Rock for the minivan

Making a good children’s album requires two things: being able to make the kids happy and not make the parents go crazy. That makes They Might Be Giants a nice fit for children’s music, since they have a real knack for simple melodies and clever diction. So as a follow-up to 2005’s well-received Here Comes The ABCs, TMBG has gone numerical with Here Comes The 123s, which includes the necessary ingredients for an effective children’s album, even if it doesn’t all come together.

With a numbers album, you would expect plenty of math, but surprisingly there is very little here. Only “I Can Add” brings addition into the picture, but overall the lack of math really takes away the educational value of the album. Although it isn’t quite as educational as a parent might like, it still is quite clever in using the numbers. “Figure Eight” has a lot of fun with eight’s shape, and “Zeroes” is quite clever with the properties of zero.

Most of the songs are so catchy that everyone exposed to them will love them. Unfortunately, some are just plain obnoxious. “Ten Mississippi” is a headache waiting to happen, with three voices counting “Mississippi” over an escalating accordion. “High Five” is annoying as well, even if it is hysterical.

As far as adults are concerned, there are a few songs that could really stand alone for an adult audience, and they all come late in the album. “Infinity” is the only song to go over the three-minute mark and sounds like something Umphrey’s McGee might create. “Nonagon” is a great sonic rocker, and “Heart of the Band” has no numerals but centers around the drummer, making a bright little theme for the guy in the back of the stage.

The album ends with two songs TMBG did for the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which kids will eat up but parents will want to skip. The CD also includes a DVD with little puppet videos for every song, providing something for the kids to watch at home on top of listening to it in the car.

Although not all of it works, at 24 tracks, it hits more than misses and makes for good listening in the minivan.