My iPod #293: They Might Be Giants - Don't Let's Start

Wonderful news, I am now back in university after a three week break with the family. Will my style of writing change because of it? Probably not. And why would it?

That seems a strange way to begin this post. To be honest, I am just writing down whatever comes to my head because I didn't plan what to write about "Don't Let's Start", one of They Might Be Giants' most popular songs which can be found on their debut album from 1986. I have never taken the time out to really think about what I would type for all the songs that have preceded this, but for some reason I have no clue where I could 'start' with this track.

It is definitely one of the group's best. And one of Linnell's, seeing as he wrote it. The thing is I couldn't tell you what its subject matter is. Linnell vaguely stated that it is about 'not let's starting' and also admitted that he wrote the music first, and the syllables in the lyrics were able to fit in with the melody. Maybe it's not about anything important. Maybe it's about nothing at all. But that doesn't matter. What matters is how it's all delivered to the listener, right?

Well, it's pretty quick. But a lot happens in just under three minutes. This track contains one of Linnell's most eccentric vocal takes, singing softly one second before passionately yelling the next and then throwing out a random tongue twister. It also contains the band's most dramatic yet most memorable lyrics: "Everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is beautiful" and "I don't want to live in this world anymore". A bit morbid, true. But the happy, stop-starting music makes them all sound hilarious and nonsensical.

The track got They Might Be Giants 'noticed' for obvious reasons, and they went on to dominate the world with their drum machine, and eventually their actual backing band. Still going strong today, too.

* Here is the interesting demo for "Don't Let's Start". I don't know why, but I get an image of a boombox and kids playing hopscotch in the street in time to the music when I hear it. It sounds real old school.

** Plus, the version in the video at the beginning of the post is the single version. The album version is only slightly different, but they're both the same track. I do prefer the album version though.

My iPod #289: They Might Be Giants - Dog Walker

On This Might Be a Wiki - 'the premier TMBG knowledge base' - "Dog Walker" is the lowest rated track from "Join Us". Out of the known 764 They Might Be Giants songs, "Dog Walker" is positioned right near the bottom at 731. I can kind of understand why. With its strange vocal manipulation and laid-back instrumentation, it is one that is hard to get your head around when listening to it for the first time. "Dog Walker" is weird.

Buuuuut there's something oddly infectious about it. John Flansburgh sounds like he breathed in helium before doing the take but the vocals don't sound as annoying or grating as they probably should. I think that is helped by the aforementioned instrumentation. Everything's played at a cool rate. The keyboard, guitar and the rhythm section with extra percussion are all there, but are not overplayed to the extent of ruining the track's groove.

"Dog Walker" is smooth, man. It took me a few listens to get into in. More so than any other track from "Join Us". It has now been a favourite for a while, and is a very underrated song in a vast catalogue of material.

My iPod #288: They Might Be Giants - Doctor Worm

Whilst browsing through game websites and looking for anything good to pass the time; I came across this "Worm" game. It is essentially "Snake", the popular game that everyone had on their Nokia phones. But instead of circling around in a square trying to eat the object as a snake... you're a worm.

A thirty second or so sample of music played before coming to an abrupt end and then started all over again as I played. The opening lyrics were from the perspective of a worm who is called "Doctor Worm" by people but isn't an actual doctor, though it insists that it is an actual worm. I loved this short sample. To me it was jolly music that made playing the 'Worm' game more fun.

However, with every listen came a suspicion that the voice who was singing these lyrics sounded familiar........ The silly, nonsensical but funny subject matter with the upbeat music and blaring horns. There was no way. It couldn't be.

I searched up the lyrics in Google, and sure enough..... the song was indeed by They Might Be Giants. A song about a fictional worm who plays the drums in a band? What else couldn't these people write about?

It was first released as a new studio song on the band's live album "Severe Tire Damage", released back in 1998.

My iPod #276: They Might Be Giants - Dinner Bell

If it wasn't for this track.... I would not be listening to They Might Be Giants today. "Dinner Bell" was the first song of theirs I heard, and I was instantly hooked. Maybe that's why I hold such a fondness for "Apollo 18". The thought that without hearing "Dinner Bell" I probably wouldn't have bothered to find more TMBG songs is quite mind-blowing, and I am very grateful that I did play when I was listening to Internet radio.

