My iPod #13: They Might Be Giants - AKA Driver

Another song by They Might Be Giants.

I mentioned this already in a previous post, but I'll just remind you again.

Years ago, Yahoo! owned this website/company called LAUNCHcast which was a radio/video music site where you could mark your favourite bands and listen to radio stations based on your preferences.

If it wasn't for that site, I don't think I would have any interest in They Might Be Giants as I do now. It doesn't exist anymore, but I shall thank it for eternity. This is what it looked like for anyone who cares.

AKA Driver was one of the three songs from 'John Henry' that I remember playing on a radio station that I would listen to, with the others being 'Destination Moon' and 'The End of the Tour'.

Does anyone remember MSN Spaces? For anyone who doesn't Windows Live Messenger, formerly MSN, had this blogging network too, similar to this, where you could post anything you wanted and type in the music you liked in these huge lists that you could give names to. I remember putting 'AKA Driver' into a list, bearing in mind that I had only listened to it once and never listened to it again until 2010.

MSN Spaces died too. Just like LAUNCHcast. Why does every cool internet thing I encounter die :(

I digress.

Autumn 2010 was They Might Be Giants season for me. I downloaded almost every album by them during that time. Apparently 'John Henry' isn't a favourite for some TMBG fans because that is when they were considered to have sold out, because before then the band had only performed as a duo comprising of the two Johns.

But I don't understand that. Yes they did incorporate a full band, but that only added to their sound. The two main guys were still there, but the (then new) real rhythm section just added an extra depth and a fuller sound.

I remember listening to 'AKA Driver' in 2010, five years after first finding it, thinking, 'So this is what it sounded like!' John Flansburgh sings this one, don't worry I do like Linnell's songs too, and it comes right after the song 'Unrelated Thing', a much slower song on the album.

'Driver' is quite fast paced. It's got a driving, no pun intended, beat which gets your head bobbing.

And it's only a song about driving whilst on drugs/intoxicated. I mean, how cool is that!

It is not. I will say that. Don't do it. Don't drink and drive. Don't do drugs either.

It's only got two verses, a bitchin' solo and a lot of repeated choruses and motifs: "It's just a full day's drive away", "Heeeeeeeey Nyquil Driver'. But it is still a highlight from the album. Look out for the change in mood of the song near the end, where the electric guitars are replaced by acoustic guitars and a theremin-type instrument whilst still keeping the momentum that the song has already set.

John Henry is a great album. Give it a chance guys.

Until next time.

Jamie.