Mink Car [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
Japanese Version featuring Four Bonus Tracks: 'boss of Me', 'your Mom's Alright', 'mcgyver', and 'robot Parade'

Tracks:

Bangs
Cyclops Rock
Man, It's So Loud In Here
Mr. Xcitement
Another First Kiss
I've Got A Fang
Hovering Sombrero
Yeh Yeh
Hopeless Bleak Despair
Drink!
My Man
Older
Mink Car
Wicked Little Critta
Finished With Lies
She Thinks She's Edith Head
Working Undercover For The Man

Customer Reviews:

No surprises....but Heck, who needs em?.......2007-02-14

When it's They Might Be Giants, you know what to expect - chorus after chorus after catchy chorus, with quirky, funny, witty lyrics. And the boys do not disappoint here. Mink Car is full of pop gems. The title track is particularly brilliant and somewhat removed from their usual style, but the rest of this is classic TMBG - "Working undercover for the man", "Hopeless bleak despair", "Bangs", "Another first kiss"... I could go and on, but you get the general idea.

I deduct one star for the annoying "Mr. Xcitement" and "Wicked little critta" - two low points in an otherwise fine record.

I got my copy autographed by John Flansburgh........2006-05-08

This is one of my favorite They Might Be Giants albums. It features their typical blend of catchy melodies with silly lyrics. Lots of great songs on this one. My favorites would probably be "Cyclops Rock", "Man, It's So Loud in Here", "I've Got a Fang" and "Older". Fans of TMBG should enjoy this one.

Evidence of a collective TMBG fan unconscious?.......2005-11-04

I took a few minutes to check out other reviewers' comments before writing my own and saw that another reviewer (hi Brian) had the same experience I did with this album: we both bought it, listened to it, hated it, hid it, dug it out a few weeks/months/years later, and suddenly loved it. Weeeeeeird.

Ultimately, though, Brian is right; you will get hit by the mink car, and in my case, plastered all over the pavement. Though at first I was turned off by the very funky, poppy, electronic sound, I realized that this was just TMBG's take on the pop music scene, conceptually not all that different from Flood and even more like Factory Showroom (which, unlike other reviewers here, I loved).

Mink Car has a lot of great tracks. It also has some...well...less great tracks. For me, the secret was to listen only to odd-numbered tracks up to "Hovering Sombrero," and to fast-forward past the oddly cacophonous endings of "Wicked Little Critta" and "She Thinks She's Edith Head."

The good tracks are, once you get to know them, some of the Johns' best. "Bangs" is an instantly lovable song that will get stuck in your head for days, and definitely the only song I know that contains the word "proscenium." "Mink Car" itself is a brilliant take on the laid-back lounge sound of a 70's TV show.

"My Man" is a treat for fans who love to tease out the strands of meaning in a good lyric; lines like "I guess my man's fallen out with my head" and the simile drawn between the body's nervous system and a transoceanic cable explore the feeling of separation of body and mind - the "ghost in the machine" concept, with a quirky underpinning suggestive of malfunctioning machinery. It seems very odd to say this about a TMBG song, but it's actually...haunting.

"Hovering Sombrero" is absolutely one of my favorite TMBG songs. The melody is unusually complex (try singing it all the way through in the shower) and the lyrics equally so: "Don't be burdened by regrets or make your failures an obsession or become embittered or possessed by ruined hopes - remember when you take yourself for granted, feel rejected and unwanted, know you're never just a hat, you're never only just a hat, you know..." I always find this an uplifting song, great for when things aren't going well and I feel like I'm just a hat.

Other songs - "Older," "Wicked Little Critta," "Man, It's So Loud in Here" - are just plain fun. I'm sure I've many times attracted the attention of fellow motorists when I cruise along the highway waving my imaginary stein to the tune of "Drink!"

A step down for TMBG.......2005-09-14

I own each of their full-length CD's prior to this one, and without fail there were always two or three classic songs, any one of which would be more than worth the full purchase price. And most of the remainder would be either somewhat musically enjoyable or be witty and/or hilarious.

This one was a disappointment for me. Not one song stands out as a classic to my ears. As others have said, there are a fair number of throwaways. I like the theory from another reviewer that stated TMBG were parodying the styles of the music they emulated. In any case, I certainly wouldn't pop in this disc because I felt an urge to hear a particular song from it.

To top if off, even the Dial-A-Song "Finished With Lies" doesn't seem as enjoyable as the old lo-fi version.

