The Else

Performer: They Might Be Giants
Engineer: Anthony Ruotolo; Yuki Takahashi; Patrick Billard; Jon Altschuler; Greg Thompson; Danny Kalb; Alan Ford; Pat Dillett
Producer: They Might Be Giants; The Dust Brothers; Pat Dillett
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Initial Pressings Includes "Cast Your Pod To The Wind" Bonus Disc. They Might Be Giants: Dan Solder Miller (guitar); John Flansburgh (guitars); John Linnell (keyboards); Danny Weinkauf (bass guitar); Marty Beller (drums). Additional personnel: Sharon Jones (vocals); Lyle Workman (guitar); Stan Harrison (saxophone); Jim O'Connor (trumpet); Dan Levine (trombone); Justin Meldal-Johnsen (acoustic bass); Mauro Refosco (percussion). With 2007's THE ELSE, the alternative-pop duo They Might Be Giants adds yet another album to its remarkably prolific and varied career. Featuring gleefully odd artwork by lauded Canadian artist Marcel Dzama, the record presents a pleasantly assured batch of John Linnell and John Flansburgh's eclectic and quirky tunes, arguably making it the pair's best full-length outing since its early-1990s heyday. In addition to working with frequent producer Pat Dillett, Linnell and Flansburgh enlisted the Dust Brothers (Beck) for some of these sessions, resulting in a fuller, edgier sound, as best exemplified by the electronica-tinged "Careful What You Pack" and the guitar-heavy "Feign Amnesia." While a number of THE ELSE's tracks are surprisingly straightforward, TMBG's signature whimsy is showcased on "The Cap'm," a harmony-laden tune, and the piano-led "Bee of the Bird of the Moth," a song that continues the act's fascination with both playful lyrics and the natural world. Essential for any devoted fan and thoroughly enjoyable for newcomers, THE ELSE reveals that Linnell and Flansburgh still have a bevy of tricks up their sleaves after more than two decades as They Might Be Giants.

Spin (p.109) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] witty lyrics and solid songwriting..." Alternative Press (p.170) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "THE ELSE is a funky adventure in deliberate awkwardness." Magnet (p.110) - "The Dust Brothers' production pushes the songs popwards with loops, textures and effects....The strongest songs here are seriously hilarious and hilariously serious..." No Depression (p.104) - "Best of all is 'The Mesopotamians', which once again reveals the key influence of early '70s Saturday-morning cartoon theme songs."

John Flansburgh and John Linnell, the two singer/songwriters behind Brooklyn avant-pop cult band They Might Be Giants, were childhood friends who have been working under the TMBG banner since the '80s. The words "nerdy," "geek-rock," and "quirky" have been applied to their melodic, humor-filled songs so often there should be a cross-reference in the dictionary. Over their numerous albums with and without backing musicians (in the early days they used a drum machine) they've offered songs about the most unlikely subjects imaginable, from Belgian painter James Ensor to famed cinematic costume designer Edith Head. Their masterful songcraft is such that they've long maintained a healthy audience for their idiosyncratic sound.

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