They Might Be Giants, Dweezil Zappa, Ty Segall and More Music Reviews

— -- intro: After Adele sold 3.38 million copies of her album “25,” last week, we have kind of an unusual collection of new releases. They Might Be Giants release their second new album of 2015 and their fifth album for kids overall, Dweezil Zappa brings forth associations with his father in the best way possible, garage-rocker Ty Segall delivers a collection of T. Rex covers, electronic artist SOPHIE collects recent singles into album form and British electro-folk artist Bibio re-releases his debut album. As we approach the end of the year, this week is one where Adele will no doubt retain her number one status, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t new albums worth your time and money that may not otherwise be on your radar.

quicklist: 1title: They Might Be Giants’ “Why?” ****text: More than thirty years into their career, They Might Be Giants are really having a banner year. First they had their album “Glean,” in April. That album was easily among the best of their impressive career and now they have released “Why?” First off, for starters “Why?” is the band’s fifth children’s record. Before you turn away and stop reading, it is also their best children’s record.

The reason why “Why?” works so well is that it plays effectively off the high-points of “Glean.” It strangely feels cut from the same cloth. Also, much of it comes off as a more innocent (but never cloying) version of the group’s “adult” records. They Might Be Giants have always been playful, silly and intelligent in their approach. If a crazy track like “Omnicorn” (about a unicorn with many different kinds of horns) appeared on a regular They Might Be Giants album, many people wouldn’t bat an eye. (Is it that far away in scope from classics like “Pencil Rain” and “Birdhouse In Your Soul?” Not really.) What you have here is essentially a lighter-hearted, more educational answer to They Might Be Giants’ previous work, of course lacking the cartoonish, absurdist lyrical mentions of death that sometimes humorously crop up in their discography.

So this is a children’s album that probably won’t annoy parents. It also never condescends to its audience. What other kids’ album would feature lyrics about a “Mobius strip” or give shout-outs to both Captain Beefheart and Ansel Adams?

John Linnell and John Flansburgh have always been masters of throwing lessons into their songs. They Might Be Giants have always been an intellectual band of the highest level. Here, they do their part for the next generation by encouraging literacy on “So Crazy For Books” and environmentalism on “Then The Kids Took Over.” And it’s not like they don’t want the kids to have fun, too. “I Just Want To Dance,” for instance is full of goofy enjoyment, while both “Thinking Machine” and “Hello Mrs. Wheelyke” are exercises in thought-provoking, madcap nonsense.

Before “Glean,” They Might Be Giants’ previous two adult records, “Nanobots” and “Join Us” were among their darkest work, lyrically speaking. This was perhaps a side-effect of doing too many children’s albums in a row. With “Why?” Linnell and Flansburgh have found a balance. This album doesn’t feel like it is as much of a departure when compared to their previous collections for little ones, “No,” “Here Come The ABCs,” ”Here Come The 123’s” and “Here Comes Science.” If “Glean” had a little brother, this album would fit the bill. This may be designed for children but it recommended for They Might Be Giants’ fans of all ages.

Focus Tracks:

“Omnicorn” As mentioned above this is a great, fuzzy slice of power-pop. My question is, what would an Omnicorn actually look like?

“Then The Kids Took Over” This is a fun way to learn about recycling with an optimistic bend on the future. Plus, it’s got a killer chorus that would probably be a rocking highlight in concert. Flansburgh’s altered voice during the spoken-word bit brings back good associations with the TMBG classic, “Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head.”

“I Am Invisible” This song about being invisible is definitely not out of step with any of the band’s previous work. It’s just Linnell working with his signature brand of quirkiness.

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quicklist: 2title: Dweezil Zappa’s “Via Zammata’” ****text: Dweezil Zappa has spent many of the last few years covering his father’s material . “Via Zammata’” may be his first collection of originals in nearly ten years, but it feels very much informed by Frank’s work. From the beginning of the instrumental opener, “Funky 15,” that signature, expansive, mind-blowing prog-rock approach remains intact. In other words, Dweezil has definitely and unquestionably inherited Frank’s gifts. “Funky 15,” for instance belongs equally in the rock and progressive jazz worlds.

“Rat Race” captures the dark side of relentless capitalist drive, with its chorus, “Money to earn. / Money To earn. / I want money. / Money to burn,” while the Eastern-tinged “Dragon Master” merges geopolitical imagery with the humorously weird chorus of “Satan is a dragon master,” all delivered in an animated, arena-rock-ready heavy metal yelp (courtesy of guest Shawn Albro) bringing to mind both Primus and System Of A Down. It should be noted that the lyrics to “Dragon Master” were written by Frank.

