They Might Be Giants Apollo 18 CD

They Might Be Giants: John Linnell, John Flansburgh.
Additional personnel: Nicholas Hill, Elma Mayer, Brian Dewan, Amy Allison, Judy Cohen, Laura Cantrell (vocals); Mark Feldman (violin); Garo Yellin (cello); Frank London (trumpet); Jim Thomas (drums).
Recorded at The Magic Shop, New York.
Although it lacks a standout single like "Birdhouse in Your Soul," Apollo 18 is a more consistent album than Flood, overflowing with ideas and pop hooks. The most noteworthy idea may have been "Fingertips," a "suite" of 21 song fragments designed to make each random play a new experience, but the meat of the album lies in pop songs like "I Palindrome I," "My Evil Twin," "She's Actual Size," and "Which Describes How You're Feeling." The album has a slightly darker feeling than its predecessors, but that just gives the album a resonance that was missing on Flood. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
APOLLO 18 is They Might Be Giants' second major label outing. It offers their now-familiar mix of catchy but oblique pop ditties ("I Palindrome I," "My Evil Twin," "The Statue Got Me High"), humorously punny numbers ("She's Actual Size," "Dinner Bell"), an endlessly unspooling narrative ("Turn Around"), and a quasi-educational song ("Mammal"). This time out they've also created a bold experiment with "Fingertips," a series of 21 separately-indexed song fragments that can be programmed by the listener (or randomly sequenced by the CD player) into a finished form.
As always, John Linnel and John Flansburgh's seemingly nonsensical lyrics possess deceptively layered and highly crafted ideas and phrases that often add up to more than the sum of their parts. Coupled with hook-laden melodies and settings, the songs' friendly bearings quickly make them unforgettable.Rolling Stone (4/30/92, p.57) - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...Superb pop craftsmen with a hyperactive sense of caprice...the album switches styles with the dial-a-style eclecticism of a jukebox..."
Entertainment Weekly (3/27/92, p.76) - "...dorky charm...good old-fashioned tunefulness..." - Rating: B+
Q (4/92, p.83) - 3 Stars - Good - "...the usual slice of fun...never less than entertaining..."
Village Voice (3/9/93, p.80) - "...The packed pop-pomo pastiches make the redolent meaninglessness of near-literal lyrics signify and sing....stunning..." - Rating: A-