John Flansburgh and John Linnell have been making music together as They Might Be Giants for 43 years, crafting 23 studio albums rife with slanted pop songs and childlike panache. The New York City duo’s unconventional instrumentation and oddball, wit-laden lyrical themes drive their best-known tunes, most of which appear on their 1990 breakthrough, Flood: the jaunty “Birdhouse in Your Soul” is written from the perspective of a child’s nightlight; “Particle Man” is a lighthearted sing-along about four imaginary men with questionable intentions; and a cover of the novelty tune “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” sounds like a polka run amok as the guys sing about the fall of an empire five centuries ago.
Tuneful dorkiness abounds in the surreal world of They Might Be Giants, with Linnell’s darker vocal delivery and accordion playing bouncing off Flansburgh’s guitar accents and higher-pitched singing style. They’ve played as a twosome as well as with a full band behind them. This time the duo is calling their run of live gigs the “Big Show Tour,” which features a backing band that includes a three-person horn section. Set lists from the tour feature songs from across the band’s vast catalog, but it seems to change from night to night to keep things fresh.
“We don’t have a set list for this,” Linnell said in a recent interview with The Reader Omaha. “Flansburgh tends to cook up the set list, kind of at the last minute, so we don’t know exactly what songs we are playing. But I can tell you that there’s going to be some new material.”
It’s interesting that Linnell mentions they will be playing fresh material, as the pair hasn’t released an album since 2021’s well-received Book, an audiovisual feast that included a 144-page cloth-bound hardcover book featuring lyrics from across They Might Be Giants’ career, accompanied by the vivid photographic work of Brian Karlsson. That such a creative marvel would arrive four decades after the band’s inception is all you need to know about They Might Be Giants’ enduring relevance.
They Might Be Giants plays Madison Theater on Oct. 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. More info: madisontheater.com.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Oct. 15 print edition.
This article appears in Oct. 15-28.