Nanobots by They Might Be Giants [Audio CD]

Description: Tracks:You're On FireNanobotsBlack OpsLost My MindCircular Karate ChopCall You MomTeslaSleepStone Cold Coup D'etatSometimes a Lonely WayDestroy the Past9 Secret StepsHive MindDecision MakersNounsThereInsect HospitalTickReplicantThe Darlings of LumberlandGreatStuff Is WayIckyToo Tall GirlDidn't Kill Me Performer Notes: They Might Be Giants seemed creatively revitalized with the release of 2011's Join Us, their first set of songs that were aimed at grown-ups -- or at least, that weren't obviously kid-focused -- in some time, and they continue that trend with Nanobots. As on Join Us, John Flansburgh and John Linnell often feel like they're riffing on their extensive discography as they deliver moments of pure comedy like the literal-minded album opener "You're on Fire" and educational tidbits such as the sweet song-biography "Tesla." However, the clearest nod to the duo's past comes in the smattering of songs that clock in between a handful of seconds and just under a minute, echoing They Might Be Giants' Dial-A-Song roots as well as Apollo 18's "Fingertips" suite. Sometimes the fragmented nature these snippets lend to Nanobots provides some short-attention-span instant gratification; at other times, they detract from the longer songs' flow. Yet even with the inclusion of these ultra-short tracks, the album isn't as wacky as Join Us was occasionally. Instead, the Johns opt for a slyer approach, emphasizing clever wordplay on songs like "Icky" and sophisticated arrangements that borrow from lounge, chamber pop, and in the case of "The Darlings of Lumberland," free jazz. Linnell and Flansburgh both contribute several songs worthy of inclusion in the upper echelons of the TMBG songbook. Linnell's "Call You Mom" is the brightest highlight here, and the most adult-oriented, packing layers of twisted and repressed childhood feelings of abandonment and substitution into just over three minutes of sax-heavy rock & roll. He's often at his best when tracing the loopy ways the mind works (or doesn't), and "9 Secret Steps" and "Stuff Is Way" -- a rhythmic word soup that coins the phrase "catastro-feeling good" -- are two fine examples of this. Meanwhile, Flansburgh's "Circular Karate Chop" sets advice from a very warped sensei ("assign regret to those accountable") to some of the duo's quintessentially bouncy power pop; the adorable "Too Tall Girl" manages to be lumbering and graceful as it rhymes "etiquette" with "Connecticut"; and "Sometimes a Lonely Way" serves as a reminder that when this band does sad, it does it like few others can. At times, Nanobots feels like Join Us' more melancholy flip side, and even if this album isn't quite as immediate as the one before it, it shows how They Might Be Giants can continue in the vein they've excelled at for decades and build on it, too. ~ Heather Phares Professional Reviews: Rolling Stone (p.64) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "NANOBOTS sounds like old-school, duo-style TMBG made by a full band." Format: CD (1 Disc) Country: United Kingdom Release Date: 19 March, 2013 Label: Lojinx Dimensions: 0.5 x 12.8 x 14.1 centimeters (0.04 kg)

Price: 12.63 GBP

Location: Gloucester

End Time: 2024-11-24T19:22:36.000Z

Shipping Cost: 17.88 GBP

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EAN: 5060243324023

UPC: 5060243324023

ISBN: N/A

MPN: N/A

Language: Eng

Track #1: You're On Fire

Track #2: Nanobots

Track #3: Black Ops

Track #4: Lost My Mind

Track #5: Circular Karate Chop

Track #6: Call You Mom

Track #7: Tesla

Track #8: Sleep

Track #9: Stone Cold Coup D'etat

Track #10: Sometimes a Lonely Way

Track #11: Destroy the Past

Track #12: 9 Secret Steps

Track #13: Hive Mind

Track #14: Decision Makers

Track #15: Nouns

Track #16: There

Track #17: Insect Hospital

Track #18: Tick

Track #19: Replicant

Track #20: The Darlings of Lumberland

Track #21: Great

Track #22: Stuff Is Way

Track #23: Icky

Track #24: Too Tall Girl

Track #25: Didn't Kill Me

Era: 2010s

Release Year: 2013

Format: CD

Features: Studio Recording

Genre: Pop, Alternative, Rock

Type: Album

Record Label: Lojinx

Artist: They Might Be Giants

Release Title: Nanobots