Written and sung mostly by John Linnell, with John Flansburgh providing the unusual backward vocal of the bridge, "Dinner Bell" 'indirectly refers to Pavlov's famous experiment involving a dog's reaction to the ringing of a bell after associating the sound with food.' Thank you TMBW. But I had no idea that it was about that when it came on about ten years ago. I just thought it was someone waiting for dinner. Anyway, the topic of the song wasn't what attracted me. It was the likable melody which changes against the major and minor key changes during the verses. The multi-tracked vocals panning from one ear to the other, one syllable falls right into the next becoming something of a tongue-twister. Its 2/4 signature, which keeps the track on a steady pace with every chord change occurring at the beat. And obviously the lyrics that seem to mean nothing at all, but sound right because they fit in with the song's music so well.

This welcomed me to the world of They, and I embraced it with open arms.

My iPod #273: They Might Be Giants - Dig My Grave

This video is weird (bear in mind it isn't the official one), but it's the music we're here for.

Opening They Might Be Giants' fourth album "Apollo 18" is "Dig My Grave", another typical rocker by John Flansburgh that lasts only for a minute and few seconds. Only They will know why it took four albums for Flansburgh to get an opening track, the first two were penned by Linnell and the previous one didn't feature the Johns at all. This was Flansburgh's time to shine. That time was used well. Even if it was very quick.

There is not a lot to say just because it is so short. Not even its page on the band's dedicated fan Wikipedia site states a vast amount of information. Nevertheless, it is the perfect way to get things started. It's a track that one doesn't have to think about. The lyrics are from the perspective of a person who wants their grave to be dug when they see someone and when that same someone calls the person's name. Whether it's because the person hates that someone so much that they would rather die than be in contact with them or they're simply too shy is the real question I have about 'the meaning of the lyrics'. But I'm not so deep about that stuff.

I just like the song's simplicity. The four chords accompanied with Flansburgh's double tracked vocals and shrieks of the song title, the messed up 'guitar solo' which consists of the high guitar strings being plucked at a fast rate way up the fretboard and especially the last few seconds when the song speeds up and the cello and violin rise in volume before the song comes to a stop. Just a short and sweet way to start it all off.

I hold "Apollo 18" with very high regards; I feel as if it is a TMBG album that doesn't get much love as it should do..... I love you "Apollo 18". I think you're better than "Flood". I am not ashamed.

My iPod #266: They Might Be Giants - Destination Moon

Here today is the album track "Destination Moon", the thirteenth track on They Might Be Giants' fifth album "John Henry".

John Linnell sings this one, and it's from the perspective of a patient in hospital who is very, very sick but continues to believe that he/she is fine and dreams of escaping in order to go to the moon via rocket.

If you've read my previous post on "AKA Driver", another song from this album, you don't really have to read on anymore because it will contain the same information. For those of you who haven't, don't stop reading this - but do listen to "Driver" if you have the chance.

I heard "Moon" around the same time as "Driver" and that was when I was listening my own customised radio station on Yahoo. That was a good site. I thought I liked it back then because I added it to this huge list of songs that I had seen on MTV and others that I generally enjoyed on my MSN Space. Remember MSN Spaces? It died years ago along with MSN itself which is a shame.

The problem that came out of that was I didn't listen to the song for years and ended up forgetting the melody of the song altogether. That changed when I downloaded "John Henry" in 2010, then it all started coming back to me.

My iPod #250: They Might Be Giants - Dead

"Dead" is the fifth track from They Might Be Giants' major label debut, and third album, "Flood".

I am at a loss of words in regards to it. There was something mesmerising about "Dead" the first time I listened to it in 2010; today it still raises that same feeling which I believe I could describe, but wouldn't have the vocabulary to do so.

The keyboard set to 'piano', which is the only instrument used in the song, resembles something that would accompany a silent film from waaaay back or a parade of some sort due to its major key and marching tempo. It is Linnell's depressing lyrics about not living life to the full, having regrets and people celebrating somebody's death that puts things into perspective. Happy music with sad lyrics is a thing that the band is known for, but this may be the one that really gets to me.

