I am short on time for Audience Participation this week so let's just talk about this new album news shall we?
First off:title. Join Us. I kind of love it. They have been saying all along that this album is kind of a "back to our roots" sort of record and that certainly seems to be backed up by today's early review of the preview tracks. They have always said that their only rule with their music was that they have to like it. They don't write to please anyone but themselves. I feel like the title is kind of inviting us to take them as they are and enjoy the ride.
Second: the new songs. I am intrigued. I really enjoy some of Flansburgh's relationship songs and don't care much for others so I am very curious to see where I fall on Never Knew Love. I'm also wondering if there is a twist in their somewhere since that sounds like an awfully traditional love song title for TMBG. Flans says it's optimistic. I wonder if maybe they have finally written something like a happy love song. The review certainly makes it sound that way.
Old Pine Box sounds like classic Giants. Death imagery right there in the title. And I like Flansburgh's comment that it is about a burnout but not sung by a burnout. That too sounds like classic Giants. Plus, handclaps, vocoder, how could they go wrong?
And Can't Keep Johnny Down, the song I can not keep the name of in my head. I think this may be the song Flans was talking about in that interview a couple of years ago when he said that Linnell had written a song that he really admired and Linnell was all surprised that Flans felt so strongly about it. Just the comments that Flans made about it in the Spinner interview, gave me that feeling. I'm pretty excited about this one honestly. I have an early feeling this is going to be my favorite.
Very curious to see what the fourth preview track is. Canajoharie? Duende? Something else entirely? Way to build anticipation guys. Tell us just enough but not everything.
I love the idea of the preview being included in the price of the album. Saves me from buying the thing an extra time, since you know I'm gonna need the download and Gary's gonna need the download and we are each going to need a CD and then we'll probably buy a signed one somewhere and then the vinyl and you see where I am going with this?
I don't yet know how I feel about the cover art. Weird. I need to see it bigger. Jury is still out on that one.
And in addition to all this album news there is the tidbit about a 6 country world tour which I am sure will make the international fans very happy and the 50 city US tour which makes me very happy. Now I am just waiting for my invitation to go with them as official photographer/merch girl/coffee runner (yes, I know, keep dreaming).
And finally, tucked into all this great news was the announcement that the new Jonathan Coulton album is called Artificial Heart. Which is the name of one of the songs on the new album; one of the few he has not yet performed. Sweet! Super excited for that too. This is going to be a great year. I can just feel it.
So what do you all think? Thoughts? Impressions? Things you hope they do or don't do? Let's get this discussion rolling!
P.S. Happy Birthday to John! Yay!
P.P.S. I have a shit load of, if I do say so myself, fantastic pictures of Marty (and JoCo and Chris) from PAX on Saturday that I will upload as soon as I get back from Florida.
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So. Excited.
ReplyDeleteI felt a bit worried the past few months that this whole "return to form thing" just wouldn't be... like, when they first started talking about it, I just imagined the Johns talking to each other like "No one liked The Else, our fans would probably appreciate it if we sounded more like we used to." I worried making it sound like the old stuff was sort of an artificial decision. I know that's sort of far-fetched and not like them at all, it's sort of an irrational fear. But I'm just a worrier and I've been waiting for this album for so long (as have we all) I just really don't want to be disappointed.
That being said, I feel so much more hopeful after reading that interview. I don't know, it just sounds like everything's going great and will be awesome. All the songs sound awesome. Flans's description of Can't Keep Johnny Down is like, making me salivate, haha.
I don't think "Join Us" sounds like a TMBG album title. Maybe I just need to get used to it.
And I LOVE the idea of the preview track-cost being built in. I think I must've bought 4 different versions of The Else. And while I like supporting my favourite band, I'm a starving college kid who needs to buy food, haha. I comfort myself with the thought that some of that money went to get Linnell some nicer clothes. ;D
As dumb as it probably is to do so, I'm going to repost my comment I made on your Facebook link, because you posted the link to this entry like ten minutes later and I pretty much feel the same way. (Also, I've been trying to comment here since probably 30 minutes after you posted the link to this, but my internet is being stupid.)
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who's slightly creeped out by the album title..? I fear being shunned for admitting this, but my curiosity in whether there is anyone else who thinks so is stronger than that fear at the moment. Every time I read the title, I hear a hissing voice whispering it.
