Full Of Wonderment

The infamously quirky (and always slightly off-kilter) band that is They Might Be Giants (AKA John Flansburgh and John Linnell) are getting back to their roots more than ever with Why? (.)  The album features eighteen tracks, which are all under three minutes long, making for a light and jaunty adventure through the minds of the Giants. Why? features their signature humor-laden lyrics and simple instrumentation, making the album a direct revisitation to what gave They Might Be Giants such a cult following in the first place.

To put it simply, Why? is a joyful album. It is essentially children’s music sung by adults with youthful affectation, which is, in reality, much more appealing than the description may suggest. “Moles, Hounds, Bears, Bees and Hares” is a tune that could be featured on the Disney Junior channel, a two minute and seven second-long ditty journeying through the descriptions of the behaviors of animals. “Long White Beard” and “Omnicorn” are further instances of this recurring trend of childlike playfulness throughout the record. “Omnicorn” tells the tale of a rare unicorn, a subject that is both surprising and refreshing when heard from the mouths of two grown men.

The sense of humor of They Might Be Giants has always been one of their most endearing qualities as a musical act, and “Thinking Machine” shows that they’ve still got it. It’s song that has the ability to make the listener audibly laugh out loud, making one thankful that bands like this still exist. When they first began to make themselves known, They Might Be Giants famously set themselves apart from the constantly melancholy themes that were so prominent in most rock music at the time, and they have continued to do just that, in modern context. Why? is a hidden gem, an album full of wonderment and innocent songs that can be enjoyed by young folks and open-minded adults.