ARTIST: They Might Be Giants 
TITLE: Lincoln
YEAR RELEASED: 1988
CHART ACTION: #89
SINGLES: Ana Ng (#11 Alternative), They’ll Need a Crane, Purple Toupee
OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Kiss Me Son of God, Santa’s Beard, The World’s Address
LINEUP: John Flansburgh, John Linnell
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: A few excellent singles turns more heads and boots them another level in popularity.
SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: As silly and fun as their songs are, They Might Be Giants understand pop music, hooks, and arrangements. They also understand moods and motifs. This is quite evident as you go through Lincoln, where each song is a stand-alone tribute or pastiche.
That can be risky if you don’t quite hit the marks, and on a few tracks TMBGs are off a bit, but then you have tracks like the singles, the other songs listed above, and weirdness like “Cage & Aquarium” and “Shoehorn with Teeth”. The use of a long conversation in “Snowball in Hell” is also effective. But a few tracks just don’t stand up.
Yet, this is a record you can just put on and enjoy the eclectic silliness.
NOTES & MINUTIAE: Most of the weird sounds are from keyboards or drum programs.
IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: Yes, a whole whole bunch of stuff in the Australian version.
GRADE A-: If you’re not feeling a certain song – just skip ahead and you’ll find a winner.
