Idlewild/Zoe Records
2007
The Else
About This Album
For their twelfth full-length -- and first "rock" album in three years -- They Might Be Giants recruited the Dust Brothers as co-producers, a combination nearly as intriguing as the fact that the duo released The Else digitally via iTunes more than a month before it was issued on CD. Pairing the Dust Brothers' sonic invention with John Linnell and John Flansburgh's winning ways with words and melodies should be a dream collaboration; after all, the producers' work with Beck was just as witty and playful as it was funky and innovative. Nearly every time They Might Be Giants has ventured into territory that might be considered strange (Apollo 18's "Fingertips" mini-songs, their foray into children's music), they've pulled it off with flair. However, The Else is surprisingly -- and at times, a little disappointingly -- straightforward, particularly on its first half. While "I'm Impressed"'s distorted beat reflects the Dust Brothers' influence on the album (though this track isn't one that they produced) and "Take out the Trash" is a brassy, winning admonition to a girl to dump her loser boyfriend, The Else begins with a string of songs that are fun but not especially memorable.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9)

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