On “Malkovich,” John Malkovich drops by for a trippy spoken-word exercise. This means not only does this man have a movie named for him, he also now has a song as well. In comparison, “On Fire” comes off as a goofy bit of new-wave informed by some post-Beach Boys vocal harmonies and some nice banjo work.

“Nothing” evokes the influence of Dweezil’s friend, “Weird Al “ Yankovic, albeit with a killer guitar-solo near the end, “Hummin’” sounds like an intriguing mix between minor-key lounge music, trip-hop and rock aggression. Like his father before him, Dweezil can effortlessly mix seemingly incongruous elements into bizarrely appealing concoctions.

The instrumental, “Truth” sounds equally influenced by both the late-period Beatles and the Beach Boys, with a nice string quartet thrown into the mix, while “What If” has an off-kilter bounciness that although slower, recalls Zappa’s 2002 Lisa Loeb-co-write, “You Don’t Know Me,” from her album “Cake And Pie.”

“Jaws Of Life” is a pretty funny look at death, while “Just The Way She Is” is about a socialite who shuns the spotlight.

The album closes with an ode to a “Billionaire’s Son,” who ends up spending all of his late-father’s money in a very short time and ends up facing death, himself. There’s a recurring thread on this album about fame and wealth and its adverse effects.

Throughout “Via Zammata’” Dweezil Zappa comes off as assured as ever. This is a record that works on multiple levels. Like his father, Zappa proves he can make intelligently cutting music that challenges both musically and lyrically. At the same time, Dweezil reaffirms that he is a star and a talent in his own right.

Focus Tracks:

“Truth” This instrumental is quite an amazing piece of work and shows Zappa’s strong musical prowess. It shifts gears many times, showing an impressive amount of range and dexterity.

“What If” This is probably Zappa’s best pop moment on the album. This song is catchy but at the same time it maintains his signature brand of musical complexity. It even somehow makes the old adage of “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger than you were before,” sound strangely new and fresh.

“Just The Way She Is” Similarly, this is a really powerful narrative ballad and a keen character study. In some ways it brings to mind the sharp work on Fountains Of Wayne’s epic masterpiece “Welcome Interstate Managers.”

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quicklist: 3title: Ty Segall’s “Ty Rex” ***1/2text: “Ty Rex” is actually a wider reissue of a collection of T. Rex covers that retro garage-rocker Ty Segall released for Record Store Day in 2011, augmented by a few additional covers he released later. Segall seems like a natural fit for the songs of Marc Bolan, even if he covers these songs with increasing levels of fuzz and delivers them with an often striking level of volatility. An analog hiss covers the entire record giving it an old-school freshness as if it is blasting from a well-worn cassette. (I mean this in a positive sense.)

Segall’s take on “Buick Mackane” for instance brings utter rawness and a slapping funk together, while his take on “20th Century Boy” is much more punk-driven and brutal than original. His version of “The Slider” is full of a dingy level of sonic filth that somehow adds to the song’s sleaze-driven groove.

Throughout the nine songs on this set, Segall pays nice tribute to Bolan while adding his own touches. This is a brief set and it is pretty lo-fi in nature, but at the same time, it fits just as well as a tribute as it does among Segall’s discography of originals. Not only will this collection please fans of Segall’s unhinged approach, but it should also please T. Rex fans looking for rawer renditions of these classics. Segall’s six-minute take on “Elemental Child,” for instance, artfully devolves into a pile of noises, crashes and hums.

With “Ty Rex,” Ty Segall pays tribute to one of his obvious heroes, while at the same time giving these glam-rock anthems a startling punk charge.

Focus Tracks:

“Buick Mackane” If “Tall Man Skinny Lady” from last year’s excellent “Manipulator” LP wasn’t an indication, this take on “Buick Mackane” proves that Segall knows when to give a song a funk-driven backbone. Again, the overall rawness serves as an asset here, especially when Segall begins screaming at the top of his lungs.

“20th Century Boy” This revved up, fuzzed-up take on this classic packs quite a hard-edged wallop. It also sounds like it was banged together in a live setting with its vital sense of urgency.

“Elemental Child” This sounds damaged and destructive in the best ways as it thunders through your speakers. It also sounds like Segall is manipulating the tape-speed. However, fans who don’t appreciate “lo-fi” music may not get the same thrills. This track rocks with unabashed sonic brutality.

