| They Might Be Giants are like the handful of best-selling authors who also happen to be doctors or astrophysicists: They do two things so well--in their case kids' music and grown-up music--that it seems a little unfair, like the talent scale has been tipped too hard in their favor. Like Here Come the 123s, the follow-up to 2005's Here Come the ABCs, and TMBG's third kids' record. Here the Johns--Linnell and Flansburgh--are up to their usual smart shenanigans: In "Seven," a bunch of skinny numerals crash a stranger’s living room before settling in for some cake, and in "Nine Bowls of Soup" an ichthyosaur is so enamored of soup he works out a way to balance a multitude of bowls on his scaly body. The brilliance isn’t limited to the lyrics. The Johns know a thing or 1-2-3 about crafting seriously jammable music. Highights include “High Five,” a flippy, freewheeling dab of disco, and “One Everything,” a juiced-up, jangly rocker with a message for listeners ages 3 to 93: an untidy room actually is an insult to the omniverse. --Tammy La Gorce |
