The career arc of They Might Be Giants is an interesting one. Initially a kind of “alternative” college band, their success with 1990’s ‘Birdhouse In Your Soul‘ gave them a more mainstream base, and, in my experience at least, were, for some time, regarded by certain folk as “the band who did that annoying novelty record.” Somewhere between then and now, most people’s attitudes changed, and they seem to have become regarded as some kind of (inter)national treasure. My personal view is that this transition took place around the time that Frank Black endorsed them, giving them a new found “cool”, though I’m not sure that was ever something they were ever striving to be.
Anyway, regardless of that, this new live set is absolutely monstrous, in the best way possible. It’s They Might Be Giants as you’ve never heard them before, backed by – as the record’s title may imply – a brass band, which, along with Stan Harrison on sax and Dan Levine on trombone and euphonium, counts, among its number, trumpet virtuoso Mark Pender, perhaps best-known for his work with Conan O’Brien‘s band. It’s a match made in Heaven, as these intricately crafted tunes are given a new lease of life. Among the highlights are ‘Museum Of Idiots‘ which already featured a brass section, but somehow is strangely reminiscent of Bob Dylan in its delivery here, not to mention being quite euphoric, despite being fairly faithful to its original incarnation on 2004’s The Spine, and the remarkable ‘Doctor Worm‘, a little faster than it was on 1998’s Severe Tire Damage, and all the better for it – it swells with a passion and energy that few artists are capable of in a live environment. That must have been incredible to have witnessed – so vibrant!
Of course, with the band having been around for more than 40 years now, there is a wealth of material from which the two Johns – Messrs Flansburgh and Linnell – can garner, so it is testament to them that they can put on an entire show without even hinting at either ‘Birdhouse…’ or their Malcolm In The Middle theme tune ‘Boss Of Me‘, and still send everyone home happy. Although admittedly, this set is comprised of sets from California, Oklahoma, Connecticut etc, so I guess they probably did play those too. Fans of the band’s earlier work are certainly not disregarded – the horns work a treat on ‘Mr. Me‘ from 1987’s Lincoln, to the extent that it almost sounds like the closing credits of a prime time Saturday night TV show. Joyous and exhilarating, that’s probably the best way to describe both this and the vast majority of the other tracks here.
They Might Be Giants always put on an amazing show – you should absolutely try to see them at least once in your life, if you’ve never done so, and Beast Of Horns is further proof, if any were needed, that in 2024, they are still absolutely at the top of their game.
