They Might Be Giants’ “Glean” ****1/2
In the 1980s and '90s, They Might Be Giants had a local 718 number in Brooklyn. When you called it, a machine would pick up and play you a song. This was known as They Might Be Giants’ “Dial-A-Song” number. Being a teenage Brooklynite, I called it from time to time during my high school years. (It was a local call, back when such a distinction mattered.) Usually the band seemed to use this as a place to put either early demos or songs that didn’t make albums. In any case, it was always a worthwhile phone call.
They Might Be Giants’ 17th album “Glean” in a way commemorates the re-launch of “Dial-A-Song,” which has re-emerged as a website. For the last 15 weeks, the site has been dropping videos for new songs. These new songs make up the album. Honestly, it is one of the best and most focused John Linnell and John Flansburgh have released in quite some time. No, they have never released a bad, poor or even merely satisfactory album, but this record makes both 2011’s “Join Us” and 2013’s “Nanobots,” which are both great records in their own right seem like practice exercises leading up to this record. This isn’t surprising since “Join Us” was their journey back into adult-hood after doing a series of (also excellent) kids records.
What makes "Glean” stand out is that it feels very much like it is connected to the earliest parts of the duo’s career. The drunken disappointment felt in “Answer” after a life of letdowns in the face of a possible rebound feels like a follow-up of sorts to their divorce classic, “They’ll Need A Crane” from 1988’s “Lincoln.” Similarly, the tone and the jittering music on “Unpronounceable,” recalls that album’s opener “Ana Ng."
There's also a somewhat continuous narrative thread on this album that aims to erase memories of relationships gone wrong. “Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind” is an obvious influence, particularly on “Erase” and the jazzy work-up, “Let Me Tell You About My Operation.” Elsewhere, the Johns celebrate mundane existence on “I Can Help The Next In Line,” find drama in arguments on both “End Of The Rope” and “Madam, I Challenge You To A Duel” and chronicle stories of men not living up to their perceived potential on “I’m A Coward” and “All The Lazy Boyfriends.” In many ways, this is a concept album about relationships, why they fail and humans merely puttering around the Earth trying to understand each other’s intentions. The goal is happiness and yes, happiness can come from forgetting one’s troubles, but ultimately is that really the best way to handle such turmoil?
On “Glean,” They Might Be Giants deliver a sharp, snarky, thought-provoking collection that one could argue questions the human condition and how we deal with each other. These complex ideas are wrapped in tightly-constructed power-pop songs that are bound to stick with you for some time. In short, “Gleam” is probably one of their top five best albums to date, and it should be mentioned in the same sentence as “Lincoln,” “Flood” and “Apollo 18.” Few bands are still this sharp more than thirty years in, but one gets the feeling they could make records like this for at least another thirty. "Glean” reaffirms the fact that They Might Be Giants are still the quirky, highly intellectual titans of indie rock.
“Madam, I Challenge You To A Duel” Here the duo capture a classic pop element somewhere between the late-period Beatles and Tommy Roe’s “Dizzy.” The song is just barely over two minutes but it more than leaves a lasting impression.
“Erase” This is a gloriously silly song about erasing mistakes and memories. It’s a sunny-sounding song with unapologetic dark lyrics. Again, this is vintage TMBG.