For a short while, the Giants were indeed giants.. (Flood - They Might Be Giants)

Member Name: Wezzo

Product:	Flood - They Might Be Giants
Date:	10/06/08 (121 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Generally excellent music

Disadvantages: Couple of weaker songs

They Might be Giants have never been the most chart-friendly band. In their two-decade long career, only two of their singles have hit the UK top 40 - and one of those was a TV theme song ("Boss Of Me", from Malcolm In The Middle). The other, "Birdhouse In Your Soul", was drawn from this album, and heralded a brief period where the Giants were something of a mainstream success: in the US, the band's videos began to get regular rotation on MTV, and "Flood" went gold; while in the UK, "Birdhouse In Your Soul" hit number 6 in the charts and the Giants appeared on Top Of The Pops to promote it. For a few fleeting moments, They Might Be Giants were something close to celebrities.. It's no surprise that it was around this album the public chose to get more interested in TMBG, given it's among their most accessible work; but that's certainly not a criticism, as it's also among their best.

Things start with a 28-second introduction, "Theme from Flood". The most obvious callback to earlier, quirkier TMBG material on the album, it's sung by a female choir and consists of little more than a tongue-in-cheek introduction to "the brand new record for 1990, They Might Be Giants' brand new album Flood.."

"Birdhouse In Your Soul", the first full-length track on the album, is perhaps the band's best-known track, and deservedly so. The lyrics are typically impenetrable on first listen (the song's actually about, and sung from the perspective of, a blue canary-shaped nightlight) but it's impossible not to be hooked by the fast-paced, catchy melody and everything about the song simply works: from the sft intro to the layered finish, the Giants don't put a step wrong. Maybe their all-time best song.

"Lucky Ball & Chain" is even more fast-paced than "Birdhouse", and almost as catchy. A rocker with a slight country twang, the chorus sounds almost like something you'd hear an Irish folk band singing after one too many. Lyrically we're on fine form too, as the band take the age-old slang phrase for "wife", "ball and chain" and interpret it every conceivable way.

Best known for its appearance on Tony Toon Adventures, "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" occupies the track four slot, and thanks to the aforementioned show it's among the more popular They Might Be Giants songs - though many probably don't know it's by them.(In fact it's a cover version of an obscure '50s track, but TMBG's is by far the more popular version.) The torrent of circular lyrics ("Istanbul was Constantinople / Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople / So if you've got a date in Constantinople / She'll be waiting in Istanbul") are matched by another insanely fast-paced, accordion-led and country-tinged rock backing. Wonderful stuff.

Things finally slow down a little with "Dead", a dirge-like quirk that tells of "returning a bag of groceries accidentally taken off the shelf before the expiration date". (The Giants are not known for their traditional lyrics, as you can probably tell by now..) It's solid, if unspectacular. The mid-tempo "Your Racist Friend" improves on its predecessor to become another standout, however, with a mid-song trumpet breakdown and the irregular rhythm of the chorus proving highlights that warrant repeated listens.

"Particle Man" is another track that is comparatively well-known, thanks primarily to "Tony Toon Adventures". It's home to some of my favourite wordplay of the Giants ("Particle Man .. / When he's underwater does he get wet? / Or does the water get him instead?"), and the slow handclappy rhythm immediately endears the tune to both kids and adults alike. Whether you subscribe to the Particle Man, Universe Man, Triangle Man and Person Man being a microcosm for the world or simply childish nonsense, it's still a fun liten.

"Twisting" is considerably darker in tone than most of its contemporaries here, as the chorus line "she wants to see you again slowly twisting in the wind" apparently refers to hanging. No worries though: musically, we're still upbeat, sounding remarkably New Wave; while the once-an-album pop-culture references TMBG typically deliver are present here ("she doesn't want to have her Young Fresh Fellows tape back now..")

"We Want A Rock" is one of the archetypal TMBG pop songs, with an accordion-driven backing and some crazy lyrics that sound like they make more sense than they probably do. Could easily have been a single - it's not as strong as "Birdhouse", granted, but it has more mass appeal than a lot of TMBG songs.

"Someone Keeps Moving My Chair", the album's halfway point, is next. A personal favourite, it's got a bit of a funk-techno backing yet somehow the chorus manages to come off as a soaring power ballad. It never fails to amaze me how TMBG can blend genres so seamlessly. The lyrics are fun too, telling off a boss named - hopefully semi-ironically - Mr. Horrible, and his failure to succumb to any prank but the titular stealing of his chair.

"Hearing Aid" is probably the album's weakest track, a slow-paced dirge with little to recommend musically. The occasional "percussion rolls", sound effects and synth sound out of place, while the vocals aren't really my thing and the lyric is too short. Occasionally the song does something to grab the attention, but for most of its runtime it drifts slowly by. "Minimum Wage" is similarly forgettable, though at least it's only 45 seconds long.

Thankfully though, we're right back on form with the fantastic "Letterbox". The lyrics are churned out at the speed of light and I've spent many a listen attempting to match the Giants' pace; while the swaying stop-start rhythm is immediately appealing. The bridge of the song is particularly appealing, segueing to the chorus nicely. It's just a shame it's only 90 seconds long.

"Whistling In The Dark" is next. The title is apparently sone kind of slang for a sex act but it doesn't seem to be used in that context here: instead, it's used in a more traditional context of sitting around and doing nothing with your life. Linnell's cool but rarely-seen deep vocals get a fine outing here, while the drum-heavy, one-line chorus is liable to get stuck in your head for weeks on end. The chaotic ending to an otherwise sparse song is the icing on a lovely cake.

"Hot Cha" is maybe the most inconcventional Giants song on the album, and it's not exactly a fan favourite. I quite like it though: it's got a nice R'n'B rhythm with some cool chimes and a nice piano break in the middle. With the lyrics though, your guess is as good as mine: though there is a narrative, I can't for the life of me figure out who or what "Hot Cha" is.

"Women & Men" starts off ballad-like before turning into a sea-shanty type chant. It's a segue that works, and Linnell's voice really works on such a song, while Flansburgh's backing vocals add to depth to a deceptively simple song. Marvellous stuff. "Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love" is also excellent: at only 90 seconds long, it's maybe too short, but it's still a great slow-building tune with some of the band's all-time finest instrumentation, complementing the simple vocals wonderfully.

"They Might Be Giants" is next (yeah, they named a song after themselves!) which takes the conceit of "they might be.." to previously-unscaled heights ("They might be brain / They might be washed / They might be Dr. Spock's back-up band"). The vocal samples work, while the fast-paced chorus is typically catchy and the varying tempo is liable to catch you off-guard listen after listen. Things round out with the slow ballad/dirge "Road Movie to Berlin": not too memorable, but an appropriate closer, with the occasional break from its slow tempo into a bit of faster sonic experimentation.

The 19-track, 43-minute CD is available for less than £5 on Amazon marketplace and comes with a fold-out lyric sheet. Nothing too special in the packaging department, just a jewel case. No worries though: the music justifies the purchase alone. A fine starting point for new fans, though career retrospective "Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants" is perhaps the more logical place to begin. If you're looking to compile a TMBG album collection, though, this is essential.

Summary: Highly recommended