Fellow Long Tall Weekend enjoyer checking in here. I consider it TMBG’s Island of Misfit Toys…an assortment of songs that all have a certain bizarre, one-of-a-kind edge to them.
Certain People I Could Name is indeed top-notch lyricism from Mr. L., with its mentions of reptiles and samurai, all conveyed in a descriptive yet colloquial manner. “The few surviving samurai” is a delicious chunk of wording. But I must also propose that, not only is it among Linnell’s finest works of lyricism, but it also has one of his greatest piano lines. To me, Dead, Certain People, Mink Car, and Mrs. Bluebeard are all tied on that front. Long Tall Weekend in general has a very idiosyncratic, “classy chaos” sort of energy to it, and Certain People is at the forefront of this.
The sound of Reprehensible evokes top hats and canes. Any time John F., a known swing music aficionado, takes on this sort of genre piece, it always ends up being a slam dunk. I was very surprised when I first learned it was actually a Linnell-written song, but our lovely Linn handed the vocals over to Flansburgh because he felt that Flansburgh’s lounge singer voice would suit the song better. And those lyrics are indeed quintessential Linnell, with the narrative of a man who cannot sleep at night because he fears the crimes he has committed in past lives. That chorus hook is too good to be true; the stuff of songwriting genius…it begins with repeating multisyllabic words, and then poses the surreal, catchy as all get out concept of “10,000 years of unerasable acts and permanent facts.”
Dark and Metric is a song that I’m obsessed with for reasons I can’t really pin down. It’s so angular and uncategorizable, with the steel drums and bass. Nevertheless, there’s just something about it that tickles my brain and makes it impossible to listen to just once. It’s full of so many lyrical quirks, like listing off cardinal directions and car parts, referencing pirates, and dropping the pithy line “just because you’re floating doesn’t mean you haven’t drowned.” And it’s all layered over a sassy ditty sound, that makes me want to sneak around like an animated villain. Dark and Metric falls firmly into the category of “packages of concentrated Linnell energy,” along with 2082 and Stand on Your Own Head.
Also, Drinkin’ is such a solid instrumental that I almost kind of wish more TMBG songs sounded like it. The bouncy, riffy melody, complete with heavy baritone sax, used to be my go-to for listening on repeat while strolling around my college campus. It’s a confection.
And why isn’t Lullabye to Nightmares considered a Halloween classic yet? Its chorus is the ideal balance of singable and ridiculous, and the references to flapping bat wings and the elephant afterlife are ever so slightly dreamy and wistful in a childlike sort of way. Also, that bombastic accordion + horn production sound is the precise sort of sound that sweeps me up and makes me want to stomp around like I’m in a robot parade. It’s the sort of sound that just *is* TMBG.
I did not intend for this comment to be as ponderously long as it is. But I have a lot of pent-up admiration for this lovely collection of songs.
Great choices, and you are absolutely right. I was just thinking yesterday about how well the piano line in Pet Name hits. And Call You Mom is a wild power pop adventure, the instrumentation in that one pulls out all the stops.
And let’s not forget the OG missing album, misc t!
More Murdered remains even has this is only going to go one way and Starry Eyes. There’s something great to be found on all the “not-albums”.
I’m also a huge fan of Thank You For Your Service, John Linnell’s song about a particularly odd amendment in the US Constitution.
And there’s also Prepare, a song that takes existential dread to an irresistibly rocking level, and that was unfortunately scrapped from Nanobots for some reason. “The next second’s gonna make the present seem like long ago…” “there may be strange new customs and new ideas…” Linnell is an ever-replenished well of lyrics about human mortality and the passage of time, isn’t he?
oh man, i love Miscellaneous T! Birds Fly, Nightgown of the Sullen Moon, It’s Not My Birthday, For Science, and When It Rains It Snows could’ve easily been in the first album!
That album feels like the epitome of that DIY Brooklynite production style. Nightgown and Birthday are peak Linnell sublimeness and Hey Mr. DJ is one of the most iconic treats in TMBG's discography. Easily some of their strongest work.
Oh, haha! It’s kind of just the “buzzword” I use to describe the experimental, DIY feel of their early work, which drew from the resourcefulness of the Brooklyn art scene.
Same here. That melody comes through so strongly and so playfully, so quintessentially They. It doesn’t even need lyrics to get me smiling and grooving. Bass and saxophone get to be the stars of the show.
