The Else | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 15, 2007 | |||
Recorded | 2006–2007 | |||
Studio | Kampo Studios, Manhattan Avatar Studios, Manhattan Loho Studios, Manhattan Collyer Brothers Studio, Brooklyn Soy Bomb Studio, Sullivan County The Boat, Los Angeles | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 38:12 | |||
Label | Idlewild, Zoë Records | |||
Producer | The Dust Brothers Pat Dillett They Might Be Giants | |||
They Might Be Giants chronology | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | (73/100) [1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
The A.V. Club | B [3] |
IGN | (8.5/10) [4] |
The Music Box | [5] |
Now | [1] |
Pitchfork Media | (5.3/10) [6] |
PopMatters | [7] |
Robert Christgau | [8] |
Spin | (6/10) [1] |
Stylus | B+ [9] |
The Else is the twelfth studio album by rock group They Might Be Giants, released by Idlewild Recordings on May 15, 2007. The album was produced in part by the Dust Brothers, along with Pat Dillett and the band.
The Else was first available for download through the iTunes Store on May 15, 2007. The CD version was released in stores on July 10, 2007, with initial runs accompanied by a full-length bonus disc of rare material, Cast Your Pod to the Wind (the title being a parody of jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi’s 1962 hit "Cast Your Fate to the Wind"). [10] On September 11, 2007, the band released a gatefold vinyl LP of the album. Cast Your Pod was made available separately on iTunes in July 2009.
"Contrecoup" was originally written and recorded in 2005 as part of a challenge issued on the Next Big Thing in which lexicographer Erin McKean implored John Linnell to use the words "contrecoup", "craniosophic", and "limerent" in a song so that the words could be added to or remain in the dictionary. [11]
A video, created by Mizushima Hine, for "With the Dark" was released on the band's YouTube page on June 7, 2007. Two additional videos, for "The Shadow Government" and "I'm Impressed", were also later released. A full-length video for "The Mesopotamians" was released on Stereogum.com on October 2.
"Careful What You Pack" was originally written for the soundtrack of 2009 film Coraline , but it was not used in the film. [12]
All tracks are written by John Flansburgh and John Linnell except as noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "I'm Impressed" | 2:39 | |
2. | "Take Out the Trash" | 3:14 | |
3. | "Upside Down Frown" | 2:17 | |
4. | "Climbing the Walls" | 3:15 | |
5. | "Careful What You Pack" | 2:40 | |
6. | "The Cap'm" | 3:11 | |
7. | "With the Dark" | 3:17 | |
8. | "The Shadow Government" | 2:37 | |
9. | "Bee of the Bird of the Moth" | 3:31 | |
10. | "Withered Hope" |
| 2:54 |
11. | "Contrecoup" | 3:11 | |
12. | "Feign Amnesia" | 2:29 | |
13. | "The Mesopotamians" | 2:57 | |
Total length: | 38:12 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "Brain Problem Situation" | 2:55 |
15. | "We Live in a Dump" | 1:40 |
16. | "I'm Your Boyfriend Now" | 2:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Put Your Hand on the Computer" | 1:57 |
2. | "I'm Your Boyfriend Now" | 2:40 |
3. | "Why Did You Grow a Beard?" | 1:08 |
4. | "We Live in a Dump" | 1:40 |
5. | "Brain Problem Situation" | 2:55 |
6. | "Sketchy Galore" | 2:21 |
7. | "Microphone" | 2:04 |
8. | "Vestibule" | 1:59 |
9. | "Greasy Kid Stuff" | 1:40 |
10. | "Metal Detector (live)" | 3:43 |
11. | "Employee of the Month" | 1:24 |
12. | "Homunculus" | 2:16 |
13. | "No Plan B (live)" | 1:40 |
14. | "Morgan in the Morning" | 1:07 |
15. | "Kendra McCormick" | 0:51 |
16. | "Yeah, the Deranged Millionaire" | 1:23 |
17. | "My Other Phone Is a Boom Car" | 0:27 |
18. | "I Hear a New World" | 2:09 |
19. | "(She Was a) Hotel Detective in the Future" | 2:05 |
20. | "Haunted Floating Eye" | 1:25 |
21. | "Scott Bower" | 1:23 |
22. | "The Mexican Drill" | 1:10 |
23. | "Cast Your Pod to the Wind" | 1:26 |
The album reached #9 on the Billboard Top Digital Albums chart. [13]
Flood is the third studio album by Brooklyn-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants, released in January 1990. Flood was the duo's first album on the major label Elektra Records. It generated three singles: "Birdhouse in Your Soul", "Istanbul ", and the domestic promotional track "Twisting". The album is generally considered to be the band's definitive release, as it is their best-selling and most recognizable album. Despite minimal stylistic and instrumental differences from previous releases, Flood is distinguished by contributions from seasoned producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. John Linnell and John Flansburgh also took advantage of new equipment and recording techniques, including unconventional, home-recorded samples, which were programmed through Casio FZ-1 synthesizers. The album was recorded in New York City at Skyline Studios, which was better equipped than studios the band had worked in previously.
