The Spine (album)

Last updated
The Spine
They Might Be Giants - The Spine CD cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 5, 2004 (2004-07-05)
Recorded2003 ("Memo To Human Resources", "Au Contraire")
January–April 2004
StudioKampo Studios, Manhattan
Skyline Studios, Manhattan
Collyer Brothers Studio, Brooklyn
Hello Studio, Brooklyn
Genre
Length35:54
Label Idlewild/Zoë (US)
Cooking Vinyl (UK)
Shock Records (AU)
Producer Pat Dillett
They Might Be Giants chronology
Indestructible Object
(2004)
The Spine
(2004)
The Spine Hits the Road
(2004)

The Spine is the tenth full-length studio album by They Might Be Giants. The album was released on July 5, 2004 in the UK, and July 13 in the US. The album was released alongside a companion EP, The Spine Surfs Alone . It was preceded by the Indestructible Object EP, which featured two tracks that appear on The Spine.

Contents

Promotion

Three music videos were produced for The Spine. The first, a Flash-animated video for "Experimental Film", was created in conjunction with The Brothers Chaps, and features characters from their animated series Homestar Runner . An animated music video for "Bastard Wants to Hit Me" appears on the DVD for Venue Songs . The video was directed by Aaron Sorenson and Courtney Booker of Laika. [1] The video was nominated for the Annie Award for "Best Animated Television Commercial" in 2005. [2] A music video for "Damn Good Times" was animated with previous band collaborator Divya Srinivasan. [3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by They Might Be Giants, unless otherwise noted

No.TitleLength
1."Experimental Film"2:56
2."Spine"0:33
3."Memo to Human Resources"2:02
4."Wearing a Raincoat"3:10
5."Prevenge"2:44
6."Thunderbird"2:38
7."Bastard Wants to Hit Me"2:14
8."The World Before Later On"1:52
9."Museum of Idiots"3:02
10."It's Kickin' In"2:01
11."Spines"0:30
12."Au Contraire"2:26
13."Damn Good Times"2:38
14."Broke in Two"2:59
15."Stalk of Wheat"1:27
16."I Can't Hide from My Mind"2:43

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic (59/100) [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The A.V. Club C [4] [6]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
NME (5/10) [4]
Pitchfork Media (5.3/10) [8]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4] [9]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Tiny Mix Tapes Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
In Music We Trust(favorable) [12]

The Spine received mixed reviews from critics. Writing for AllMusic, Heather Phares found that John and John had already exhausted the album's best content on the preceding EP, Indestructible Object . Phares concluded that the album contained a few engaging hooks, but was overall inconsistent. [5] Josh Modell of The AV Club berated the album's lack of "idiosyncrasies", and reported that The Spine was generally unsurprising. [6] Contrarily, Patrick Schabe of PopMatters lauded the album for its uncharacteristically traditional rock arrangements. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">They Might Be Giants</span> American alternative rock band

They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a musical duo, often accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG expanded to include a backing band. The duo's current backing band consists of Marty Beller, Dan Miller and Danny Weinkauf. They have been credited as vital in the creation and growth of the prolific DIY music scene in Brooklyn in the mid-1980s.

<i>Indestructible</i> (Rancid album) 2003 studio album by Rancid

Indestructible is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band Rancid. It was produced by Brett Gurewitz and released by Hellcat Records with distribution through Warner Bros. Records on August 19, 2003. Despite critical acclaim, the band was criticized by some of its fans for Indestructible's "poppier" sound on some of its tracks. It debuted at number 15 on the charts, selling 51,000 copies in its first week. It was Rancid's highest debut at the time, which was surpassed six years later with their 2009 album, Let the Dominoes Fall. Indestructible marks the last recording by drummer Brett Reed, who left the band in 2006 and was replaced by current drummer Branden Steineckert. Additionally, it is the only album that features songwriting contributions from Reed.

<i>Indestructible Object</i> 2004 EP by They Might Be Giants

Indestructible Object is the sixth EP by They Might Be Giants, released through Barsuk Records on April 6, 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldfrapp</span> English electronic music duo

Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory (synthesiser).

"Experimental Film" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It is the lead single from their 2004 album The Spine. The song has been seen by some critics as a return to the band's earlier sound. An animated music video was made for the song by internet animators The Brothers Chaps and featured characters from the animators' internet series Homestar Runner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laika, LLC</span> American stop-motion animation studio

Laika, LLC is an American production company specializing in stop-motion animation and forthcoming live-action feature films, commercial content for all media, music videos, and short films. The studio is best known for its stop-motion feature films Corpse Bride, Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link. It is owned by Nike co-founder Phil Knight and is located in Hillsboro, Oregon, part of the Portland metropolitan area. Knight's son, Travis Knight, acts as Laika's president and CEO.

