Nanobots

7.0/10

  Thirty years into their career They Might Be Giants are still cranking out pretty solid albums.  Once again I haven't had the chance to live with this one as much as their earlier stuff, nor did it reach me at an age when I probably would have been most susceptible to its charms, so I can't help but rate it below their classic output.  Yet, I don't see anything to dislike here.

  Granted there's a tiny bit of TMBG by numbers feel to this.  They have the by now obligatory educational song in the form of Tesla and the series of short quirky songs can't help but feel like a slight retread of Fingertips.  But at this point in their career do we really want them to make radical departures in their sound or approach?  I don't really.  They have their formula down and it consists of ingredients that I enjoy.  Catchy songwriting and slightly off the wall subject matter are what I expect from this band, and once again, they deliver.

  I'm not sure if there's a major standout track here, but as usual they start off with a strong song in You're On Fire which features a melody that gets stuck in the old noggin.  The title track is also pretty catchy, which is something this band has always been good at.  It's nice to see that skill hasn't abandoned them this far into their lifespan as a band.

   Call You Mom is deliciously silly and weird with its line about dressing in a sailor suit and calling someone Mom because they remind the narrator of his mom.

  Black Ops has that familiar TMBG feel to it to such a degree that I was really surprised I hadn't heard it before.  I'm not saying it rips off any song in particular, just that I could have sworn it was already on one of their earlier albums.

  As I mentioned earlier, I don't know this album inside out like I do with their older ones.  I could see my rating going up or down a point with more familiarity, but probably not much more than that.  What I hear is another solid TMBG.  It's honestly surprisingly strong considering how long they've been at this.  I don't think they're done for yet.  They may not particularly innovate anything but if they continue to put albums out every few years as solid as this I'll keep listening.