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CD Review: TMBG's "Here Come the ABCs"

Categories: That's entertainment

Last week I reviewed a kid's CD that, chances are, you'd never heard of. This week, a band that you're probably already familiar with -- and if you're not, you should be: They Might Be Giants.

TMBG has been making music for longer than I've been alive. Their enjoyably oddball, pseudo-pop blend of wit, rock, and geekiness has kept the careers of John Flansburgh and John Linnell thriving for decades. Adults, albeit unknowingly, are probably familiar with the group via the TV show Malcolm in the Middle (the duo wrote the theme song), or through the Mike Myers film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, for which John and John contributed the tune, "Dr. Evil."

And, although the group has significantly less hipster cred than some of the Emo-rockers-turned-indie-snobs-turned-kid's-artists out there, TMBG's kids music is catchy enough for me, and engaging enough that my 2 1/2 year-old's attention doesn't drift mid-song, forcing her to smack, at random, all the buttons on my stereo.

The groups most successful children's album is Here Come the ABCs. From start to finish, it's playful without being pointless, educational without being painful, and fun. Really fun. My personal favorite -- and a track that's representative of the band's willingness to be weird -- is "L M N O." This lo-fi, nerd-tastic hip-hop number, explains, with faux rap bravado, that L, M, N and O are not one letter, as you might've assumed from a traditional rendition of the Alphabet Song, but rather four unique letters. Also worth noting is "Can You Find It?" -- a wistful, frat-rock tune about hidden "h"s and "r"s -- that, with different lyrics, could easily underscore a moody, post-break-up montage on the OC (or whatever).

It's not like every song is amazing. TMBG can misfire, and when they do, it's usually because they're relying too much on their musicality, which, without the fun lyrics, can feel empty, or bland. Take "Rolling O," for instance -- a mostly instrumental track that sounds annoyingly like menu music for an old Nintendo game.

That being said, both the band and the album are highly recommended. Here Comes the ABCs is well worth sharing with your children. Overall rating 9/10.

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