The following is a discography of They Might Be Giants (TMBG), an American alternative rock band comprising several artists including John Flansburgh, John Linnell, Marty Beller, Dan Miller, and Danny Weinkauf. The band's first release was the November 4, 1986 eponymously titled They Might Be Giants, but TMBG did not gain commercial success until their March 1990 single "Birdhouse in Your Soul" from the album Flood. "Birdhouse in Your Soul" reached #3 on the United States Modern Rock Tracks chart and #6 on the UK Singles Chart and remains their highest-charting single in both countries. Over the next two decades, They Might Be Giants released studio albums on a near-biennial fashion and currently have a total of 23 studio albums along with 11 live albums, 12 compilation albums, 15 extended plays and 30 singles.

<i>23</i> (Blonde Redhead album) 2007 studio album by Blonde Redhead

23 is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band Blonde Redhead. It released on April 10, 2007 by 4AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filter discography</span>

The discography of Filter, an American rock band, consists of eight studio albums, one compilation album, one remix album, two video albums, two extended plays, 20 singles and 11 music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Bloody Valentine discography</span> Cataloging of published recordings by the Irish alternative rock band My Bloody Valentine

The discography of My Bloody Valentine, an Irish-English alternative rock band formed in Dublin, Ireland, consists of three studio albums, two mini albums, one live album, two compilation albums, five extended plays, twelve singles and six music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gossip discography</span>

The discography of Gossip, an American indie rock band, consists of six studio albums, four live albums, two compilation albums, seven extended plays, twelve singles, and ten music videos. The group was founded in 1999 by vocalist Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Kathy Mendonca while attending Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. The following year they released a self-titled EP on the independent record label K Records. Gossip released their debut studio album, That's Not What I Heard, in January 2001. Their second EP, Arkansas Heat, was issued the next year. Movement, the band's second studio album, and a live album titled Undead in NYC followed in 2003.

<i>Fields</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Junip

Fields is the debut LP by Swedish-based indie rock band Junip.

<i>Join Us</i> 2011 studio album by They Might Be Giants

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.

Moongirl is an animated short produced in 2005 by Laika. It was written and directed by Henry Selick and features a score by They Might Be Giants. It is the first film, and currently the only short film, as well as the only non-stop-motion film, produced by the company.

<i>A Thing Called Divine Fits</i> 2012 studio album by Divine Fits

A Thing Called Divine Fits is the only studio album by American–Canadian indie rock band Divine Fits. The album was recorded in Los Angeles in a backyard studio with producer Nick Launay between March and May 2012. It was released on August 27, 2012 in Europe and August 28, 2012 in North America on Merge Records. The first single, "My Love Is Real", was released on July 31, 2012.

<i>Nanobots</i> (album) 2013 studio album by They Might Be Giants

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shins discography</span>

The discography of American rock band The Shins consists of five studio albums, one live album, one remix album, three extended plays, two splits, twenty-three singles, and twenty one music videos.

<i>I Like Fun</i> 2018 studio album by They Might Be Giants

I Like Fun is the twentieth studio album from New York City-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released on January 19, 2018.

<i>A Fine Mess</i> (EP) 2019 EP by Interpol

A Fine Mess is the eighth extended play by American rock band Interpol. It was released on May 17, 2019, through Matador Records. It contains five songs that were recorded during the sessions for their previous studio album, Marauder (2018), but did not make its final cut. Like Marauder, A Fine Mess was produced by Dave Fridmann, while the song "Fine Mess" was co-produced by Claudius Mittendorfer and received additional production from Kaines and Tom A. D. Fuller. The song "Real Life" was first performed live during their Turn On the Bright Lights XV anniversary tour in 2017. "Fine Mess" and "The Weekend" were released as singles prior to the EP's release.

References

  1. "Crazy Bastard Wants To Hit Me". Laika. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  2. "33rd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners". Annie Award Database. 2007-09-27. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  3. Damn Good Times - They Might Be Giants (official video), 2 October 2009, retrieved 2024-01-04
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Critic Reviews for The Spine". Metacritic . Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Phares, Heather. The Spine – They Might Be Giants at AllMusic. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  6. 1 2 Modell, Josh (July 12, 2004). "They Might Be Giants: The Spine". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  7. Sweeting, Adam (July 15, 2004). "They Might Be Giants, The Spine". The Guardian . Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  8. Singer, Liam (July 18, 2004). "They Might Be Giants: The Spine". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  9. 1 2 Schabe, Patrick (July 9, 2004). "They Might Be Giants: The Spine". PopMatters . Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  10. Walters, Barry (August 19, 2004). "They Might Be Giants: The Spine : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  11. Weir, Matt (2004). "They Might Be Giants – The Spine". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  12. Halverson, Brad (2004). "They Might Be Giants: The Spine" . Retrieved 2013-07-08.