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There was a time, way back in the 80s, when the so-called Alternative music scene (then known as College music) was dominated by a tiny handful of artists: The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, R.E.M., Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, and They Might Be Giants. Now, of course, Hüsker Dü, The Replacements and The Smiths have broken up; Depeche Mode and The Cure have faded into the mists of time; and what used to be called College music now represents a significant slice of the music-industry pie, largely thanks to the growing mainstream success of R.E.M. following the release of "Out of Time." But what of They Might Be Giants?
Some, like The Man from F.U.N.K.L.E., will tell you that They Might Be Giants are exactly where they belong: sharing a cell in novelty-song prison with King Missile and Ween. I disagree with this assessment, though. Granted, They Might Be Giants haven't had any cult hit singles, like King Missile's "Detachable Penis" or Ween's "Push the Little Daisies." (I would argue that "Birdhouse in Your Soul" came close to a "Losing My Religion"-style breakthrough.) However, the fact that they have yet to crack the Billboard Top 100 should be the measure only of the band's fame, and not of the quality of their work. The fact is that, even as they sing about puppet heads, snail shells, someone moving a chair, and Belgium's famous painter James Ensor, their musical chops are unassailable. They Might Be Giants' Johns Linnell and Flansburgh can write a catchy tune, and have done so for the past thirteen years on nine very solid albums.
Besides which, do They Might Be Giants really write novelty songs? I would say that they don't. Certainly, Mary J. Blige is not likely to cover "Shoehorn With Teeth" anytime soon, but for that we should be grateful. To my mind, the fact that They Might Be Giants performs every song with perfect conviction and sincerity means that, to them, theirs are not novelty songs. When they sing, "The sun is a mass of incandescent gas / A giant nuclear furnace," they're not doing it because they think it's cute or funny or ironic; I get the impression that they want to entertain with the tune, and inform with the lyrics. They've got a great beat. You can dance to them.
One of the things I like best about They Might Be Giants -- as opposed to many of their 80s College music brethren -- is that no one really knows anything about them. They give interviews very seldom, and don't see the need to spout off about their political views, if any. Instead, they've continued to produce their albums in relative obscurity and thus released some of the only really original music anywhere. John Linnell, for instance, has just released a solo album entitled "State Songs," which is exactly what it sounds like -- sixteen tracks, each about a different U.S. state; the first single is "Montana." John Flansburgh also has a solo side project, called Mono Puff. They're each talented separately, and they're both talented together. They're just good. The world should know it. If only that song "Subliminal" really were; maybe then They Might Be Giants could hypnotize the CD-buying public into putting down their Smashmouth albums and picking up "Factory Showroom" instead.
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