| TMBW Userboxes
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| SV
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This user has rated the following songs.
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| ♂
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This user uses he/him pronouns.
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| FAN
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This user became a TMBG fan in 2024.
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| FAV
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This user's favorite TMBG song is Bangs.
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| FAV
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This user's favorite John Linnell song is Montana.
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| FAV
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This user's favorite John Linnell song is Arkansas.
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| FAV
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This user's favorite John Linnell song is Maine.
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This user's favorite Venue Song is Asheville.
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This user's favorite album is Lincoln.
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Hello all my fellow users, as you may be able to tell by the title, my name is Everett. I have been a fan of this dandy band since my uncle recommended Spider to me. However, I had heard some of their music beforehand. My grandparents liked Birdhouse In Your Soul and Istanbul (Not Constantinople), with the latter becoming somewhat of a Christmas song in my house, and me and the aforementioned uncle happened to make a joke comic about a different Doctor Worm.
Now, like many other users, I have decided to compile my opinions about this band in some form of list. The way in which I've chosen to do it is by ranking songs by their albums, although I may skip over the children's albums. I know, I know, but there are just so many short, mediocre songs, and I can barely remember them after I listen. Who knows, maybe I'll do them later! For now though, I will simply do the 'adult' albums. Thanks to HotelDetectiveInTheFuture for the list design.
I like the Pink Album, but it has some flaws. I think that is simply because of when it was made though. Still, it has my all-time favorite song by the band, Rhythm Section Want Ad, so it makes up for it. Read my review of the song already!
| Song
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Opinion/Ranking
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| 1. Rhythm Section Want Ad
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9.9: I have loved this song since I first heard it. My favorite line from the song is "Laugh hard, it's a long way to the bank"
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| 2. She's An Angel
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9.8: What is there to say about this song, it's just incredible! I enjoy the slide guitar playing by Mr. Flansburgh.
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| 3. Hide Away Folk Family
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9.6: What a creepy song. The breakdown comes completely out of left field, but it still works with the rest of it.
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| 4. Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head
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9.5: Once again, another strange part in the middle, but once again it is quite good. I need to take a bath in a beaten path sometime, it sounds nice.
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| 5. Everything Right Is Wrong Again
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9.5: This is the proper way to start off an album. The spacey section is great, and compliments the rest of the song perfectly. And now the review's over now.
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| 6. Don't Let's Start
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9.3: After the 500th listen I am a little sick of it, but it is still objectively great. What a bizarre set of lyrics though…
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| 7. Rabid Child
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9.2: Another spooky song, also sung by Flansburgh. I would pay an unreasonable amount of money to see its music video.
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| 8. I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die
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9.1: One of the band's most clever tracks. I think we should all hope that we get old before we die. We all need enough time to listen to all of TMBG's catalog.
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| 9. Youth Culture Killed My Dog
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8.9: The song has a sad story, but jeez does it rock! I like the fade-out, I only wish that it was a bit longer. The wailing is also pretty… let's just say groovy.
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| 10. Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes
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8.8: Another witty song. I have no idea what this one means at all, but I am here for it. You could tell me it's about murder and I'd probably agree.
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| 11. Absolutely Bill's Mood
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8.6: I like this song, but I feel like it could have been done in a cleaner way. Then again this was in the 80's, when I wasn't even born, so I cannot complain.
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| 12. Number Three
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8.5: I don't know how they jammed so much in this short time. I kinda wish it was longer, but then again it's still quite good.
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| 13. 32 Footsteps
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8.3: It's a pretty good song, but there's something about it that just feels a bit janky. Maybe the harmonica solo is a bit too brash.
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| 14. (She Was A) Hotel Detective
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8.1: I definitely understand the appeal of the song, but it's just not for me. Still, it's a lot better than some other songs out there, and it has a pretty entertaining video.
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| 15. Boat Of Car
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8.0: It's got its offbeat charm, and for that I enjoy it. I feel like if it was made later on in their career it would have been great. Just needed a revision.
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| 16. The Day
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7.8: Once again, I have no idea what they were trying to say with this song, but I'll just nod and move away. The ending is crazy though.
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| 17. Toddler Hiway
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7.6: It is quite goofy and funny, but it's nice. I can't remember what I was going to say in this section, but it was going to be something nice, I'm sure.
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| 18. Alienation's For The Rich
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7.3: I love this band so much, but this is not a very good song. It feels like it is in between a rocker or being a sleazy country song. They should have picked one of them.
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| 19. Chess Piece Face
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7.1: Once again, this song is not that great. However, even though it is worse than the last, I have more respect for it, which is confusing. My condolences to whoever the real Chess Piece Face was, even if he is still here on this planet.
