John Linnell is one
half of They Might Be Giants, and his solo recordings sound more
like that band than the other half's side band, Mono Puff. The
main difference is the focus on specifically Linnellesque things
like states and mayors.John Linnell is one
half of They Might Be Giants, and his solo recordings sound more
like that band than the other half's side band, Mono Puff. The
main difference is the focus on specifically Linnellesque things
like states and mayors.
Information: Museum
of Idiots
Suggested First Purchase: State Songs
State Songs (1999) -- After stating (pun intended) that he spent so much time on this album, it seems like it would have been... more clever. The songs don't have much to do with the states he's singing "about," not like the theme songs I expected (my own state of Mississippi just got an instrumental). For someone who obsessively sings about former presidents, science, inventors, painters, and all these educational subjects--at face value, no less--it seems like he could have done something greater with our fifty states (I would have even preferred for him to do all fifty at once instead of releasing the fifteen he did this first go-round). Still, once I got past my disappointment, I found that the songs themselves are good songs. Maybe not as great as They Might Be Giants, but sort of close. The standout is "Montana." B
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