It is a beautiful. A real highlight from "Flood".

My iPod #240: They Might Be Giants - Dark and Metric

"Dark and Metric" is a track from the album "Long Tall Weekend" by They Might Be Giants.

Again, I'm left with little to say about this one. If only I actually knew more about music like modes, and steps etc. etc. I would be able to tell you a lot more. But there's something about the way it sounds that didn't feel right when I first listened to it. There's no phasing, panning or any special effects, just the vocal, keyboard and the rhythm section which are then joined by a slide guitar nearing the end. It leaves the song sounding a bit empty, and quite uneasy. It grew on me eventually.

The melody's perky but matched with lyrics about living in a town where nothing happens; the narrator puts on a brave face but inside knows that they will become miserable at some point.

See ya.

My iPod #236: They Might Be Giants - Damn Good Times

When I started listening to They Might Be Giants properly in 2004, they had just released their latest album "The Spine", and were due to release this album where each song was dedicated to various music venues located in states of the USA.

"Damn Good Times" can be found on "The Spine", and its video above was able to be viewed on the band's official website. It is animated, a bit weird and oddly similar to the plot of Twilight.

John Flansburgh normally writes the rockers in They Might Be Giants, and this song is no different. The rhythm section of Danny Weikauf and Marty Beller are really on point, there's a lot of crash cymbal action during the verses and the bass slide during the chorus and accompanied with the lyrics about concerning a naturally talented lady, the tune is very uplifting.

The actual song finishes about a minute and a half in before transforming into this slow jam with a guitar solo which gradually builds pace before coming to an end. 58BPM to around 130 apparently.

Yep, TMBG never disappoint.

My iPod #230: They Might Be Giants - Cyclops Rock

This is the end... for now. I've come to the last of the 'Cs', and starting from tomorrow there won't be posts for a while. I enjoy typing these; I hope you like reading them. I may come across as a bit repetitive or just silly in general, telling you how I feel about songs and trying to 'review' them without having technical music knowledge is quite challenging, but it gives me something to do everyday... so it's all good.

"Cyclops Rock" is a tune from They Might Be Giants' album "Mink Car" from 2001. After John Linnell's track about a mesmerizing hair cut comes John Flansburgh's about..... I'm not so sure. I don't want to say the lyrics are nonsensical or random because there probably is a clear meaning behind them.... I can't tell. What does "cyclops rocking" entail? How is it different from plain rocking? I'm only joking.

It doesn't really matter when it comes TMBG. All of their songs have that sort of thing about them. Who cares what the song is trying to say when it rocks as hard as this. Starting with three chimes of tubular bells, "Cyclops" launches into life with Flansburgh shouting the chorus at you along with some great guitar playing and sliding saxophone notes by Linnell on the side. Full of energy, very quick, a cameo by Cerys Matthews in the bridge (which was actually meant for the late Joe Strummer at one point). Three things you can expect from this song.

Well, that's it. Cs are done. Bring on the Ds.

See ya.

My iPod #215: They Might Be Giants - Cowtown

"Cowtown" is the second song from They Might Be Giants' second album "Lincoln". I first heard the track on the old LaunchCast radio/website that Yahoo used to own. I won't go on about that; I've talked about it before in many posts that I can't be bothered to link into this sentence.

I was probably about nine/ten and what instantly struck me, apart from the galloping clarinet introduction, was the overall tone and mood of the song when John Flansburgh starts singing the chorus and the rest of the instruments come in. There is something very warm, inviting, and full of pride about it. Almost got me thinking Cowtown was an actual place that existed somewhere, and if it didn't could someone think of a plan to construct it right away.

Although primarily written by Linnell, both Johns sing the track which is great because their voices work of each other so well. And with so many rhymes in the lines and lyrical wordplay, it is a shoe in with the many They Might Be Giants tunes that rely on those kinds of things on... well, almost all of their albums. But the first four especially.

My iPod #209: They Might Be Giants - Contrecoup

Today's track is brought to you by They Might Be Giants, a band I have written about many times in the past. This time, it is "Contrecoup" from their 2007 album "The Else" that I will be typing about for today's entry.

