Rating:  -
Okay. I absolutely adore this album. Critics panned it, but screw them--what do they know? From the hard-rocking "Snail Shell", to the bouncy "Destination Moon", to the beautifully sad "The End Of The Tour", this album is awesome.
Now for a track-by-track analysis.
1. Subliminal (2:45) - Pretty good. The backwards portion at the end is really cool. 4/5
2. Snail Shell (3:20) - Awesome. This song rocks out loud, pure and simple. 5/5
3. Sleeping In The Flowers (4:30) - This song is just cool. The chorus is really different from the verses, but it works. 5/5
4. Unrelated Thing (2:30) - Everyone hates this one, but I think it's good. 4/5
5. AKA Driver (3:14) - Another song that just rocks. 5/5
6. I Should Be Allowed To Think (3:09) - This is a song about teen rebellion, I think, and somehow, it works. 5/5
7. Extra Savoir-Faire (2:48) - Eh. One of the weaker tracks. 3/5
8. Why Must I Be Sad? (4:08) - Cool, in a dark sorta way. 5/5
10. O, Do Not Forsake Me (2:30) - This one's weird, but I kinda like it. 4/5
11. No One Knows My Plan (2:37) - This one's good for dancing! 5/5
12. Dirt Bike (3:05) - Another slightly weaker one. 3/5
13. Destination Moon (2:27) - This is an awesomely bouncy song, but knowing TMBG, the lyrics are darker. I love it! 5/5
14. A Self Called Nowhere (3:22) - Another dark, yet REALLY cool one. 5/5
15. Meet James Ensor (1:33) - Weaker. 3/5
16. Thermostat (3:11) - This one's really catchy and cool. 5/5
17. Window (1:00) - Nice. Has a very theme song-ish quality. 4/5
18. Out Of Jail (2:38) - Another extremely catchy song, with a very twisted theme. 5/5
19. Stomp Box (1:55) - Awesome and hard. Probably TMBG's hardest song yet. 5/5
20. The End Of The Tour (3:18) - Best. Song. Ever. It's so sad...I want it played at my funeral.
In short, buy this album. You won't regret it.
By Anna Ng, a 13-year-old TMBG fan, and no, that's not her real last name
Rating: -
You really get a full band feel throughout most of this album and they add horns to many of the tracks as well. The only problem with this album is that it is their longest and features the most amount of songs that are longer than their trademark of under 3 minutes, even 2 minutes. There are a number of songs on here that are longer than 4 and some that just feel longer. AT a certain point it just feels as if the album has stayed past its welcome. I'm not sure if it does. I like this album because it shows the influence of grunge on a few tracks while also staying true to the stylistic flipping from song to song that they are known for. You might not make it through the entire album in one sitting, but it's still high quality.
Rating: -
John Henry sounds as good as any TMBG effort, but on inspection, I think it also proves to be one of their deepest and most cohesive albums. Random cleverness is replaced by a subtle, consistent mood, total lyrical abstraction begins to give way to a message, and the individual songs are great. Besides, with a full twenty songs (almost an hour of music), there's bound to be something on here for everyone.
Most of the songs on Henry have a darker tone, whether explicitly (Why Must I Be Sad?; The End of the Tour) or subtly, coded into the lyrics (Destination Moon, Spy, Sleeping in the Flowers). The sound is also vaguely more _metal_ than the sort of candy-coated synthesizers and horns that characterized their earlier albums (not that there's any absence of horns), from the rough-edged harmonica opening of Subliminal to the grungy guitars on Sleeping In The Flowers and others. It may seem more commercial to some, but this sound is still entirely distinct.
As for the theme of the lyrics, it may seem hypocritical for a band which used to be more machine than man to entitle one of their albums John Henry ("a man aint nothing but a man / but before I let that steam drill beat me down / I'm gonna die with a hammer in my hand, yessir; etc.") and record a song like Thermostat, an impassioned plea against the dangers of modern automation. But the sentiment is real, and portraits of human alienation and loneliness (Spy) placed alongside villanous characterizations of machines (AKA Driver; Dirt Bike) suggest a unity which no TMBG album has had to date. The result is a deeper listening experience relying on more than puns for its effect.
