They Got Lost

Album Review

They Might Be Giants are one of too-few bands that manage to make compilations that are as cohesive and enjoyable as their regular full-length albums. They Got Lost is no exception — a collection of truly rare rarities, it shows once again that the group's more obscure songs are quite often just as great as their best-known ones. Many of the tracks here come from They Might Be Giants' relationship with the music download service EMusic, including the sweetly sad alt-country of "Words are Like (Demo)"; "Reprehensible"'s bright, swingy lounge; and the more typical quirky rock of "On the Drag," "I Am a Human Head" and "Certain People I Could Name." Sometimes the origins of the songs are even more unusual than the songs themselves: "Oranges" and the very silly "Oranges Testimonial" were commissioned by the Chopping Block, a graphic design firm. "Theme to McSweeney"'s celebrates Dave Eggers' beloved literary webzine with Wendy Carlos-style baroque electronics, and "I'm Sick (of this American Life)" pays homage to the National Public Radio show with weary, tongue-in-cheek wit; meanwhile, "Rat Patrol" (another EMusic track), with its charging pianos and guitars, sounds like the theme song to a TV show that never was. One of They Got Lost's best songs actually did appear in a TV show: "All Alone," the strangely bittersweet story of a germ launched into outer space, appeared on "Brave New World," a special series produced by ABC's Nightline. Though this collection isn't quite as consistent as, say, Miscellaneous T, They Got Lost is still a lot of fun (especially on off-the-cuff tracks like "Disappointing Show") and a must for any die-hard TMBG fans that don't already have these songs.