Much like 2016’s Phone Power, My Murdered Remains collects the remainder of 2018’s Dial-A-Song offerings, and, also like Phone Power, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. While it’s mostly lacking in flow or cohesion, and comes nowhere near the explosive triumph that was 2018's I Like Fun, there’s still a lot of really excellent tracks on MMR. If you view this as more of a mixtape rather than a plotted out, thoughtfully arranged album, it feels better. Among the sixteen album tracks and sixteen bonus tracks (more detritus from both this year and 2015’s Dial-A-Song) you’ve got a small collection of rock solid tracks not only worth checking out, but worth repeat listens.
Standouts include the high-energy, paranoid anthem “I’ve Been Seeing Things”, “Applause Applause Applause” which reveals the secret mantra at the heart of every single performer throughout history, whether they admit it or not, the frantic, tail-chasing “The Neck Rolls Aren’t Working”, “I Haven’t Been Right Yet”, the synthy, uneasy “The Bullies”, “Tractor”, “Tick Tick Tick”, “Last Wave (alt version)”* , and finally, the perfect exemplar of a clever, dynamic, fun song that is pure They Might Be Giants in the album’s opener, “The Communists Have The Music”.
After yet another year of new, original tracks every week from the Johns, Dan, Danny, and Marty, there is nothing to complain about here, and while it may be a bit of a musical jumble, you can’t argue with how apt that title is. My Murdered Remains and its bonus disc (entitled More Murdered Remains) is only available on the band’s official website in digital, CD, and vinyl formats.
* Although this one really only works with a bit of background…which I will not offer here. Enjoy the weirdness, squares.
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