iTunes Essentials

From This Might Be A Wiki

On October 11, 2006, iTunes released an iTunes Essentials playlist for They Might Be Giants. The list highlights 75 "greatest hits" and organizes them into three categories, The Basics, Next Steps, and Deep Cuts.

iTunes description of "The Complete Set":

"Occasionally avant-garde in approach but always accessible, They Might Be Giants were a key college/alternative rock band before the terms existed. After more than two decades together, some of the "hardest working men in show business" aren't slowing down, either, as they continue to crank out quirky, quasi-bizarre pop tunes about purple toupees, evil twins, and Istanbul. Not in the same song, mind you. That'd just be weird. Most of TMBG's tracks are much more compact, stuffing heavy-handed hooks, organs, accordions, bouncy ball basslines, and skittering, scampering drums into Technicolor tracks that rarely last longer than two-and-a-half minutes."

The Basics

"Starting with two Johns (Flansburgh and Linnell) and a drum machine in Brooklyn, They Might Be Giants set out to quietly infiltrate New York's indie rock scene in the mid- to late '80s. And they certainly drew a cult following from the start, garnering even the major label attention of Elektra once the effervescent "Ana Ng" graced the right ears. What followed was the golden Giants age of Flood and Apollo 18, punctuated by clever politicking ("Your Racist Friend"), ballpark organs ("Birdhouse In Your Soul"), tropical intonations ("The Guitar"), and the occasional bellowing brass ("Particle Man")."

Next Steps

"They'll always be stranger than your average indie pop act, but They Might Be Giants took on a slightly rabid rock-out edge as they unveiled an actual backing band on John Henry. Featuring the follow-your-impulses mantra of "I Should Be Allowed To Think" and the spy groove of, well, "Spy," it heralded a fuller sound that continued to surprise the TMBG faithful on such recent combustible and catchy efforts as The Spine and Here Comes the ABCs [sic]."

Deep Cuts

"The more than two decades that have characterized They Might Be Giants' continuing career don't even begin to suggest the scope of their insanely prolific output. So it's no surprise that the band has a bevy of overlooked lapses into greatness, such as the robotic funk of "S-E-X-X-Y"; the xylophone lead of "Sleepwalkers"; the fuzz-engulfed surf guitar of "I've Got A Fang"; the spectral, synthetic orchestra suite of "Minimum Wage"; and the Stevie Wonder subtleties of "My Evil Twin"."

External Links

  • Click here to view in iTunes.
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