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Common Sense Note

Although these songs entertain children as young as a year, some teens also enjoy both the music and controlling the animation on tracks like "Clap Your Hands" and "The Edison Museum."

Parents can talk about how different age groups can get different things out of this music.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Cynthea Riesenberg

Slide this CD into your computer and prepare to be amazed by They Might Be Giants' zany creativity. Brilliantly-colored images dot the screen, dancing or exploding at the click of a mouse and illustrating nonsense lyrics reminiscent of Edward Lear. The lyrics themselves scroll past, too, to the beat of folky rock guitar, keyboards, drum, and bass, giving budding readers a chance to sing along and see the words at the same time.

What kind of words? Well, in "Fibber Island," the opening track, a bright yellow sun sings, "We hide mittens in our hair/ You might need to stare to see the mittens in our hair." "I Am Not Your Broom" involves a conversation between John and his broom, in which the broom declares, "I'm throwing off my chains of servitude." "Wake Up Call" consists of nothing but the syllables bo, do, ba, and baw, but when played on the computer, kids can set animated clocks to the time signaled by dancing roosters.

Is this educational children's music or a magical mystery tour? They Might Be Giants have given us a combination in this album, and most of the time, it works. Adults who are not already TMBG fans may be won over; others may find the songs too pointless or even mildly subversive. But children delight in them, and older siblings get a kick out of the animations set to music, too.

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Content
		CS	adults	kids
Sexual Content There are no sexual references.
Violence There are no violent images, but sensitive children may be disturbed by descriptions in "The Edison Museum" ("Its haunted towers rise into the clouds above it/ ?Ghosts float up the stares like silent moving pictures").
Language The language is clean. Songs like "Fibber Island" ("wheels are square not round") may puzzle or delight youngsters, depending on their taste for nonsense.
Message
	Social Behavior Although it's all in fun, occasional misbehavior goes uncorrected. The animations to "I Am A Grocery Bag" urge viewers to play with their food and spill it (and with a click of the mouse they can do so.)
	Commercialism There are no references to brand names.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco There are no references to drugs or alcohol, but the band's depiction of the everyday in songs like "I Am A Grocery Bag" may strike some as surreal.

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