They Might Be Giants, Elektra, four stars (out of five stars)
The silly boys who hail from Lincoln have finally gotten back on track to what made them awesome: a mysterious blend of goofy and giddy songs sharpened by some serious pop-rock. It's good to see them back after two slight stumbles. After a little break, the duo regains their sense of what is good and what is really weird, and brings them both to us. From odes to littleknown politicians ("James K. Polk") to celebrations of life ("The Bells Are Ringing"), the boys hit stride and don't slow down.
They open with perhaps their weirdest moment in years on the funky "S-E-X-X-Y" and immediately pour into the anti-suicide rocker "'Til My Head Falls Off." Elsewhere, the tracks become silly, as on "Metal Detector," and romantic on "New York City." It's still original, intense stuff, delivered with the stop-on-the-dime feel the band has always maintained.