Vendredi

Johns: Flansburgh and Linnell

They Might Be Giants make their triumphant return to the Crescent City this Friday, March 8. The Brooklyn-based band has just embarked on a 60-date international tour supporting the just-released Nanobots, their thirteenth studio album. As they continue on their prolific recording career, They Might Be Giants have found even more ways to blend their mix of children's music and unconventional indie.

From odes to venues to songs spanning the entire globe, Friday's show at the House of Blues promises a wide offering of the TMBG musical smorgasbord.

On Nanobots, released today, the Johns and their band have struck gold in the form of succinct songs and quirky transitions. Nanobots' longest track, the moody dance jam “The Darlings of Lumberland”, stands at a little over three minutes. Its shortest track? A meager six seconds (“Hive Mind”) that starts a chain reaction of bite-sized tracks. Those seconds of music and occasional phrases recall Apollo 18's “Fingertips”, coming on like teasers themselves yet blending effortlessly with other tracks. A lot can be said for a band that still appreciates the LP as a standalone medium; something to be played from opening song to final fade out.

There are singles amongst the 25 tracks, however. The three songs that make up the album's eponymous teaser EP make an appearance within the first 20 minutes. “Call Your Mom” is They Might Be Giants at their most straightforward; a definite highlight. Other standouts include the ticking clock guitars of “Stone Cold Coup d'Etat” and the 60's-tinged “Icky”. There's really no question if TMBG are back; with Nanobots, it's like they never left.