Join Us has been on almost continuous play on the iPods of many fans including my own (when I can wrestle it back from my Mum - see last 'Pinwheels' blogpost!) since it came out last month.
I've so enjoyed seeing other TMBG-oholics lists of their favourite songs from the new album in order from favourite to least favourite. I'm never that good deciding between things I enjoy - typical dithering Nine-with-a-one-wing! It can vary from day to day. I see all sides to every argument. And then weigh it all up again!
This album certainly seems to me to be the best of the lads' albums to date for listening to all the tracks right through without being tempted to skip any (comparative!) turkeys. John Flansburgh's songwriting has improved endlessly over the span of their career, and he can certainly now hold his own in the company of John Linnell's fantastic melding of lyrics, rhythms, melodies and harmonies, evident from their earliest days.
So here goes. No tracks I dislike or skip. Many that are stuck in my head and bring a warm glow when ever the opening notes strike up.
I know this list is quite different from many others I've seen from other fans. For instance, I've yet to hear anybody raving about one of my very favourites 'Let Your Hair Hang Down'. It actually brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes for the sincerity and yearning in Linnell's voice at some points, the first time I heard it. It has a similar effect on me to "Broke in Two" and "Withered Hope" for some reason. Linnell insisting none of the songs reflect him in any way, but my gut somehow telling me there are tiny crumbs of him hidden deep in certain songs, that make them almost unbearably moving to a softie like yours truly.
Anyway, here are the tracks in the order I love them at this moment (please feel free to wade in with your own comments and points of view if you want to!):
JOIN US: Favourite track through to least favourite (for now!)
1. Canajoharie
2. The Lady and the Tiger
3. Let Your Hair Hang Down
4. You Probably Get That A Lot
5. Can't Keep Johnny Down
6. Cloisonné
7. When Will You Die?
8. Celebration
9. Spoiler Alert
10. Never Knew Love
11. Protagonist
12. You Don't Like Me
13. In Fact
14. Judy Is Your Viet Nam
15. Three Might Be Duende
16. Old Pine Box
17. Dog Walker
18. 2082
Mmmmm! Now again I'm not so sure! How can those last few find themselves at the bottom of any list? It feels wrong already!
A Linnell song at the bottom? Well, for the record I LOVE '2082'. It's just that I wonder if Linnell took his foot off the pedal just that tiny squidgeon with it, the way I feel about "Stalk of Wheat" (do I really feel that?????)
IDEK!
I love this album from start to finish and back again, so it's irrelevant really what order I put them in. None of them is ever going to be far from my heart!
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do and are already debating over your own personal favourites! Or if you're not yet a fan, maybe contemplating giving the album a spin?
This type 5w4 must analyze the songs with a little more depth first before making up her mind! Seriously, some of Linnell's songs have a nihilistic 5 feel, and I'm always in love with those. By the way, that's how I found your blog, when making a search on TMBG. They are one of my favorite bands of all time and seem to express everything I need to say (so I don't have to do it). For the lyrics, I love 2028.
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