Mink Car

Drum machines and basslines that came straight out of the New Order songbook: surely this can’t be the same They Might Be Giants who gave us the quirky, infectious ‘Birdhouse In Your Soul’ all those years ago and the Flood album that spawned it. But, lo and behold, it is indeed the same duo of Brooklyn-based John Flansburgh and John Linnell, and Mink Car is their first full-length studio album in five years.

However, it is only the opening track and current single, ‘Man, It’s So Loud In Here’ that utilises such 1980s synth sounds, and the dynamic duo modestly attribute its infectious dance-rock satire to producer Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne).

Half way through the second track, ‘Boss Of Me’ (originally featured in TV show Malcolm In The Middle) and we’re back in familiar territory – toe-tapping guitar pop with a chorus as infectious as a regurgitated bacteria sandwich. They even turn Matt Bianco’s ‘Yeh Yeh’ into a gloriously cheesy sub-three minute thrill which, unless you possess all the heart of Darth Vader’s meaner brother, is guaranteed to put a smile on your fizzóg.

There is also something endearingly wide-eyed about their slower moments, like the beautiful ‘Another First Kiss’ or the piano-led title track, which could almost be an out-take from a trippier Pet Sounds.

Over the course of a whole album their inherent idiosyncrasies can wear a bit thin. ‘My Man’ and ‘Hopeless Bleak Despair’ aren’t exactly pilfered from their top drawer, while ‘I’ve Got A Fang’ and ‘Older’ are too wilfully wacky for most tastes.

Thankfully, none of the above stick around long enough to get really irritating and for the most part, Mink Car is a diverting hitchhike across a wildly eccentric pop landscape.