THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS – Nanobots
01. You’re On Fire
02. Nanobots
03. Black Ops
04. Lost My Mind
05. Circular Karate Chop
06. Call You Mom
07. Tesla
08. Sleep
09. Stone Cold Coup D’Etat
10. Sometimes A Lonely Way
11. Destroy The Past
12. 9 Secret Steps
13. Hive Mind
14. Decision Makers
15. Nouns
16. There
17. Insect Hospital
18. Tick
19. Replicant
20. The Darlings Of Lumberland
21. Great
22. Stuff Is Way
23. Icky
24. Too Tall Girl
25. Didn’t Kill Me
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS. For some they really are. And after 15 albums in the past they will release number 16 on March 5, 2013 via Idlewild Recordings. So this seems pretty gigantic in contrast to the album name Nanobots. The Brooklyn-based alternative rock group already released an advance digital Nanobots EP in January 2013 and got quite good responses. The recording for the lethargic voice rock album began in early 2012, right after their previous Join Us Album-Tour. John Flansburgh, John Linnell, Marty Beller, Dan Miller, and Danny Weinkauf recorded with some guest musicians at Patrick Dillett’s studio in Manhattan. Patrick Dillett sure also produced Nanobots. Those involved people are best known for an unconventional and experimental style of alternative music. And so the album, which includes 25 Tracks and run approximately 45 minutes, goes along with charming wit, electrifying pop melodies and just enough bass clarinet. And as a special treatment we can celebrate handclaps and the return of the accordion.
John Linnell, the songwriter of THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, commented that these songs were naturally written as short songs to avoid over-populating them with unnecessary verses and choruses and he also adds, referring to the extremely short songs:
“…the songs kind of stand alone. When you listen to the album alone, it has this manic pacing to it with the short songs. It makes for a different kind of listening experience.”
Nanobots finds the band in fine form. Blending the band’s signature storytelling, some dueling horns and sly humor, Call You Mom is a caffeinated pop gem. Title track Nanobots puts a dark cartoonish spin on the world of technology while the call and response chorus and percussive guitar line of You’re On Fire dares even the grumpiest wallflower not to dance.
The album artwork was designed by Paul Sahre, using collages by artist Sam Weber and for the promotional Nanobots EP they used the same style. To promote the record, THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS began to hit the road for an extensive U.S. Tour, with a side trip to Australia, on February 27, 2013. All in all they go for more than sixty shows worldwide.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/70727584″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]