They Might Be Giants, sometimes called The Pink Album, is the debut studio album from Brooklyn-based band They Might Be Giants. It was released by Bar/None in 1986. The album generated two singles, "Don't Let's Start" and "(She Was A) Hotel Detective". It is included on Then: The Earlier Years, a compilation of the band's early material, in its entirety, with the exception of "Don't Let's Start", which is replaced with the single mix for the compilation.
Factory Showroom is the sixth studio album by the American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released in 1996 by Elektra Records. It was the band's first album to be produced by Pat Dillett, who would go on to work with the band on all subsequent albums, as well as their first album to feature a second guitarist, Eric Schermerhorn.
Long Tall Weekend is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants, released in 1999. It was released exclusively online through the digital music service eMusic. The album was the band's first since their departure from the major label Elektra. Long Tall Weekend was also the first full-length album released exclusively on the Internet by an established major label band. Although the album's primary release was digital, CDs of the album were issued promotionally. Following the success of the album's release through eMusic, TMBG went on to issue a digital series of rarities collections — TMBG Unlimited — through their website.
Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants is a 2002 compilation album by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, issued by Rhino Records and compiled by the band's co-singer/songwriter and guitarist John Flansburgh. Despite its name, the compilation does not include tracks from the band's "Dial-A-Song" service. It is instead an anthology of various single, album and live tracks from the band's history, spanning their full career up to the time of its release. It includes tracks from every album starting with 1986's They Might Be Giants up through No!, their first children's album, which was released only three months before this compilation.
"Birdhouse in Your Soul" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released in early 1990 through Elektra Records as the lead single from the album Flood, making the single the band's first release on a major label. "Birdhouse in Your Soul" is the band's highest-charting single in both the US and the UK, and is one of their best-known songs.
"(She Was A) Hotel Detective" is a song and single by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released as a single on May 5, 1988, two years after the release of They Might Be Giants, the album on which it originally appeared. The "Hotel Detective" title has become a somewhat recurring theme for the band.
"I Palindrome I" is a song by American alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants. It was the second single from Apollo 18, released in 1992 by Elektra Records.
Back to Skull is an EP released by American alternative rock group They Might Be Giants in 1994. The EP was issued contemporaneously with the band's 1994 album John Henry. Artwork for the EP was done by Mike Mills.
Why Does the Sun Shine? is an EP by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released in 1993. It is notable for being the band's first release with a full-band line-up, rather than only the two original members performing. It was also released as a single on 7-inch vinyl.
Here Come the 123s is the third children's album and thirteenth studio album by They Might Be Giants. It is the sequel to the group's 2005 album Here Come the ABCs. The songs are edutainment music, and like ABCs, both a CD and DVD were released. It was initially set to be released on October 2, 2007, but was pushed back to February 5, 2008.
Glean is the seventeenth studio album from New York City-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released on April 21, 2015. It is composed entirely of releases from the first four months of the band's 2015 Dial-A-Song project.
Join Us is the fifteenth studio album from the rock band They Might Be Giants, released on July 19, 2011. It is the band's first adult album in four years since The Else in 2007. Following the success of their 2009 children's album, Here Comes Science, the band returned to their adult audience with Join Us, an eclectic collection of 18 songs.
"Can't Keep Johnny Down" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. The song was released as a promotional single from the band's 2011 album, Join Us. Like all the artwork surrounding the Join Us album, the cover art and labels for the disc were designed by the Office of Paul Sahre.
Nanobots is the sixteenth studio album from Brooklyn-based alternative rock group They Might Be Giants. Uncharacteristically for the band, the album's title comes from an album track, as the second track shares a title with the album. The album was released on March 5, 2013 on Idlewild Recordings — the band's independent imprint — with Megaforce Records in the US. The album was also separately released on March 8 in Australia through Breakaway Records and on March 11 in Europe, through Lojinx. One week before its physical release, Nanobots was released digitally for streaming in its entirety through the band's SoundCloud, announced by Rolling Stone. Prior to this, "Call You Mom", "Black Ops" and "Lost My Mind" were released through the advance digital Nanobots EP in January 2013. The EP, released through Amazon.com and iTunes, was met with fairly positive responses.
"You're on Fire" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released on February 21, 2013 as an advance track from their album Nanobots, which was released March 5, 2013. On May 24, the band performed the song on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.
Why? is the fifth children's album from New York City-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released on November 27, 2015. It is composed largely of releases from the band's 2015 Dial-A-Song project.
Phone Power is the nineteenth studio album from New York City-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released digitally on March 8, 2016. It is the third and final album containing songs from the band's 2015 Dial-A-Song service. British label Lojinx announced a physical release in Europe, on CD, for June 10.
My Murdered Remains is the 21st album by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released on December 10, 2018, for digital download and pre-order. The standard disc consists entirely of songs from the band's 2018 Dial-A-Song project, and a 16-track bonus disc is included, entitled More Murdered Remains. The album was released simultaneously with The Escape Team.
The Escape Team is the 22nd album by New York City-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released on December 10, 2018 for digital download and pre-order. The digital download and pre-order was released simultaneously with My Murdered Remains. The physical album was released in May 2019.