[rating=4.00]
Listening to a They Might Be Giants album can be a bit like homework. That’s probably not what the two Johns (Linnell and Flansburgh, respectively) envisioned when they started the band over thirty years ago. By now though, as the duo have released their 16th studio album, Nanobots, there’s no denying that it takes some work to fully appreciate this band. The listener needs to be alert and ready to catch obscure references; they need to be prepared to cobble meaning out of the seemingly meaningless; and it wouldn’t hurt if they’re predisposed toward vaguely scholastic, jubilantly nerdy subject matter. In the case of Nanobots, the challenge for the unconverted will be even greater. Those who like the band will love it.
While no serious pop music devotee could deny the moments of genius that dot the band’s career, time has not been kind to their otherwise admirable approach. One thing is for certain – this album sounds like They Might Be Giants. Most people are not They Might Be Giants fans, and you kind of have to be a They Might Be Giants fan to like Nanobots. Not only is the album full of “songs” that are really just snippets of ideas, but it’s a twisty, complicated presentation that plays like a demo tape. Tracks like “Hive Mind” and “There” are barely “tracks” at all – they’re more like the results of a band goof. When an actual song does pass by on the program, the experience isn’t that pleasurable.
The semi-catchy, typically dry “You’re On Fire” will draw listeners in at the start of the album, but they’ll immediately decide whether or not to continue after a few subsequent tracks. “Black Ops” is incurably awkward, though “Lost My Mind” is cute in the band’s own inimitable way. Other mildly appealing tracks include “Nanobots”, with its puzzling pastiche of vocals, and “Replicant”, which conjures the band’s familiar and wry sense of humor. But, ultimately, Nanobots is like a comedy where the jokes have been revealed to the audience in advance. No matter how prepared the listener might be, Nanobots is a difficult test for any music fan.
