They Might Be Giants at Turner Hall
Shervin Lainez
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Never underestimate the power of Johns Flansburgh and Linnell. As the perennial geek-rock favorites They Might Be Giants, the duo has been poking at polka-punk, accordion jams, and nerdy pop nuggets for 30 years. On the commentary track for 2002’s Gigantic (A Tale Of Two Johns), however, Linnell wonders aloud whether the documentary will serve as the band’s tombstone. It was a valid concern—even for a band that deals so gleefully with death—and eerily prescient, considering TMBG’s middling output following the film’s release. But 2011’s weird, eclectic Join Us serves as a refreshing corrective to years of kiddie albums and so-so grown-up discs, and reestablishes Linnell and Flans as geek-rock explorers of the highest order. The group’s 16th album, Nanobots, will be released March 5.
Soon after that release, They Might Be Giants will return to Milwaukee for a show at Turner Hall Friday, May 31. General admission tickets are $25, and go on sale Friday, Jan. 18 at noon. Memo to yourself: Go to this show.