[Maybe I've been watching The Lord Of The Rings movies too much lately..]
[I do like your interpretation of the title, though.]
Anyway though, woohoo for album news! :D
And 2020?!
And yes, happy birthday to John. :)
Also, I just looked up Jonathan Coulton on those little listening devices at Barnes and Noble the day before yesterday to see if I could perhaps sample an album and figure out if I wanted to buy a whole album or just ask my brother-in-law download some songs from iTunes for me, and I'm sure you already know this, but in the info section TMBG were listed in the first sentence! I just found that...I don't know...amusing, I guess.
From TMBG's facebook post about the cover art, I gathered that it's just the cover art for the preview tracks. I could be wrong, of course. Either way, I'm kind of like you in being unsure as to how I feel about it. I kind of wish there was more to it (though the "They Might" being run over and squished is kind of funny) and I'm not really a fan of monster trucks or whatever that is. But part of me really likes it because I have this old toy that I probably got in some kids' meal or something that is a tiny wind up truck thing which has big rubber wheels and is close to the same color and I always loved that thing.
I don't really know of anything to say about the new songs yet. Hand claps are always welcome, though! :]
I'm looking at the image again, and I just realized that I think it's a monster truck hearse?! Didn't even notice that before..
ReplyDeleteAna, I totally understand that feeling. It's actually what I've felt for a little while, except you put it much more coherently than I ever could have. I remember being really nervous at Lupo's when they were going to debut two new songs because I had no idea what to expect and I was kind of afraid that they just wouldn't sound like TMBG songs -- like the band would be trying too hard to achieve some past sound or something and it would just be weird. I wasn't disappointed, though, and now I'm psyched for the new album.
ReplyDeleteNot a huge fan of "Join Us" as an album title, although with Kelly's interpretation of it, it's growing on me pretty quickly. I've fallen in love with the cover art.
I've found that since everything about TMBG is so familiar to me, whenever something new comes out I'm immediately wary, but this interview was pretty reassuring. Also, I would like to state my opinion for the record that "we're just two neurotic people" is the best t-shirt slogan since "music for dead people." I've been holding off on getting excited about this album because of the lack of information to speculate on, but I now feel free to go crazy with the fangirling. So: WOOOOO, NEW ALBUM!
This interview was beautiful. Everything about it: the fact that they claim "There’s a lot of death, a lot of disappointment. Our regular stuff," JF's explanation of The Else's dark vibe, how he called JL a genius (just because I love when they compliment each other's work).
ReplyDeleteI trust John Flansburgh's graphic design decisions. Also, the truck is pink. I thought that was odd until I realized that they had an album affectionately referred to as The Pink Album.
As for the title, I interpreted it as menacing at first, however I do think it's, in a very John and John way, welcoming. Well, as welcoming as they can get. Like Kelly said, their music is what they want, and if you like the music, come and join them on their journey into melody and harmony. No?
The song titles seem unusual! Nobody else thought so? Although I think that's how I felt when I heard they had a song named "Bastard Wants to Hit Me" and another named "Upside Down Frown."
"Never Knew Love," well, Flans said it was optimistic, so I'm guessing something along the lines of "Another First Kiss" lyrically. Sort of sweet. But I'm concerned for this one, and I can't really figure out why.
"Old Pine Box..." sounds like "classic" (if you will) TMBG. So I'm not worried about that one.
If Flansburgh is fascinated with "Can't Keep Johnny Down," then I'm sure I'll like it. I like his description of " a very bitchy lyric with an incredibly sunny arrangement." We can't expect anything less than that from Linnell, can we? He's been doing that forever, not that that's a bad thing. That's why we love JL's lyrics, yes? Really though, I'm anxious to hear this one; I do think it's the song alluded to in the interview Kelly mentioned.
Kelly, I wish that you'd become their photographer/merch girl/coffee runner. Because that would be twelve kinds of awesome.
And JoCo album! JoCo album! Yes! I am quite eager to hear that one too.
I'm fine with the title and cover art. I like them both okay. Nothing jumps out at me. Or perhaps I'm just somewhat indifferent to titles and cover art. I'm just extremely excited to finally hear the new music! April 26th can't come fast enough. And I really hope the tour does continue through 2020. :-)
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