tmbg have a very special place in my heart, occupied by cake's cover of "i will survive", the halo benders' "don't touch my bikini", and basically every other song i loved in 7th grade. though brilliant, they also the easiest band to like when you start thinking of yourself as WACKY or whatever. like, "THIS IS WEIRD AND IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE LOL!!!!! accordions! glockenspiels! A TRIANGLE HA HA."
you pair your love of they might be giants with a shirt that vaguely references an internet meme and VOILA! you are a unique nerd!! its -too- easy.
i DO however love their deep commitment to the use of confetti cannons for their live shows.
I love TMBG because their songs seem to be nonsensical but when you really pay attention they make perfect sense; just like the above. Fun + intellectual = my mind blown. Their kids stuff doesn't do much for me (outside of "Why Does the Sun Shine") and my kids always preferred their grown up stuff too.
@Larry, they played it last time around at Showbox SoDo. Which brings up another point about TMBG...they shred live. They're a lot less "precious" when they're rocking your face off.
I hate the Barenaked Ladies. (Oh, that song, that song. It forments within me a murderous rage.) They're a perfect example of trying to be clever and simple and charming, like TMBG and Beat Happening, and just coming off as gratingly annoying, too self-consciously cute, except not. Hip child-like pop is not as easy as it appears.
But TMBG are great. "Which Explains How You're Feeling All the Time" is a really sharp song. Off the top of my head, I'll offer "Narrow Your Eyes" as another example.
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