TMBW:This Might Be A Zine/Issue 8

Welcome to Issue 8 of This Might Be A Zine, where you can get caught up on all the latest TMBG news and things, hosted on this very website, TMBW!

The title of TMBG's upcoming 24th album has been announced as The World Is To Dig, as well as a release date of April 14th! The cover of the album has also been posted, the cover features a period reproduction of the painting A View of Yosemite Valley, originally by Mary Park Seavey Benton, circa 1855, as well as a small illustration by collaborator Tony Millionaire. You can pre-order the new album on tmbgshop.com.

Phone Power 10th Anniversary[edit]

Phone Power

The eighth of this month marks the 10th anniversary of TMBG's 19th studio album, and third 2015 Dial-A-Song album, Phone Power!

New TMBG singles![edit]

Wu-Tang

The first single from TMBG's upcoming album, Wu-Tang, has been released on streaming and the TMBG shop!

Here's what people have to say about the new single:

Wildstorkmel:

I enjoy Wu-Tang a lot, I love the energy in the chorus. I will admit it took a little bit of warming up to, because it's kind of through-the-motions John Linnell power pop, but I think that's ok. As much as I want Linnell to dip his toes in other structures or genres more, you don't ALWAYS need to revolutionize every song. If the formula works, it works. I would also like to mention that when the realization hit that I experienced Wu-Tang, a song centering around the soaring, indescribable passion you feel getting into a band for the first time, as one of the first new TMBG releases as an active fan, it did make me emotional. They are talking about the Wu-Tang Clan, yet somehow it feels like a reflection of my soul, and my experience with them. The unexpected shout out worthy of giving Open Mike Eagle an existential crisis is awesome, but the lyrics are just vague enough to where anyone could relate to being deeply touched by music, no matter the band.

Lucy:

Wu-Tang is just okay… it’s TMBG so of course there’s things to like about it, but the overall sound is pretty lacking. Definitely could have used some sort of keyboard! As a song, it’s the sort of run-of-the-mill ‘standard Linnell’ pop tune that I’ve grown quite tired of. I’m really hoping there will be more exciting material from him on the rest of the album!

SomeAsker:

Wu-Tang is quite jolly! It reminded me a lot of some of Mink Car's more pop rock-ier moments. I also love how the lyrics are abstract in a way that it could be about Wu-Tang Clan but it could also be about something else. Good stuff!

Zovi:

I've been a fan of Wu-Tang Clan prior to this, so it was really fun seeing those worlds collide! I love that the song is just in awe of Wu-Tang as an archetypal whole. Also, I really connect with the feeling of knowing that something wholly unlike your art has heavily influenced your art in a way that you couldn't easily express to others. Inspiration from an unlikely source often causes the most interesting things to happen! Overall, this new song has made me excited for the new album.

Alan Probe:

i love it! it feels very similar to eyeball, and after hearing it it makes sense why eyeball was left off of the album. although i love both, having both on the album would feel like having two very similar sounds in the same spot.

Ap0phenia:

I’ve only listened to Wu-Tang 2 or 3 times since it came out, but I liked it. I prefer Eyeball (the song) though.

Lukehennisch:

I know a lot of people have complained in recent years that newer Linnell tracks seem as if he’s “on autopilot,” this apparently being one of them. While I don’t not understand that, it’s still a sound I love dearly that is truly uniquely John Linnell. I think Wu-Tang is phenomenal. A lovely, refreshing power pop tune about the sheer joy of music that feels all the needed in a presently bleak world. While I liked Eyeball, this feels like the Johns (and Dans, and Marty) in true motion. The chorus is an ear worm, and I’m always a sucker for a chromatic walk up. It has me completely eager for the upcoming record. I’m glued to TMBW, waiting for any other slimmer of new info until it drops in April!

Valerie:

The chorus of Wu-Tang, with its gorgeous two-John sonic blend, has got me very excited and hopeful for more of the same on the album! Love both Johns songs.

Vimbry:

Wu-Tang!! absolutely beautiful introduction to the new album. it's the first development cycle I've been present for as a fan, and as the band's music has come to mean so much to me in the years since BOOK, hearing a song that opens with "something was hid in a secret compartment inside my heart" felt strangely poignant. I enjoy this idea of reflecting on musical inspiration being treated so dramatically by its narrator, comparing it to larceny, especially with the imagery of smashing the case of a song and stealing its contents. those yearning vocals in the chorus are hypnotising. I'm trying not to wear it out too much before the album's release, but it's hard to stay away.

Waymu:

I like Wu-Tang a lot more than Eyeball and it just makes me even more excited for the album, the vocal harmonies are awesome.

Titanosuchus:

Wu-Tang is great, it's a divergent evolution from Eyeball where the narrator seems to struggle over inspiration vs. plagiarism. I'd like to see more like the harmonizing in the final chorus in their full album.

FloridaFlamingoGirl:

I am really impressed by the melody writing. I think it overflows with great hooks and I like the way it switches between them. I also like Flansburgh's guitar strumming style in it.

Ruddy:

I liked Wu Tang a lot. I don't think I have much to say about in particular but the rhythm of the guitar in this song is awesome, especially in the intro.

