TMBG writes and records some of the best songs you’ll ever hear, as well as some of the worst. They swing from large, dark pop songs to quirky, experimental songs and everything in between.
Some of their fans love the quirky stuff and are less impressed by the more commercial songs. These fans tend to like the first two albums (the “pink album” and Lincoln) and not much else. Some like Flood, but they still hate “Istanbul.”
Others love these more accessable pop songs, particularly John Linnell’s songs, which have evolved over the years into a really rich, beautifully unique style (an earlier post referred to getting “chills”). These fans tend to be impatient with the quirky stuff.
So, most TMBG albums will contain songs you’ll love right next to song’s you’ll hate. Welcome to They Might Be Giants. Buy a rewritable drive and roll your own compilations, but check out the band. I recommend “Factory Showroom” as a solid effort. Enjoy!
initech
PS Accuracy compels me to note that there are fans who only like Flood, but they aren’t real fans. There are also people who love everything TMBG does, but those people are crazy.
I recommend anything newer than Apollo 18 to those who haven’t heard TMBG before - John Henry, Factory Showroom, Severe Tire Damage, or Mink Car. Hard to choose between them.