That is not to say completists like me will be disgusted, there is some enjoyment to be found here. But the bar has been set really high from their previous works.

Be advised there are three versions. The Japan release has all the tracks, while the UK and US versions each have songs the other lacks.

If TMBG were to make a modern album with their classic humor.......2005-03-15

It would sound like this album. Some of the songs are honestly saccharine and loving, while others classically loud and brash all the while being intelligent, melodic, and a nasally good time. Some songs are the coolest that they've ever written like: "Wicked little Critta" & "Yeah Yeah." It doesn't seem as extreme as their earlier albums in part because the production styles over time have changed and the band has obviously gotten past the angst portion of their career where they were constantly trying to cross the line of what they could and couldn't do while still being themselves and entertaining their audience at the same time. They've learned how to still be creative while also settling down(to a certain extent).

Average customer rating:

Mink Car
They Might Be Giants
Manufacturer: Japanese Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Post-Punk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000063L4A
Release Date: 2002-06-18

Tracks:

Bangs
Cyclops Rock
Man, It's So Loud in Here
Mr. Xcitement - Mike Doughty, Elegant Too, They Might Be Giants
Another First Kiss
I've Got a Fang
Hovering Sombrero
Yeh Yeh
Hopeless Bleak Despair
Drink!
My Man
Older
Mink Car
Wicked Little Critta
Finished With Lies
She Thinks She's Edith Head
Working Undercover for the Man
Boss of Me [from the UK Only Release][*]
Your Mom's Alright [UK Only Release][*]
McGyver [#][*]
Robot Parade [Adult Version][*]

Album Details

Japanese Version featuring Four Bonus Tracks: 'boss of Me', 'your Mom's Alright', 'mcgyver', and 'robot Parade'

Average customer rating:

Mink Car...This Compact Edition Gets Better Mileage
Good album, but...

Mink Car
They Might Be Giants
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Post-Punk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005S6OX

Tracks:

Bangs
Cyclops Rock
Man, It's So Loud in Here
Mr. Xcitement - Mike Doughty, They Might Be Giants
Another First Kiss
I've Got a Fang
Hovering Sombrero
Yeh Yeh
Hopeless Bleak Despair
Drink!
My Man
Older
Mink Car
Wicked Little Critta
Finished With Lies
She Thinks She's Edith Head
Working Undercover for the Man

Album Description

UK edition of 2001 album includes two bonus tracks, the sought after 'Boss Of Me' (from the TV show 'Malcolm In The Middle') & 'Your Mom's Alright'.

Customer Reviews:

Mink Car...This Compact Edition Gets Better Mileage.......2004-11-29

I enjoyed my friend's copy of the U.S. version of Mink Car, but felt that it had a bit too much filler to make it worth my while. When I saw this version, I snapped it up right away. TMBG completists will probably go for the longer U.S. version, but the U.K. version makes for a better listen, IMHO. Interesting to note that the running order is mixed up a bit. Presumably the club-friendly "Man It's So Loud In Here" was intended as an emphasis track for the European market. It was relegated to track three for the U.S. release. Also, the M. Doughty collaboration "Your Mom's Alright" is much better than "Mr. Excitement," which appears on the U.S. release. So, pound for pound the UK version is a more solid album.

Good album, but..........2004-09-11

Get the U.S. version. This is more expensive, out of print, and has less songs. The two "Bonus tracks" are available elsewhere (Boss of Me: Boss of Me single, Malcolm in the Middle Soundtrack, on many various album compilations, and Dial-a-song, which by the way is a great album. And Your Mom's Alright:Available on theymightbegiants.com for free.)
Plus, Boss of Me isn't that great, and you can see it everyday on Malcolm in the Middle. Anyway, there are only 12 other songs, and the U.S. version has them all and 5 more. As for those songs, they are great. But, as I said, just get the U.S. version.

Music:

Music

music

Music

Singles Collection

Wolfgang A. Mozart: piano concerto c major KV 467 & piano concerto d major KV 537

Waylon Jennings - Greatest Hits [RCA]

Alegría

Watershed [Import]

Wonderwall Music [Import]

WOW Hits 2003

Vox Organalis: Gothic Keyboard Music

Vintage Banjo

Uno, Dos: Bandera

When 20 Summers Pass

With Gold and Blue Words

Ultimate Collection [Box set] [Import]

From the Crates to the Files: The Lost Sessions

More Music from Save the Last Dance