They Might Be Giants seem to be able to come up with songs about just about anything. Shoehorns with teeth, spiraling shapes, stomp boxes, you name it. Even though those things all sound silly to the ear, those are tunes that you better believe have a lot of thought put into them. You wouldn't be able to create with a song that is from the perspective of a nightlight in a child's bedroom. That idea would never occur.

This song however was made really easily, and was created way before its proper release in 2007. Two years prior, John Linnell was on a radio show. The show said, make a song using the words 'contrecoup', 'craniosophic' and 'limerent'. The track was made then and there. It was changed up a bit for "The Else", but that is the story of how "Contrecoup" was born.

Musically, the song is quite calm. It chugs along at a sturdy pace driven by an acoustic riff with light guitar and keyboard vamps. The song does troll you nearing the end when it suddenly starts to build pace.... it fades out to silence, but I'm still left satisfied.

My iPod #189: They Might Be Giants - Circular Karate Chop

"Nanobots" is They Might Be Giants' sixteenth studio album which the band released earlier this year in March. I was already hyped for its release due to being a massive TMBG fan, and due to the fact that the four songs that the band had revealed before its release date assured me that good things were to come.

The band then went on to stream the whole album their SoundCloud account a week before the album was officially released. How swell. My excitement could not be contained. I went onto that site as soon as I heard.

"Circular Karate Chop" is the second song penned by John Flansburgh to appear on the album after "Black Ops". It is a real rocker in contrast to the latter, which goes for a more... 'experimental' approach. By 'real rocker', I mean it contains electric guitars, hard-hitting drums and keyboards which remind me of something I have heard in a cartoon before. Maybe Scooby-Doo, I can't remember.

It is probably my favourite Flansburgh song off the album. Just a cool pop rock track. Sounds similar to something from the "Factory Showroom" album.

My iPod #173: They Might Be Giants - Certain People I Could Name

Today has been very unproductive. Had my breakfast about one, a shower at four.... apart from that I have just stayed in bed. All this because I was out last night for a very special event which I can barely remember going to now. What a shame.

That also meant I was could not type up my daily post. But it is all fine now, I am putting up another one later on.

It's They Might Be Giants again, this time with the song "Certain People I Could Name" from their 1999 album "Long Tall Weekend", the first full-length album to be released exclusively on the Internet if you didn't know.

It was originally recorded for the previous album "Factory Showroom" but was left out.

The band's website states this about the track: "A piano driven song with subtle charm from the Factory Showroom era. Don't really know how this got put aside, but I suspect it was probably more due to its mid-tempo than its high quality."

I cannot really add much to that. Listen for yourselves. :D

My iPod #172: They Might Be Giants - Celebration

Here is another celebration. This time by They Might Be Giants, for about the fourth time already in the 'C' series. The fun never ends.

"Celebration" is a Flansburgh penned 'They' song, and is an observational commentary of a night out in a club but filled with imagery and vocabulary use that only the two Johns could ever think of. That's about all there is to it, really. I make it sound very tame, but the disco beat of that chorus, Flansburgh's vocal manipulation and the catchy 'oh-oh-ohs' are only a few of things that make the tune one of the most enjoyable from "Join Us".

Listen out for a Phil Collins drum fill that occurs near the end.

My iPod #166: They Might Be Giants - The Cap'm

"The Cap'm" is the second most popular They Might Be Giants song from "The Else" according to TMBW, coming in at #40 on the overall song rating chart. Why is this? Well, I can't speak for all of the fans who rated it. What I can tell you is why I like it though. That is probably what you expect, as that is what I have done for every song on my iPod since February.

What is probably the most interesting aspect of the song is the incongruous relationship between the lyrics and everything about the music. The music itself sounds very uplifting, from the chord progressions to the vocals. But the lyrics are from the point of view of a pretentious and egoistic narrator. Almost like "And Your Bird Can Sing" by The Beatles.... That's another song I like. Maybe, more bands should go with that formula, because the two songs I know of that use it have done no wrong.

Jamie.

My iPod #165: They Might Be Giants - Canajoharie

"Canajoharie" was one of the first songs from "Join Us" to be performed live by the band. The first time being in September 2010, months before the album was actually released.

This performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington was the first time I'd ever heard the song. Not because I was there, but because it was the first option that came up when I searched "They Might Be Giants - Canajoharie" on YouTube. Thinking about it now, I remember not being to overwhelmed by it. The verses were carried along by a steady boom-boom-clap back-beat and Linnell started blaring out the song title in the chorus. But back then, the lyrics had still not been deciphered yet. So I didn't know what else to make of the song.

That all changed when the album actually came out in 2011. I was on holiday in the US after finishing my GCSEs, and listened to the album in full. There was just something about the studio version of "Canajoharie" that made me like it a lot more. Now I could understand what Linnell was singing about, and everything just sounded a lot tighter. "Canajoharie" is a real place too, which surprised me a bit. The band have a tendency to sing about weird things so I just thought it would be a made up word. It's not.

Jamie.

My iPod #161: They Might Be Giants - Can't Keep Johnny Down

Last post for today.

It was my sixteenth birthday when the details of They Might Be Giants' forthcoming fifteenth album "Join Us" were released to the public on Pitchfork. I was so excited. A new They Might Be Giants album? What could be better? Only a link to the brand new single!

Yes, "Can't Keep Johnny Down" was probably the first song in full that They Might Be Giants fans heard from "Join Us". The band had been releasing 'teaser' videos of work in the studio, but this was the the moment that they had all been waiting for in 2011.

Although it did take a few listens for me to get into the swing of things, "Can't Keep Johnny Down" was an appropriate choice of song for people to hear. Some may have been worried how the band would sound after they had released children's albums in 2008 and 2009 with "The Else" being their last 'adult' album in 2007. This song proved that there was no need to be worried at all.

I did assume that it was autobiographical, probably just because it has the name "Johnny" in the title. As in "Johnny" Linnell or "Johnny" Flansburgh. But that was until they said that it was from the point of view of an 'asshole'. Those are Linnell's words, not mine.

The band then commenced the biggest fan contest to have ever existed. That was to create their own video for the song, and whoever won it received a cash prize. The winner was the entry above.

Jamie.

My iPod #136: They Might Be Giants - Broke in Two

Afternoon everyone.

I thought that preparing for university would be more of a strenuous task, but it appears that already I have most of the stuff I need. I have bought a few things here and there, just now I've chosen two pairs of new shoes and new socks, but it hasn't been as tiresome as I thought it would be. Life is good.

That was an unrelated introduction. I just wanted to tell you how things are going.

... I've never had an account on last.fm but without one four years ago, somehow, I was able to listen to "The Spine" by They Might Be Giants in full without any adverts. I'm very sure that I can't do that now, so it was surprising that I was able to pull it off. "Broke in Two" is the third from last track about a relationship which comes to an end. You have that situation in so many other songs; the list is endless, I know. The narrator also wants to make things better, but is very forgetful and a bit dim too. "I'm gonna run you down" does not sound like "I'm an orangutan" does it? The narrator takes this into account and admits that even though he would try to fix everything, the breakup would still happen just because of his behaviour. It's quite tragic. But it's so upbeat.

The instrumentation in the music is really good too. The opening riff was a bit of an ear-piercer, that really high note sounds like it's played wrong. But it's fine. It works. I don't know whether it's a keyboard or a guitar or both played simultaneously during the break, but how it ascends from low notes and finishes at the top is mesmerising. The song also glitches and disintegrates into silence at the end, which is intentional. It is one of my favourite songs on "The Spine", I hope you listen and like it too.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #119: They Might Be Giants - Boat of Car

Probably not the most popular TMBG song, but it just has something that attracts me to it. I honestly can'#t say much about it - it's only 1 minute and a few seconds long. That's not a bad thing, but it's more of a transitional thing that sets you up for the next track.

It's very easy to memorise, the Johnny Cash sample fits in very well (however oddly placed it may sound). It sends off a very mysterious vibe. What is the 'boat of car'? Why is the narrator following the 'traces of the fingernails'?

Who am I kidding, it's nothing to get philosophical about. It probably doesn't mean anything at all.

Vocals are done by John Flansburgh's old girlfriend by the way.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.