The album “The World Is To Dig” was released April 14 by rock band They Might Be Giants. The record features 18 tracks. It has a run time of 44 minutes and 28 seconds. John Flansburgh stated on the TMBG tumblr blog before the album came out that all the songs would be bangers.
The first track, “Back in Los Angeles,” is a slower song with vocals from John Linnell. The song is a satire of celebrity culture that is all too prominent in LA. The lyrics ¨Where your pals yell “hi! who are you?” / And smack you across the front door¨ highlight this theme, emphasizing how fake people can be once they let fame get to their heads. I enjoy the jazzy feel of this tune. I would say it is one of my favorites off of the album, and it is an amazing opener for the record as a whole.
My favorite song, “Sleep’s Older Sister,” also has a slower and even dark feel about it. With vocals from John Flansburgh, his voice really elevates the song with his softer, nasally tone. The song has a bit of a deeper meaning that might be glossed over due to the usual goofiness and unseriousness of the average TMBG song. Many fans have theorized that “Sleep’s Older Sister” is meant to symbolize Death, which can be seen with the lyrics “Hand in hand we go without emotion / Sing into the silence / Sing into the echo.” These remind one perhaps of the grim reaper, going to take somebody into the afterlife. I really enjoy this song due to the lyrics and the feel of the drumbeat.
“Outside Brain” is a close second favorite of mine. This song was released as a precursor to the full release of the album, and it is quite a banger. Featuring vocals from Flansburgh again, it is more upbeat than “Sleep’s Older Sister.” While the lyrics also prove to be rather dark, discussing panic about problems from the outside world, the guitar and drums really elevate how the song sounds.
Another great song from this album would be “New Wave Will Never Die.” This song has the same sort of vibe of “Sleep’s Older Sister.” The lyrics discuss a fake world built around the character featured in the song, but it seems that he finds comfort within the new wave genre of music. I love the lyrics and vocals from Flansburgh in this song.
Overall, I would say that I have no qualms with any songs on this album. I love every single track that I listened to. I would rate it a ten out of ten. Anyone who likes rock bands with a more eccentric sound would love this album.