Album review: They Might Be Giants, Nanobots

“Over three decades as They Might Be Giants, the Brooklyn duo of John Flansburgh and John Linnell have developed into a sort of post-modern Flanders & Swann, crafting sharp, witty and entertaining little satires on contemporary mores, set to a dizzying range of styles chosen for humorous emphasis.

On Nanobots, they cram 25 tracks into 45 minutes, ranging from “Call You Mom”, a brisk Sixties rocker, and the quietly threatening secret-service satire “Black Ops”, to “The Darlings of Lumberland”, an infectious, multi-sectioned jazz suite of accordion, sax and bass clarinet. “Tesla” offers a two-minute potted biography of the scientist, while “Sleep” undertakes a complex philosophical discussion of daily renewal in just 38 seconds.

Download: Black Ops; Tesla; Sleep; The Darlings of Lumberland”