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I am still undecided if either Lincoln or John Henry is my favorite album, but either way this is an awesome album. I think that pretty much every Linnell song is great, and the majority of the Flansburgh songs are solid too! It's a well-rounded album.
| Song
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Opinion/Ranking
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| 1. Where Your Eyes Don't Go
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9.8: What a terrifying song. I believe that they could have slightly improved the breakdown part, thus my ranking not being perfect, but the lyrics make up for it completely.
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| 2. Kiss Me, Son Of God
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9.8: Another quite creepy song, but not in the same way as the last. I am really glad that they got The Ordinaires to perform on the track. It sounds a lot better than the alternate version
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| 3. Purple Toupee
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9.8: I could really mix around these top three songs, because they are all equally good. I probably listen to Purple Toupee the most though. Always brings a smile.
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| 4. I've Got A Match
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9.7: Even though I have never seen They Might Be Giants and don't intend to (I don't like loud noises) I am sad they will probably never perform this again. It is a really good song.
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| 5. Snowball In Hell
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9.5: I'm honestly not sure I love this song's lyrics, but the music is still so good that it goes all the way up here.
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| 6. Piece Of Dirt
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9.4: Unlike the last, I do adore this song's lyrics, they are so perfectly depressing. However, the music is kind of strange. I understand it though.
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| 7. Mr. Me
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9.3: I have seen many people on both here and ranking videos online criticize this song, which I do not understand. It's once again kinda depressing, but it works phenomenally.
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| 8. Stand On Your Own Head
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9.2: Once again, this song is highly underrated. Clever lyrics, strange instrumentation, and a melody that has taken me a year to properly understand, all in a little over a minute.
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| 9. They'll Need A Crane
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9.0: Like Don't Let's Start, I think I've heard this song a hair too much, which shows how good the song actually is. I have just had overexposure to it.
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| 10. Ana Ng
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8.9: I think that if done right this song could have been one of the best the album, but the fade-out is just a tragedy. Unlike most TMBG songs, I wish this was shorter.
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| 11. The World's Address
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8.8: What a darn funky song! I am glad that Flansburgh sings this one, I like his performance. Some pretty decent lyrics too.
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| 12. Shoehorn With Teeth
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8.7: I have no idea how they created this song without any substances, but I am here for it. The occasional glockenspiel is kinda funny, especially when Marty Beller plays it live.
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| 13. Cowtown
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8.6: Another pretty strange song. I think I could have done without the strange screaming sounds in the instrumental sections, but it's still a good song!
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| 14. Cage & Aquarium
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8.5: Creepy lyrics, nice instrumental, and perfectly short. I love the line "Yawn as your plane goes down in flames".
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| 15. Pencil Rain
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8.4: Again, this song needs more recognition! A song about a terrifying war with people being bludgeoned by pencils is such a good concept. It would make for a good book.
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| 16. Lie Still, Little Bottle
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8.2: My mother, who is sitting across from me as I write enjoys this song, but I don't understand the appeal. Versions with The Stick are much better though.
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| 17. You'll Miss Me
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7.8: This is one of the two songs on the album that I don't really like. Unlike the song below, I don't really know how this could have been improved. I think it would have just been better as a bonus on an EP or Miscellaneous T.
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| 18. Santa's Beard
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7.6: This song is both too jolly to be punk and too punk to be jolly. The lyrics are also quite creepy, but not in a nice way. It's a bit of a disappointment.
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| Song
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Opinion/Ranking
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| 1. I Love You For Psychological Reasons
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9.8: This song reads as both a nice, simple love song and a cry for help. The lyrics are absolutely absurd, but I enjoy them thoroughly. The line "Brain in a jar in a car in reverse" reminds me of the layering in Bee Of The Bird Of The Moth. I also love the upbeat music, puts a smile on my face every time.
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| 2. I'll Be Haunting You
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9.7: In contrast to the previous song, this one is quite haunting, as the title implies. The lyrics don't seem like they should work as any melody, but somehow they do. This song also has some of the loudest and funkiest bass out of their whole catalog. I didn't know what you were capable of Danny Weinkauf.
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| 3. Trouble Awful Devil Evil
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9.5: This is the only song I have written an interpretation of so far, and that is because I strongly believe this song is about sleep paralysis. You can read my full, rambling interpretation here. Anyways, I love how this song uses both acoustic and electronic elements. It has a unique, quaint sound.
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| 4. Apophenia
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9.4: I enjoy this song because of how I can both get happiness out of the music and the fact that I now have another word in my vocabulary. I also now know about Middleburgh, New York, which expands my geographical knowledge. Great, insane sounding song, and great, niche references.
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| 5. Shape Shifter
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9.2: Like Trouble Awful Devil Evil, I like the contrast between the electronic sounding introduction and the vocals of the song. It also reminds me of Man, It's So Loud In Here. I can never understand what he is saying during the verses, but I'm sure it's great!
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| 6. It Said Something
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9.1: Another quite paranoid and bizarre song with digitalized vocals
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