The World Is to Dig

There are plenty of interviews asking longtime couples about their "secret," but it's about time somebody grilled John Flansburgh and John Linnell — a.k.a. They Might Be Giants — about the same thing. With no breakups or hiatuses, we're 44 years into the band's existence, and on album No. 24 with The World is To Dig. At this point, they're beloved by all ages: those there for their initial rise who grew up hearing them on the recently-rebooted Malcolm in the Middle, all the way up to the kids recently raised on their Here Comes… children's albums. Hell, even their backing band hasn't budged for a half-century.It feels untoward to speak on behalf of the Johns, of course, but from a purely speculative standpoint, one could argue the key to TMBG's longevity is the cultivation of their defining idiosyncrasies. They're not a band who tried out nu metal at the new millennium, or dubstep in the 2010s — they sound as much themselves now as they did back in the '80s. This isn't to backhandedly call them safe or predictable, either; rather, it's to acknowledge their unshakable confidence in a niche they've carved out.This much is true of Dig, which offers plenty of wonderfully weird gems across its 18 tracks. "Wu-Tang'" for one, has no interest in bringing the ruckus, instead offering sprightly piano pop and clever reflections on lifelong fandom through the lens of the prospective Rock and Roll Hall of Famers."Je N'en Ai Pas," meanwhile, rollicks with its classic-rock guitars and zig-zagging drums in a manner of interplay that's très bien. The horn section kicks into action on the knowingly white-boy funk of "Get Down," while the strutting groove of "Character Flaw" perfectly underscores its absurdist — yet politically prescient — lyrics: "Tearing up the whole town / Breaking every law / People go out of their way to miss my character flaw," sings Flansburgh.Naturally, the Johns don't quite manage to go 18 for 18. "Telescope" is a skippable 60-second detour, the warped production of "Slow" is cloying, and "Let's Fall in Lava" is a one-note joke. Still, this far into their career, you don't need a They Might Be Giants album to be classic — you just need it to be a reminder of how great they are, and have been since before you were born, probably.