Artist: They Might Be Giants
Album: Podcast Highlights
Tracks: 14
Length: 39:43
Review by: Christopher Thomas!

In Tim Burton’s movie version of Batman, Jack Nicholson’s joker asks rhetorically, “Where does he get all those wonderful toys?” And it’s true. Batman always has a ton of random tools and inventions at his disposal. Need to knock out some bad guys before they know what hit ‘em? Well, it just so happens that he has some BatGas grenades in his utility belt for that very purpose. How is he gonna clip the ropes on those deadly poison-filled balloons hovering above Gotham City? He’s gonna use the giant scissors that are conveniently built into the nose of the BatWing jet. But what if he’s being attacked by a giant mechanical shark while hovering above the ocean on a rope ladder? He just asks Robin to hand him his trusty can of Batman Brand Shark Repellent. Duh. He has a million inventions always ready for any situation. It never ends.

And so is the case with They Might Be Giants, one of the most prolific bands in the history of popular music. Need a song about Paul Stanley of Kiss? Got it. How about a tune describing the deep emotional connection between a diving board and a swimming pool? Check. Fake "commentary track" for a song describing visual effects that don’t exist? Yeah, they have that.

All those and several more make up the band’s podcast highlights. Live tracks, remixes, new songs, and random weirdness fill out the band’s semi-regular podcast releases, available for free through iTunes or at http://www.theymightbegiants.com . This collection of tracks is excellent – unfortunately it’s not an actual release. It’s simply a tool to spread the word about the podcast via record reviewers. Fortunately, the podcasts are excellent whether you’re a fan or a newcomer to the realm of TMBG. Typical they are not, but they never fail to entertain, however esoteric the humor may be.