Audio/Video
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, "FLOOD"
Author: They Might Be Giants
Publisher/Manufacturer: Elektra Records, 1990
The Brooklyn duo of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, better-known as They Might Be Giants, are practically a junk-culture tribute band, spinning out music that's perfect for the attention span-impaired: cheesy jingle/parody versions of everything from punk to polka, ska to salsa, folk to funk, rock to roll. Steeped in both whimsy and common sense, their albums play like brainy children's records with lots of adult appeal.
While all their albums are good kid/parent crossover points, "Flood" is the duo's masterwork. It offers up pearls of gentle wisdom in "Birdhouse in Your Soul" (an ode to a nightlight) and "Your Racist Friend"; "Jabberwocky"-type surrealism in "Particle Man" and "Someone Keeps Moving My Chair"; and throughout, hooks that will snare even the shortest attention span. Perfect for your kids' mixtapes, or your own answering machine.