Overnight Sensation (Hit Record) has also debuted on Dial-A-Song last month and Sleep's Older Sister was released as a single today! Check out "Overnight Sensation" on YouTube and "Sleep's Older Sister" on the TMBG shop!

A conversation with Stan Harrison[edit]

Stan Harrison is a jazz musician and is the current saxophonist in TMBG's touring horn section, the Tricerachops Horns.

1. How did you get into music and the saxophone?

The answer to the first part of this question is either very easy to state…or impossible. Here’s the easy version: I got into music because…get ready for some cheese - music got into me. I was interested in all things musical, seemingly, from day one. I never had to GET into it. I really don’t think I had much of a choice. I actually tried to quit a couple times because sax reeds were driving me nuts and I couldn’t stand the sound I was getting out of my horn…but I couldn’t quit. The dream my parents had of me being a lawyer or doctor just wasn’t in the cards.

I started out as a (shitty) guitar player. I took lessons for about five years. I then wanted to be in the school band I thought I’d try trombone. My parents didn’t have the money to buy me one (or maybe they thought I wouldn’t stick with it) so they asked an uncle of mine (my uncle, Herman Harrison, to be exact) if he would let me borrow his alto sax, which probably had been living in it’s case in a closet for years. He lent me the horn. Long story, long story, long story, etc. I became a saxophone player.

2. How did you meet and start working with They Might Be Giants? Did you know of the band before working with them?

Dan Levine introduced me to the band. My first performance with the band was on the Jon Stewart Millennium Show. I then recorded with the band and everything followed from that. Yes, I did know of the band before working with them.

3. You’ve been playing with TMBG for more than 20 years now. Do you have any favorite shows or memories from playing with the band?

I’ve played so many shows that I find it impossible to name a favorite. So, let’s just say that the shows my wife (Margot) and daughters (Chloe and Sasha) attended in NYC, Madison, WI, and Boston, MA were my favorites. Just because they and their friends were there. That’s what you get when you ask a family man a question like that.

4. You’ve played with many bands and musicians, including David Bowie, Talking Heads, and Jonathan Coulton, but you’re also featured on the Radiohead song “The National Anthem”. How did you get that?

My wife lived in London for about 12 or so years. I moved there for a couple years before we decided to move back to NYC. I knew a number of English musicians because I had played in a number of English bands. My friend, Andy Bush, whom I met through my friends Andy Hamilton and Spike Edney (you can Google all these people) called me one day and asked me if I was free to record in the next day or say. I said, “Yes, Who’s the artist?". He responded, “Radiohead". And that’s when I almost started believing in God.

5. Do you have a favorite jazz standard?

I could name SO many... but, for now, I’ll say God Bless the Child, as recorded by Billie Holliday, one of my favorite singers ever. Now that I think of it, I’ve never played the tune. But that recording does to me what I think our favorite pieces of music should to do all of us. I don’t have a year to continue this thought. So I’ll leave it at that.

6. It’s confirmed that you play on the new TMBG album, The World Is To Dig. What can we expect from the new album?

More songs by TMBG.

7. What’s your favorite TMBG song to perform live?

I’m going to mention three and then ramble for a second. I love playing “When Will You Die?”, “Brontosaurus”, and “The Darlings of Lumberland”. Now for the short ramble. I love playing So many of the songs in this band because the horn parts are so much fun to play. I never tire of them. They’re extremely musical, well-written, and completely unlike some of the bullshit horn parts I’ve sometimes played over the course of my career. Some of those shitty horn parts were exhausting to play, felt like they should have been played on organ, or, better yet, not played at all. Am I being clear here???

8. Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?

Only the tried and true cliches like practice your ass off, never do it for the money, don’t be an asshole…the list is another long one and I’m getting hungry so I think I’ll leave it at that. Yeah, my main answer is, Don’t be an Asshole. (I realize you might think that this answer is an example of being just that. Sorry I get that way when I’m hungry.) For a better answer, call Dan Levine at 222-222-2222 or Mark Pender at 333-333-3333.

What are TMBG fans' other favorite bands?[edit]

This month, I asked TMBG fans this question: What are some of your favorite bands besides TMBG?

Here's what people have to say:

Wildstorkmel:

When TMBG said they would ruin you for other bands, they meant it. I can testify to that. As open as I am to discovering new music (I listened to 420 new albums last year!), I always go into every new album expecting strong melodic hooks, mundanely macabre subject matter, and constant genre swapping for every following track, as if flipping through the radio. I understand how unrealistic of an expectation this is, but I think this is a beautifully inventive way of creating music, which shows an artist's ingenuity and willingness to try new things, and I can't stifle my unwarranted disappointment at not getting it! Have you tried listening to an album by an new artist because you liked a single, only to realize every other song on that album sounds exactly the same to a near mind numbing degree? I have never experienced that with TMBG! NOT ONCE in their four decades of making music!!!

Okay, right. Just a few other artists I like, in no particular order:

Logan Whitehurst. Silly & imaginative. Gone too soon. Listening to his album Goodbye, My 4-Track makes me feel like a kid again. It's childlike, but not in a way that talks down to you. As of writing this, it is my favorite album of all time.

