are excellent, and the song is probably my favorite Linnell-penned track on the album.
It's Kickin' In: Like "The World Before Later On," this might have benefitted from being a little longer. Not because it isn't complete the way it is, but because a slightly longer version might have made a better single than "Experimental Film." It's equally catchy (if not more so), but it rocks harder than the rather low-key "Film," and the kids still like the rock music, right? I guess it could still be the second single, if they have one, but I'm inclined to think that they'd probably go with the similar but weaker and longer "Prevenge" over this one (not that they'd necessarily pick either one, just that I think "Prevenge" has a better chance of being a single than "It's Kickin' In" does). Musically, this kind of reminds me of the Severe Tire Damage version of "First Kiss," only better.
Spines: A not-as-good complement to "Spine."
Au Contraire: Another song that was on Indestructible Object, and it's basically the same, although they replaced the flute solo with a guitar solo. The end of the flute solo is still there, though, which strikes me as uncharacteristically sloppy editing for this album. I've heard rumors that there are some copies of the album where this flute bit actually IS edited out, which would be odd if it's indeed true. The song itself is classic Linnell, using the same basic structure (three unrelated verses with a common theme that comes out in the chorus) as "Turn Around," "Certain People I Could Name," and the unfortunately still unreleased "No Answer" (and, for that matter, "Weird Al" Yankovic's TMBG style parody, "Everything You Know Is Wrong").
Damn Good Times: Excellent segue from the last song into this one. That kind of automatic progression from one song to another has worked so well on albums by other bands (particularly XTC's Skylarking), and TMBG hasn't really used it before. I had downloaded this song from tmbg.com, and it was an early favorite of mine, with its relentlessly catchy, fast-paced nature. The guitar solo at the end reminds me quite a bit of Camper Van Beethoven's "Tania," although that song used a violin instead of a guitar. I liked the CVB solo better, but TMBG's version still works.
Broke In Two: I think this song hasn't quite clicked with me yet. I like it overall, and the guitar line is cool, but it just isn't a favorite of mine. I have a feeling I'll get to appreciate it better after a few more listens, though.
Stalk Of Wheat: Like "Damn Good Times," I heard and loved this some time before the album came out. An insanely catchy (yes, I've been saying "catchy" a lot in this review, but damned if it isn't appropriate for almost every track) song with nonsense lyrics, kind of like "Shoehorn With Teeth," or something of the sort. Nice rhyme scheme, too.
I Can't Hide From My Mind: A pretty nice little slow song. The lyrics are especially good here, with a lot of skewed logic. I don't know that this is the best way to end the album, though. It leaves me wanting more. Okay, I guess pretty much every TMBG song does that, but this song doesn't provide much resolution. It's sort of like "Working Undercover For The Man" in that respect. Both good songs individually, but they sort of end their respective albums not with a bang but a whimper, as T.S. Eliot might have said.
I'll probably review the companion EP, "The Spine Surfs Alone," tomorrow, after I've had a chance to listen to it a few times.
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Experimental Film
Date: 2004-07-19 03:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-20 08:11 pm (UTC)The EP is also pretty awesome, too. SSA is pretty amusing, but heard it before through the mp3s. Now Is Strange is kinda keen. I'm all You Can Think About is all right, but not perfect, but still pretty keen. It's a kickass B-side. Fun Assassin is OK. Skullivan rules! So does The Other Side of The World. And Canada Haunts Me doesn't really fit, I don't think, but oh well. Sarah Vowell is awesome, so anything having to do with her gets extra credit.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 10:55 am (UTC)I like the long version of "I Can't Hide," but I don't think it works so well as an album closer. I'm not sure what would have worked better, though.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 05:43 pm (UTC)Hm, yeah. I don't think Experimental Film is a great album opener, either. But TMBG haven't really ever been really great at making a cohesive-sounding-album with Opening Tracks and Closing Tracks and whatnot. They always seem to opt for the "Here is an awesome collection of songs!" method. (I love Mink Car, but that's kinda one of its downsides; it almost sounds as if they just put all the tracks in WinAmp or something and hit shuffle, and whatever it came out with was the order. Although Bangs/WUFTM are pretty good openers/closers, though. But WUFTM doesn't seem to really have a.. Finality to it like a lot of good Closers do.)
What I kinda think they should have done: Not release Indestructible Object, but instead, roll that into the Spine. Start it with Am I Awake, and maybe close it with Caroline, No (although that one seems kind of odd as a closer, too, although more of TMBG's recording of it, since, after all, it's the album closer on Pet Sounds, so...). Although I would have just thrown Other-Thing-Ant on Spine Surfs Alone, though. And maybe graduate Spine Surfs Alone to the album, although that might be a lot of Spinage for one CD.
(I'd also have taken more care to see about mirroring the structure when it comes to Spine and Spines, although it DOES work if you treat them as intended to be the Second Song On Each Side, which'd mean Museum of Idiots would be the last song on side A and It's Kickin' In would be the first of Side B, which'd actually work pretty well, I think.)
no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 07:51 pm (UTC)And yeah, "It's Kickin' In" would probably make a good beginning to Side 2, if The Spine were out on vinyl (which it could be if someone wanted to release it that way, considering how short it is).
no subject
Date: 2008-12-02 03:50 am (UTC)I was much more impressed with The Else. That was an album I could get behind.
no subject
Date: 2008-12-02 03:52 am (UTC)