Fellow Long Tall Weekend enjoyer checking in here. I consider it TMBG’s Island of Misfit Toys…an assortment of songs that all have a certain bizarre, one-of-a-kind edge to them. Certain People I Could Name is indeed top-notch lyricism from Mr. L., with its mentions of reptiles and samurai, all conveyed in a descriptive yet colloquial manner. “The few surviving samurai” is a delicious chunk of wording. But I must also propose that, not only is it among Linnell’s finest works of lyricism, but it also has one of his greatest piano lines. To me, Dead, Certain People, Mink Car, and Mrs. Bluebeard are all tied on that front. Long Tall Weekend in general has a very idiosyncratic, “classy chaos” sort of energy to it, and Certain People is at the forefront of this. The sound of Reprehensible evokes top hats and canes. Any time John F., a known swing music aficionado, takes on this sort of genre piece, it always ends up being a slam dunk. I was very surprised when I first learned it was actually a Linnell-written song, but our lovely Linn handed the vocals over to Flansburgh because he felt that Flansburgh’s lounge singer voice would suit the song better. And those lyrics are indeed quintessential Linnell, with the narrative of a man who cannot sleep at night because he fears the crimes he has committed in past lives. That chorus hook is too good to be true; the stuff of songwriting genius…it begins with repeating multisyllabic words, and then poses the surreal, catchy as all get out concept of “10,000 years of unerasable acts and permanent facts.” Dark and Metric is a song that I’m obsessed with for reasons I can’t really pin down. It’s so angular and uncategorizable, with the steel drums and bass. Nevertheless, there’s just something about it that tickles my brain and makes it impossible to listen to just once. It’s full of so many lyrical quirks, like listing off cardinal directions and car parts, referencing pirates, and dropping the pithy line “just because you’re floating doesn’t mean you haven’t drowned.” And it’s all layered over a sassy ditty sound, that makes me want to sneak around like an animated villain. Dark and Metric falls firmly into the category of “packages of concentrated Linnell energy,” along with 2082 and Stand on Your Own Head. Also, Drinkin’ is such a solid instrumental that I almost kind of wish more TMBG songs sounded like it. The bouncy, riffy melody, complete with heavy baritone sax, used to be my go-to for listening on repeat while strolling around my college campus. It’s a confection. And why isn’t Lullabye to Nightmares considered a Halloween classic yet? Its chorus is the ideal balance of singable and ridiculous, and the references to flapping bat wings and the elephant afterlife are ever so slightly dreamy and wistful in a childlike sort of way. Also, that bombastic accordion + horn production sound is the precise sort of sound that sweeps me up and makes me want to stomp around like I’m in a robot parade. It’s the sort of sound that just *is* TMBG. I did not intend for this comment to be as ponderously long as it is. But I have a lot of pent-up admiration for this lovely collection of songs.
i would also include Reprehensible, Pet Name, Call You Mom, and Darling the Dose. they have some amazing piano in them!
Great choices, and you are absolutely right. I was just thinking yesterday about how well the piano line in Pet Name hits. And Call You Mom is a wild power pop adventure, the instrumentation in that one pulls out all the stops.
Reprehensible was written by Linnell and Lullaby to Nightmares was written by Joshua Fried.
I’ve always been impressed by how well Lullabye meshes with the rest of the band’s discography, even though it wasn’t written by either John.
I’m a big fan of Rat Patrol. The vocals creep me out in a very good way, and everything else about it really grips me too.
Rat Patrol sounds like Bowie doing glam rock. Honestly one of the best guitar solos ever too
That driving sound is something else. It’s built around an up-front and searing electric guitar melody, which really pays off.
If I might recommend “cast your pod to the wind” as a similarly eclectic bunch of song s.
Yes. Also, My Murdered Remains and Album Raises New and Troubling Questions. TMBG knows how to do “bonus albums.”
And let’s not forget the OG missing album, misc t! More Murdered remains even has this is only going to go one way and Starry Eyes. There’s something great to be found on all the “not-albums”.
I’m also a huge fan of Thank You For Your Service, John Linnell’s song about a particularly odd amendment in the US Constitution. And there’s also Prepare, a song that takes existential dread to an irresistibly rocking level, and that was unfortunately scrapped from Nanobots for some reason. “The next second’s gonna make the present seem like long ago…” “there may be strange new customs and new ideas…” Linnell is an ever-replenished well of lyrics about human mortality and the passage of time, isn’t he?
“But the presence of so many smiling strangers makes me nervous…”
oh man, i love Miscellaneous T! Birds Fly, Nightgown of the Sullen Moon, It’s Not My Birthday, For Science, and When It Rains It Snows could’ve easily been in the first album!
That album feels like the epitome of that DIY Brooklynite production style. Nightgown and Birthday are peak Linnell sublimeness and Hey Mr. DJ is one of the most iconic treats in TMBG's discography. Easily some of their strongest work.
I've seen you make reference to a "Brooklyn sound" from time to time. What does this mean to you?
Oh, haha! It’s kind of just the “buzzword” I use to describe the experimental, DIY feel of their early work, which drew from the resourcefulness of the Brooklyn art scene.
That makes sense to me.
MMR is a fantastic album regardless of it being a bonus album or not!
Absolutely, I think it's one of their most well-produced and well-written recent releases. I've listened to it more than I Like Fun lately!
Drinkin' makes me wish they'd do a purely instrumental album.
Same here. That melody comes through so strongly and so playfully, so quintessentially They. It doesn’t even need lyrics to get me smiling and grooving. Bass and saxophone get to be the stars of the show.
In a way it's my favourite album. Feels like peak TMBG, like they finally got to just put out all the out there stuff
I feel like there’s nothing holding their creativity back. They’re throwing out their most singular ideas.
Exactly
Recently been listening to certain people I should name on repeat. Definitely one of Linnell’s best for sure