Here Come the 1,2, 3s....

Last Tuesday (2/05/2008), yet another fine recording was released- They Might Be Giants' follow up to Here Come the ABCs, Here Come the 123s. To be honest, I was a bit concerned when I read that TMBG were working on a numbers based collection of tunes. I grew up with Bob Dorough as a mentor of sorts (he was a friend of the family) and Multiplication Rock was a staple of my limited record collection as a child. I still find that collection of songs nearly perfect and the notion of any other artist attempting to even broach the subject of numbers within children's songs makes me nervous. Of course, this is TMBG we're talking about...

Here Come the 123s is a fantastic collection of songs that are as creative as they care "catchy". John Flansburgh and John Linnell have always been able to compose smart and melodic songs, are both quite capable musicians, and both typically surround themselves with stellar backing musicians. However, it seems as though the duo have really begun to weave their past, sort-of underground successes into marketing gold of late. This is due to their seemingly endless supply of tunes that are beginning to extend into varied facets of pop culture. If your kids watch "Playhouse Disney", listen closely! If you're watching sitcoms- listen not only to theme songs, but to the commercial soundtracks as well. These guys are everywhere and I think that is great! Our culture needs more interesting music infused among the schlock on Top 40 radio and the singular, early morning countdown show on VH-1.

The They Might Be Giants Here Come the 123's record is a great album to provide your youngsters at home. The album includes 27 tracks that you and your family will singing together in no time! There is also a companion DVD that is included in the packaging that both my four year old son and two year old daughter are riveted to when running on the television. My personal favorite tracks are Zeroes (excellent harmonies), One Everything (much like the band Huffamoose in a way), Triops Has Three Eyes (an homage to the humble triops) and finally Nonagon (yes, all about shapes). The four mentioned tracks are all great, yet I do not intend to discount the remainder of the record. Try it, you'll like it!

If you have smaller children at home, and are looking for music that is good for children, yet tolerable for you to listen to as well, buy the entire catalog! TMBG have produced three albums for children and each would make an excellent addition to any record collection. Head over to Amazon and order all of them today!