They Might Be Giants
“Venue Songs”

Rating: 4/5
For fans of: their hometown venue and other They Might Be Giants albums
Download: “Bloodmobile,” “St. Louis” and “Vancouver”
Final word: not the best album for starter fans, but a great addition to your TMBG collection

They Might Be Giants are at it again with their newest release, “Venue Songs.” This DVD/CD combination features songs about each venue the band has performed at in their nationwide tour. Each song was written on the tour bus between stops, played live and recorded to make the CD.

The CD itself features 46 live tracks with the style of each song varying as much as the rest of the TMBG anthology.

Meanwhile, the DVD is a collection of the songs deemed to be the best by John Linnell and John Flansburgh, the two main members of TMBG. Once chosen, the tracks were re-recorded and a unique music video was prepared for each. The range of the videos matches that of the songs themselves and keeps viewers on their feet.

While some songs are better than others, each has the feel of a live performance, giving the album something extra. Songs such as “Albany” about The Egg pokes fun at the architecture of the venue itself, while “Vancouver,” played at Richard’s on Richards, isn’t about the club at all: it simply mentions the name to create a rhyme scheme.

It’s hard to say if any one song is better than another, as each is so stylistically distinct. In fact, each one can be considered a masterpiece.

The same cannot be said about the videos. The video for “Dallas” seems to be a combination of an old “Steamboat Willie” Mickey Mouse animation and the portion of “The Wizard of Oz” where the trees throw apples at Dorothy. Moreover, the DVD is not just a conglomeration of videos. Each video is introduced by a deranged millionaire who sets up a storyline for the creation of each song. The script, written by TMBG and a writer from “The Daily Show,” is both humorous and entertaining. Between each song, the man gives a short background of the venue, city and TMBG’s state of mind when composing their next masterpiece.

This album is perfect for fans who haven’t seen TMBG live or for those who experienced the venues firsthand. It almost makes you feel famous when you can hear yourself cheering.

However, this CD/DVD set should not be your introduction to the band. With little time to write the songs and little sleep beforehand, some songs are in the same vein as “Nightgown of the Sullen Moon” in that it is nearly impossible to understand their lyrics.

Also included in this duo is the song “Bloodmobile,” yet another educational song from TMBG that informs while being exceedingly catchy. The DVD also has three bonus shorts, including “Experimental Film.” This short features the lovable characters from homestarrunner.com.

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