Like that time you felt like you’re feeling all the time
They Might Be Giants: Apollo 18
Despite sporting possibly the coolest cover art, Apollo 18 is kind of the lame duck of TMBG’s first bunch of albums. It has always left me with the sense that the whole thing was an exercise in working through writer’s block in that nether region between Flood bringing them to the masses and their establishing a full band sound with John Henry. This one, neither here nor there, just feels like they’re casting about for direction (especially that whole “Fingertips” thing and “Mammal” really never should have gotten past the demo stage). What is especially odd is that it has all these little indicators that they were trying for some more ‘maturity’ in their lyrics (as if the first albums weren’t full of dark, bleak stuff) but couldn’t quite figure how to make it happen (see for instance the son waiting for his mother to die so he can have his inheritance in “I Palindrome I” or the voodoo doll of a republican president in “My Evil Twin”).
However, this wildly erratic album does have some shining moments. “The Statue Got Me High” is the first moment where they feel really engaged on the album, even if it’s some nonsensical story about spontaneous human combustion and being turned to stone or whatever (actually, because of that, that’s pretty awesome). “Spider” is kind of interesting as something that sounds like a throwback to their early performance art roots. Weird? “Narrow Your Eyes” is a pretty good power-pop tune that’s one of the early indications of their more romantic side. “Hall of Heads” is just plain cool-sounding, even if the lyrics just seem to fill the space. “Which Describes How You’re Feeling” sticks in my head ad infinitum, and I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. “Turn Around” does too, and it definitely rules.
Then there’s the rest. “The Guitar” is an interpretation of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” sort of, and honestly, I heard that song enough to be fed up with it by the time I was in grade three, and this just kind of makes me feel embarrassed to be listening to it. Also, “Mammal” which as mentioned above is just lame, along with “Dinner Bell” and the whole “Fingertips” suite of songs is just… Well, it really contributes to my belief that this release is less of an album than a clearinghouse of ideas in transition from one sort of band to another. On a random sidenote, doesn’t the ‘I walk alone darkened corridors’ part of “Fingertips” sound like Kermit the Frog? Odd.
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