Rating:   10 Ratings     12345  

They Might Be Giants No!

      When I bought this under the guilty pretext that it was for my two-year old, Natasha, I really expected her to ask for "Bear in the Big Blue House" (her favorite CD) after popping it in while driving and telling her that this was her new CD. However, much to my delight, she now asks for songs from this album by name. On past TMBG recordings, well over ninety percent of the songs have been true gems--musically and lyrically--and "No!" is no exception. Their talent for writing great melodies shines through when you start the CD with "Fibber Island."

Track listing: 01 Fibber Island 02 Four of Two 03 Robot Parade 04 No! 05 Where Do They Make Balloons? 06 In The Middle, In The Middle, In The Middle 07 Violin 08 John Lee Supertaster 09 The Edison Museum 10 The House at the Top of the Tree 11 Clap Your Hands 12 I Am Not Your Broom 13 Wake Up Call 14 I Am a Grocery Bag 15 Lazyhead and Sleepybones 16 Bed Bed Bed 17 Sleepwalkers

This wonderfully catchy song is complemented by its great lyrics which explain how to imagine anything, regardless of how absurd, singing "To get to Fibber Island, you just close your eyes, start fibbin' in your mind, and see what you can find," and goes on about this place where "our house is made of pie, our dog is two miles wide, and all he talks about is pie," it's really humorous and cute and reminds me of how much I enjoyed daydreaming back when I was a young'n and had lots of time to daydream. Speaking of time, the second song, "Four of Two," sparks insights about the span of time in this tale of a guy waiting for a date at four of two, who keeps looking at a clock that doesn't move. Then we come to the strangely discordant voices in "Robot Parade," and I have to admit I like this version much better than the rockin' "adult" one. "Robot Parade" is also one of Natasha's favorites on this disk, as well as the fourth, title song, "No!" (I think she can really relate to this one :) ). I found this song and the fact that it was the title of this CD really laugh out loud hilarious. The rest of the CD continuously presents great song-writing with entertaining, educational in a non-bookish sense, songs. My only exception was, "I am a Grocery Bag," which sounded to me like something they had come up with while shopping for groceries, but Natasha begs to differ--this is one of her number one picks! This album ends with several sleepy-time songs including what John Flansburg has described as a "celebration of the day," which celebrates things like eating, being with friends, watching TV, reading, brushing teeth, etc. I really like the zen-like idea that everything a person does is worth celebrating. This album was a real treat for me and Natasha and I believe They Might Be Giants can cross over into any musical genre they want and make it innovative and interesting and still be great songwriters at the core. (I should also mention that the CD-Rom is perfect for a young child who can control robots, pop balloons, and make flowers grow with the move of a mouse).

-Jennifer and Natasha Hall 09/27/02