Step on SPIDER! (Apollo 18 - They Might Be Giants)

Member Name: MykReeve

Product:	Apollo 18 - They Might Be Giants
Date:	22/08/00 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some excellent songs, inspired lyrics (as ever!)

Disadvantages: Quite short (only 43 minutes)

They Might Be Giants' fourth album, 'Apollo 18' is another excellent collection of songs, and was produced to coincide with the International Year of Space, 1992. The lyrics remain as surreal as ever, and the band have produced some superb songs, many of which are easily as catchy as those of 'Flood', their third album.

The highlights of the album are, for me; 'I Palindrome I' which includes an excellent palindromic chorus; 'Spider', an all-too-brief burst of supremely odd lyrics; and 'Hypnotist of Ladies'. In their attempt to introduce occasional tunes featuring educational information, they've included 'Mammal', featuring such priceless lyrics as "the warm blood flows, through the large four-chambered heart, maintaining the very high metabolism rate they have." The final song on the album is 'Space Suit', a wonderfully composed instrumental work, heavily featuring the accordion.

The penultimate track 17 consists of twenty-one brief lines in different styles, seemingly from songs that were never completed, entitled 'Fingertips' after the only word featured in the second "line". Despite the obvious disjointed feel of the track, it's very entertaining – from the low-pitched almost choral sounding request to "Leave me alone, leave me alone" to the lounge singer's croon of "What's that blue thing doing here?" or the nasal whining that "Something grabbed ahold of my hand, I didn't know what had my hand, and that where all my troubles began." This is the most fun on the album, and surprisingly entertaining.

Overall, this is definitely a must have for a They Might Be Giants fan – second only to the superb 'Flood'. Like many of the band's albums, this can often be picked up fairly cheaply in sales, and is well worth a look.

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