Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants by They Might Be Giants (CD, Jun-2010, TMX)

Album Features
UPC:	5099995607023
Artist:	They Might Be Giants
Format:	CD
Release Year:	2010
Record Label:	TMX
Genre:	Alternative, Rock & Pop

Details
Contributing Artists:	Peter Stampfel, Laura Cantrell
Distributor:	EMD
Recording Type:	Studio
SPAR Code:	DDD

Album Notes
They Might Be Giants: John Flansburgh (vocals, guitar, keyboards); John Linnell (vocals, accordion, saxophone, keyboards).Additional personnel includes: Peter Stampfel (vocals, banjo); Laura Cantrell, Robin "Goldie" Goldwasser, Margeret Seiler (vocals); Eric Schermerhorn (acoustic & electric guitars); Jay Sherman-Godfrey (acoustic guitar, slide guitar); Dan Miller, Lyle Workman (guitar): Mark Feldman (violin); Frank London, Charlie Splavida, Jim O'Connor (trumpet); Dan Levine (trombone); Kurt Hoffman (horns); Dan Weinkauf, Graham Maby, Tony Maimone (bass); Brian Doherty, Dan Hickey, Alan Bezozi (drums); Sue Hadjopoulos (congas, percussion); Luis Jardim (percussion).Producers include: They Might Be Giants, Pat Dillet, Adam Schlesinger, Bill Krauss, Clive Langer.Compilation producer: Gary Stewart.Includes liner notes by Sarah Vowell.All tracks have been digitally remastered.They Might Be Giants are quite possibly the quirkiest pop-hook mavens ever to employ the accordion and bass clarinet. They are also one of most educationally oriented bands on the planet. Even a cursory listen to DIAL-A-SONG, Rhino's twin-disc 2002 retrospective of John Flansburgh and John Linnell's music, will yield lessons on history ("James K. Polk"), biology ("Mammal"), astronomy ("Why Does the Sun Shine? [The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas]"), art ("Meet James Ensor"), morality ("Your Racist Friend"), and good rock bands ("We're the Replacements"). They also adroitly pose philosophical questions, such as "How Can I Sing Like a Girl?"Flansburgh and Linnell garnered a cult following after their 1986 debut, and DIAL-A-SONG selects recordings from this period ("Don't Let's Start," "Boat of Car") and their subsequent and increasingly successful releases. The collection draws heavily from popular TMBG albums LINCOLN ("Ana Ng," "They'll Need a Crane") and FLOOD ("Birdhouse in Your Soul," "Istanbul [Not Constantinople]"), as well as their mid-'90s full-band recordings and beyond. The collection displays the Giants' consistently appealing absurdist sensibility and high level of tunesmithery, and the handsomely packaged set is an excellent overview of one of rock's most unusual and entertaining acts.

Editorial Reviews
4 stars out of 5 - ...Cheery music with a dark undertow....[A] 52-track treasure trove...
Q (20021201)