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EDIT INFOThey Might Be Giants - Lincoln
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Album Details
- Artist: They Might Be Giants
- Album: Lincoln
- Label: Restless / Bar None
- Year of Release: 1989
- ME Rating: Indie Classic
- Reviewed by: dscanland on 2003-04-01
RecommendI am not a big TMBG fan but this album is an essential. In this wildly diverse outing the band manages to poke fun at everything and play any style of music. The group is wildly eclectic going all over the map but having fun wilst doing so. The music is always catchy and easily remembered (read:it sticks in your head!). They paved the way for the likes of Ween. Great musicians and songwriters. Might have to go directly to Restless for this album as I think it is out of print.
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on 2012-01-30 CharlesMartel Said:
They Might Be Giants have been around so long. Perhaps they will soon call themselves They Might Be Pensioners. It therefore seems odd that their second album, " Lincoln" , named after the town where they grew up, should remain the band's strongest album. If anything, this was the album that cemented their place in music and gave them a reputation which, if I am being honest, they have struggled to live up to ever since. But it is now over twenty years since this album came out and a lot has changed musically since then. Perhaps it is time to look at They Might Be Giants and "Lincoln" through fresh eyes.
Now if a band is going to get an album off to a good start, they can do no better than to start it with a track like " Ana Ng" . The danger with such a start is that you are inclined to switch off after it, knowing that no matter how many times you listen to the rest of the album, there is no better track coming down the line. And that is, ultimately, the problem with this album. If I was being harsh I would say it outstays its welcome beyond that opening track. True, there are other tracks which are OK - " They'll Need a Crane ", " Snowball in Hell" and " Cowtown " being the obvious examples, but they never approach " Ana Ng" in quality.
The result is an album which outstays its welcome. It is far too long and has a number of rather annoying little quirks. Now in some people's eyes, these quirks are what makes They Might Be Giants themselves. But annoying is what they are and top of the annoying list is the vocals. They comprise a sort of nerdy whine which is really off putting after a while. Next on the line comes some really irritating little in jokes. I have never really understood why some bands try to be clever and build these into their songs. They Might Be Giants do it well, but why. And finally, there comes the instrumentation. Now weird and wonderful instruments are all weird and wonderful, but there is a limit to my patience when they are used, especially when they begin to dominate some tracks.
Overall this is an album brimming with novel ideas and with a number of really good melodies. However there is too much arsing around. I realise that the band comprises a couple of friends who are doing what they love, but I wish they would keep it simple and leave off the jokery. Had they done so, this would have been a far better album. But would it have been They Might Be Giants?
Rating: 6/10