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quicklist: 4title: SOPHIE’S “Product” **1/2text: SOPHIE is the alter-ego for electronic DJ Samuel Long. Long is an associate of the “PC Music” label and clique, a community of electronic artists out of London who aim to make music as computerized as possible. Long has made his name through his collaborations. Most notably, he co-produced Madonna’s “B_tch, I’m Madonna,” earlier this year.

The music of SOPHIE can be quite challenging. Long takes computerized waves and manipulates them sometimes virtually to the point of oblivion. “Product” is a quick collection of singles and b-sides that he has released over the year and if you don’t know what you are getting into, it can provide quite a daunting listening task. A track like “Elle,” to an outsider can just sound like an assortment of pops and squeals set to a post-PONG beat.

“Lemonade” sounds like Daft Punk’s “Technologic” without the drive and a sped up pop hook just placed in its center. “Hard” also brings forth the same feeling, only with a few Pac-Man-meets-the-ghost-monster kinds of sounds.

This is stripped down, sugary pop with a lightning-fast attack. Part of me really wants to give Long a ton of credit, since this is strikingly different, but at the same time, different doesn’t always mean good. At under 29-minutes, this album wears out its welcome really quickly. And a track like “Msmsmsm” sounds like a stripped-out element that The Prodigy’s Liam Howlett might have put into a song on his album “Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned,” only without the context.

This is a forward-thinking, but profoundly difficult collection. You’ll either find it to be an amazing game-changer or it will give you a lingering headache. A listen to “Product” will inspire a strong reaction in one way or the other with little chance of a middle-ground. From a technical standpoint it is rather compelling. In practice however, it can try your patience. Still, on some level, I suppose it is passably interesting.

Focus Tracks:

“Bipp” If the dance music of the early eighties was reinterpreted by aliens, it might sound like this. In some ways this sounds like a really warped answer to Shannon’s “Let The Music Play.”

“Just Like We Never Said Goodbye" This is the closest to traditional pop this album has to offer. Although it sounds again like isolated, stripped out elements of a pop song, played at the wrong speed.

“Elle” This track is honestly not all that musical, but it is an intriguing experiment with sonic sound-collage.

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quicklist: 5title: Bibio’s “Fi” ***1/2text: This seems to be the time of year for reissues. “Fi” was actually Stephen Wilkinson’s first album under his Bibio moniker, originally released in 2004. It now gets a wider release through his current deal with Warp Records.

If you are familiar with the work of Bibio through the movies and commercials his music has scored, there’s one thing you should know. This is very much a lo-fi version of the sound he has since developed. As he has grown as a musician, his music has gotten much fuller. The fact that this is an instrumental record when his voice has become a vital part of his current formula, should tell you that this album is quite different from his later discography. The electronic-meets-acoustic clash though is still present and tracks like “Bewley In White” and “Looking Through The Facets Of A Plastic Jewel,” sound a bit like Boards Of Canada or Four Tet playing around with guitar snippets from Crosby, Stills & Nash.

While this record is steeped in newer, chilled technology (in spite of its analog fuzziness) there is something grounded about it and playing to an older tradition. This isn’t a record that will leave you humming. It isn’t catchy. It’s more like an ultra-hypnotic score that will just wash over you. Listening to the 18-minute closer, “Poplar Avenue” as it goes around in a seemingly endless loop or the church-bell like riff of “Wet Flakey Bark,” and this album seems more suited for meditation than for anything else.

No, you won’t find anything as striking as later album highlights like “Anything New” or “À Tout À L'heure,” but “Fi” is still a subtle and often compelling record, showing Stephen Wilkinson at the dawn of his powers. It’s nice to have this album has gotten this re-release.. It gives the later albums more context.

Focus Tracks:

“Poplar Avenue (Uncut)” The version on the original release was only about five minutes long. Here, it swells to over eighteen minutes and it becomes even more entrancing. Sometimes when people play with loops it can be monotonous. Other times, the loops can maintain a whirling drive. This is in the latter category thanks to so careful sonic layering.

“Bewley In White” Is that a sitar I hear beneath the guitar-line? This is among Wilkinson’s best work of this period.

“Cantaloup Carousel” Again this is an acoustic guitar piece with a bit of analog tape damage to accentuate a feeling. This album feels like it was recorded very intimately on an old-school 4-track cassette machine. These tracks almost sound like the score to a film. Every bit of damage present on the recording is obviously there for artistic reasons.

Next Week: New albums from Coldplay, Babyface and more.

Missed last week's? Get the latest from Foo Fighters, Punch Brothers, Freddie Gibbs and Underworld.

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