Review: They Might Be Giants NANOBOTS songs 1-5
Nanobots is a new album by They Might Be Giants, a band who started with upbeat depressing breakup songs and several songs about degenerative mental illness, and blossomed it into a career that puts one foot in adult alternative and one foot solidly in children’s music. While Nanobots is more in the adult alternative realm, it’s still a wicked poppy album with many things a child would enjoy, and not understand until years later.
You’re On Fire
Absurdly catchy little song, the guitar switches from left to right with every note. The lyrics are a bit boring but very catchy. It’s a bit reminiscent of the Pink album. Oddly a very good dance tune. Only regret is the song clocks in at under three minutes and that’s just when you’re getting into the groove of the thing.
Nanobots
The song starts out sounding like a marching tune, then just becomes happy. Reminds me a lot of something that would have fit into Apollo 18. It’s got an interesting feel of marching toward the inevitable grey goo of uniformity as the nanobots devour all things consumable, but in a happy way. The undertones of complete destruction and creepy nano-conquering are too subtle for a younger audience, and it comes across as a very happy little song.
Black Ops
Sounds like a lullabye, very dark involving secret police, abuse, detention facilities, places that don’t exist, and sticking you into a locker. The music however is extremely soothing.
Lost My Mind
Sounds a bit like it was based on a sea shanty, chronicles the singer’s insanity or random drifts of imagination. Lots of great circular imagery, sticks in your head and struggles to break out every time you can’t find your keys.
Circular Karate Chop
It’s got an interesting use of the word Anorak (parka / obsessive interest in niche subjects) and seems to devote a lot of time to ignoring a bully who’s evidently going to grow up to be in the circus. Poppy, upbeat, interesting link between a telescoping roundhouse kick and a C-64 controller.