Lemon Demon. Another artist with pretty self-evident TMBG influence. I like Dinosaurchestra the most, for its similar childlike wonder to the aforementioned 4-Track, but with darker overtones of fear that the world around you is falling apart.

Cibo Matto. I absolutely love their cut and paste production and constant genre switching, especially in their album Stereo Type A. Bossa Nova, hip hop and metal? Who does that?! They do. Because they're awesome.

Talking Heads. AMAZING grooves and slightly surreal but deeply human songwriting. I love Fear Of Music, between the anxious vocals and otherworldly synth loops, it sounds like it's in between sleep and consciousness at times.

Sparks. This time, they're an influence ON TMBG, not BY them, and it is also pretty obvious! Songs like Here In Heaven and Talent Is An Asset are exactly the type of surreal, darkly amusing music I expect from TMBG. My favorite from them is Indiscreet for, once again, the crazy genre switch ups throughout.

TheyKuiperBelt:

My other favorite bands include Incubus, American Football, Jeff Rosenstock, and Anamanaguch.

Lucy:

Favs: Frank Zappa/The Mothers, Ween, Lung Leg, The Roches, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Knife, Captain Beefheart, Blackblack, Luke Hennisch.

TitanicFog:

Oingo Boingo, Monsta Island Czars, Nine Inch Nails, Soul Coughing, Wall of Voodoo, Rage Against The Machine, The Police, Belly, The Reavers, and recently ive been getting into the Stronghold rap collective from NYC.

SunshineMar:

Other favorite bands of mine in no particular order include Queen, Sparks, the Beatles, Electric Light Orchestra, the Long Winters, and of Montreal.

tinydoctorjamie:

My five favorite non-TMBG bands are Moxy Früvous, The Okee Dokee Brothers, The Beatles, Shang Shang Typhoon, and Bear Ghost!

SomeAsker:

My non-TMBG favorites are Electric Light Orchestra, The Chemical Brothers, and Lemon Jelly.

Zovi:

The Mars Volta is my all-time favorite band. Frances the Mute is a complete masterpiece of an album, in particular. TMBG makes masterpieces too, but I think they need to put a 32 minute song on an album to really reach the next level.

I also very much enjoy San Fermin, Bent Knee, ミドリ (Midori), and Circa Survive.

Alan Probe:

well, mike patton is one of my favourite musicians of all time, so faith no more, mr bungle, ect ect. i also love pet shop boys, new order, any and all things new wave or 80s pop.

Ap0phenia:

I like Self, Sparks, and Lemon Demon. If not rock, then some sort of electronic music for the most part.

Lukehennisch:

I fear there’s always artists I forget to mention when discussing my favorites. Those that come to mind right now are The Beatles, Ween, Soul Coughing, Pavement, Wilco, R.E.M., Guided by Voices, Neutral Milk Hotel, Nick Drake, The Mountain Goats, Pixies, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Built to Spill. TMBG was my day 1, and I feel their knack for eccentric pop music has led me in some way to many of these artists.

Valerie:

Some of my favorite bands are: The Mountain Goats, Devo, Talking Heads, Why? and AJJ.

Vimbry:

some of my other favourite artists to listen to are Cake, Jellyfish, and Voice of the Beehive. I guess I like a lot of grand, pop-y music with cynical lyrics...

Waymu:

some of my other favorite bands are barenaked ladies, the apples in stereo, jeff rosenstock, antarctigo vespucci, into it over it, the hippos, the beatles, sum 41, sportsguitar... more still but i'll leave it at that lol.

Titanosuchus:

The Sugarplastic are a band so underrated it makes my heart ache. I think TMBG fans will appreciate the XTC inspiration and similar themes like personifying inanimate objects, conflict with another version of yourself, and spelling things out in song. Resin is a personal favorite album of theirs!

FloridaFlamingoGirl:

Some of my other favorite bands are XTC and Talking Heads.

Ruddy:

I love a lot of non-tmbg bands! I'm a huge fan of all the bands associated with the elephant 6 collective, like Elf Power, Olivia Tremor Control, Apples in Stereo, Ladybug Transistor etc. Ween, The Decemberists and Ben Folds are some other favorites of mine. Recently I've been really into an indie-pop called The Pains of Being Pure At Heart.

CapitalQ:

I have many favorite non-TMBG artists but I'll limit this list to some I have truly obsessed on over the years: The Beatles, Sparks, of Montreal, Talking Heads, The Beach Boys, Franz Ferdinand, DEVO, Billy Joel, Gorillaz, The Format, OK Glass, Squeeze, Modest Mouse, Sufjan Stevens, Pink Floyd, all the classic Nintendo composers, and that is probably enough for now.

The World Is To Dig Predictions[edit]

Below are the results of a survey user Bluef00t put together last month, predicting who will sing each track on The World Is To Dig! All songs on the confirmed tracklist can be found below except for Wu-Tang, Sleep's Older Sister, Overnight Sensation (Hit Record), and What You Get, which we already know the singers of. You can still take the survey if you want to here.