If you know me and came to my house for the first time I’m sure, on browsing the monolithic stalagmites of CDs, you’d totally expect to see a healthy showing from They Might Be Giants. You’d be disappointed, and maybe a little perplexed. I’m not sure I can explain it either because, after all, quirky and intelligent are one of the main girders of my personal rock’n’roll skyscraper. But there you have it, I’ve never owned a TMBG album. Until today.
And I’m blaming my almost wilful neglect of these iconic quirksters on the fact that I had no idea that their new issue Here Comes Science (with They Might Be Giants) is one in a series of albums of educational songs aimed at children. Not even after listening to it all the way through. I just thought it was a collection of wonderful, instantly-singable tunes albeit with possibly psychotically scientifically-accurate lyrics.
So I learned a lot of things today. I learned that “Iron is a metal, you see it every day. Oxygen, eventually, will make it rust away”. I learned that “The sun is a miasma of incandescent plasma”. And I learned that “Roy G Biv is a colourful man and he proudly stands at the rainbow’s end, and his name spells out the whole colour spectrum”. Mostly, though, I learned that I really ought to buy more TMBG albums.
So, I’m a slow learner.
ayeahmur 
It’s back! The Friday album, what’s tomorrow’s then? What do you mean, come back then?
I have very fond memories of TMBG at King Tuts sometime in the 90’s. Just the two guys, playing every part from every song, as live as live can be. It was at the height of my obsession with them, although I haven’t listened to anything new for a long time.
I didn’t know They Might Be Giants was still a group … how fun. They were always perfect for the direction you describe (with the problem that after a bouncy intro album or perhaps two, they went into the typical personal angst that afflicts us musician types … ) … but anyway I’m intrigued. “Triangle Man” (among other great hits) still plays in my mind. Cheers …
Our kids love all the albums they’ve done for children.
They’re just joyful songs, whoever they’re aimed at.