East Village Eye - February 1986
Sleeping Giants
By Cliff Faintych, East Village Eye, February 1986
Archived from: https://pdf.east-village-eye.com/viewer/feb86
On page 18.
Flexi-pop, neo-neurotic balladry or silly songsmithing? Local East Village group They Might Be Giants seems to defy the very concept of a concrete identity. Indeed, their infrastructure may be solely founded on a reaction to the current crop of pop music sedatives lining the record shelves these days. The band itself is neatly comprised of two Johns; Flansburgh on a tin-twanged guitar and Linnell on a down-home, Community Auditions-style accordion.
Along with soundman and sidekick Bill Krauss, they are methodically tossing every real-life sociopolitical, song-inspiring reference into the musical blender. Mock anthems such as âAlienation Is For The Rich Kidâ and âYouth Culture Killed My Dogâ are prime examples of an attitude which is both engaging and sophomoric, a contradiction they seem to perpetuate as much as they can.
With performance props, swollen body parts and stage antics amuck, They Might Be Giants put on a show thatâs a slap in the face to the defenders of the trendy minimalistic esthetic. The Giantsâ quirky demeanor seems to invite even the most self-conscious, savvy-sapped fashion plates into the daring new realm of nerd-chic. Commanding lyrics like âYour money talks, my genius walksâ outlandishly bypass all the commodities of music fashion.
The only trouble is itâs parody, not satire, and TMBG hasnât realized the difference yet. As social commentators they only seem to have one eye open. This double-twisting, backfire approach could prove to be just the remedy, however, for those occasional flare-ups of pop inflammation that we all know are going to be hard to avoid in 1986. For fast temporary relief, try the Giantsâ 24-hour Dial-A-Song service at 718-387-6962. Itâs recommended by executives and secretaries all over New Yorkâs progressive business community⌠that is except for the major record labels.