As for the individual songs, the upbeat Destination Moon and James Ensor just sound terrific; some of my favorites. The End of the Tour is also powerful and genuinely touching. Some of the tracks are weaker, and I tend to skip Unrelated Thing and I Should Be Allowed to Think. Still, with this kind of quantity, the quality is very consistent.
All in all, TMBG has produced something really outstanding. Even people who dismiss them for their lack of substance (a charge that, you have to admit, is somewhat fair) should take note of Henry.
Rating: -
The songwriting on this album is absolutely brilliant. It's clever, witty, and even humorous at times.
Rating: -
ok, read all the reviews on here by the fans who own all the tmbg albums, and guess which one's the best? if you guessed "flood," you should be hit on the head with a frying pan. yes, "john henry" is my favorite tmbg album.
i originally hesitated in buying this album due to some bad reviews, but i am so glad i did. what happened was my friends and i went to dc for an instore performance, and sadly, i left the cd i wanted signed in the car. ("the best of the early years" does have the coolest cover art.) anyway, i had to get their autographs and the only tmbg album borders had that i didn't already have at the time was "john henry." the johns signed it, and now i think it must've been fate that i left that other cd in the car, as my favorite tmbg album is the one i now have autographed.
this disc is more rocking than any of their others, due to the full band. the title refers to the heroic battle between machine and man, and as in the folk tale, man proves to be the victor.
chances are, if you're used to listening to "flood" and "apollo 18," this album may not strike you as great on the first listen. considered their dark album, "john henry" is undeniably different than any of their releases, old and new. but, as the arby's slogan goes: different is good. for best results, listen to this cd in its entirety, in order, so set aside some time or put it in the car player. i will warn you that after about 3 listens, you won't be able to listen to any other cd in the car for awhile.
tracks:
1. subliminal - awesome song. for all those who said there's no accordian, what the f? the first track is accordian city, and my favorite track.
2. snail shell - i don't know why this was picked as the single, but oh, well. a cool song, but loses just a little bit of luster with repeated listens.
3. sleeping in the flowers - really good song with a great chorus.
4. unrelated thing - don't hate this track like a lot of other reviewers. it's really good and is a great comment on what love can really be like. it's also a sort of country song, which proves tmbg's versatility.
5. aka driver - great song to drive to. need i say more?
6. i should be allowed to think - one to sing along to.
7. extra savoir-faire - i don't think people understand exactly how albums work. this song is not "filler." granted, it is slower, but that only enhances the power the songs around it and it's own uniqueness.
8. why must i be sad? - dark and rocking.
9. spy - could be a james bond theme. the improv towards the end is not bad at all. listen to the guitar right at the beginning of the improv. it's one of my favorite parts of the cd.
10. o, do not forsake me - this is the slowest song on the album, and not the best. probably because the johns don't even sing it, but don't skip it because...
11. no one knows my plan - awesome horns, very catchy, and extremely powerful, especially if heard directly following "forsake me."
12. dirt bike - chill. good driving song.
13. destination moon - really rocking, and a great song. my favorite on the album upon first listening.
14. a self called nowhere - sing along to this and you'll appreciate it more.
15. meet james ensor - horns are terrific. especially cool having heard the "severe tire damage" version first.
16. thermostat - who ever thought a song about a thermostat could be so catchy?
17. window - classic linnell.
18. out of jail - one of my favorites. upbeat and rocking. favorite lyric: "i thought my luck was changing, i guess i was wrong."
19. stomp box - one of the hardest tmbg songs, next to "dig my grave" and "robot parade (adult version)." pounding and very energetic to enhance the meaning of...
20. the end of the tour - as some have said, a tmbg masterpiece. even if it's not about teenagers dying in a car wreck (which i don't know if it is), it strikes an unexpected emotional chord with the listener. it's the best finale to an album i've ever heard.
so that's it. now buy the f-ing cd!
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