Am I The Only One...?

Who remembers TMBG Unlimited? It was the whole reason I subscribed to eMusic to begin with. Nearly all of these tracks appeared on either TMBG Unlimited or Long Tall Weekend, which was initially an eMusic-only release. This compilation was created to be sold at TMBG shows as a CD documenting what the band had been up to between "official" album releases. Anyway, if you're a fan already, you probably have most of these songs. If you're not a huge fan, you may not realize just how prolific John and John are. These rarities are truly the tip of the iceberg, but what an iceberg it is!

Lost in Rarities

They Got Lost is a compilation of rarities culled mainly from three sources: Long Tall Weekend (tracks 11,12,13,15,19), the Working Undercover for the Man EP (1,3,8,10), and a companion CD to issue 6 of McSweeney's (2,5,14,16,17,18). As a result, many of the tracks here are available elsewhere on this site. However, what isn't redundant is very enjoyable. The McSweeney's tracks, originally intended as audio companions to written articles, stand on their own very well, remenicent of early TMBG in their brevity and experimentation. Rounding out the collection are "I'm Sick" from This American Life, The "Oranges" jingles advertising a webdesign company, "All Alone" which tells the true story of a germ sent to the moon, and even a live improv song "Disappointing Show". However, it's the track "Words Are Like" that steals the show, becoming an instant TMBG classic with little more than a guitar and some harmony singing.

They Might Be Giants are one of too-few bands that manage to make compilations that are as cohesive and enjoyable as their regular full-length albums. They Got Lost is no exception — a collection of truly rare rarities, it shows once again that the group’s more obscure songs are quite often just as great as their best-known ones. Many of the tracks here come from They Might Be Giants’ relationship with the music download service EMusic, including the sweetly sad alt-country of “Words are Like (Demo)”; “Reprehensible”‘s bright, swingy lounge; and the more typical quirky rock of “On the Drag,” “I Am a Human Head” and “Certain People I Could Name.” Sometimes the origins of the songs are even more unusual than the songs themselves: “Oranges” and the very silly “Oranges Testimonial” were commissioned by the Chopping Block, a graphic design firm. “Theme to McSweeney”‘s celebrates Dave Eggers’ beloved literary webzine with Wendy Carlos-style baroque electronics, and “I’m Sick (of this American Life)” pays homage to the National Public Radio show with weary, tongue-in-cheek wit; meanwhile, “Rat Patrol” (another EMusic track), with its charging pianos and guitars, sounds like the theme song to a TV show that never was. One of They Got Lost’s best songs actually did appear in a TV show: “All Alone,” the strangely bittersweet story of a germ launched into outer space, appeared on “Brave New World,” a special series produced by ABC’s Nightline. Though this collection isn’t quite as consistent as, say, Miscellaneous T, They Got Lost is still a lot of fun (especially on off-the-cuff tracks like “Disappointing Show”) and a must for any die-hard TMBG fans that don’t already have these songs. – Heather Phares