Factory Showroom
Encyclopedia
Factory Showroom is the sixth studio album
by the band They Might Be Giants
. It was released in 1996 (see 1996 in music
) through Elektra Records
.
The album reclaims the more diverse and electronic sound of their early work, but differed from previous They Might Be Giants recordings in some ways. Factory Showroom was their first album to feature a second guitarist, Eric Schermerhorn. Factory Showroom also had the fewest tracks of any They Might Be Giants album up until the release of The Else
.
John Flansburgh
(founding member, guitarist and songwriter) has publicly declared Factory Showroom to be his favorite of the duo's many recordings. Feeling that Elektra Records
did not do enough to promote the album, among other disputes, They Might Be Giants left the label after its release.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the band They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
. It was released in 1996 (see 1996 in music
1996 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
) through Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
.
The album reclaims the more diverse and electronic sound of their early work, but differed from previous They Might Be Giants recordings in some ways. Factory Showroom was their first album to feature a second guitarist, Eric Schermerhorn. Factory Showroom also had the fewest tracks of any They Might Be Giants album up until the release of The Else
The Else
The Else is the 12th studio album by rock duo They Might Be Giants, released by Idlewild Records in 2007. The album was produced in part by The Dust Brothers, along with Pat Dillett and the band....
.
John Flansburgh
John Flansburgh
John Conant Flansburgh is an American musician. He is half of the longstanding Brooklyn, New York-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants, for which he writes, sings and plays rhythm guitar...
(founding member, guitarist and songwriter) has publicly declared Factory Showroom to be his favorite of the duo's many recordings. Feeling that Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
did not do enough to promote the album, among other disputes, They Might Be Giants left the label after its release.
Song notes
- "I Can Hear You" was recorded at the EdisonEdison RecordsEdison Records was one of the earliest record labels which pioneered recorded sound and was an important player in the early recording industry.- Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records :...
Laboratory on a wax cylinderPhonograph cylinderPhonograph cylinders were the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. Commonly known simply as "records" in their era of greatest popularity , these cylinder shaped objects had an audio recording engraved on the outside surface which could be reproduced when the cylinder was...
phonographPhonographThe phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
without the use of electricityElectricityElectricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
. - "New York City" is a cover of a song by the band CubCub (band)Cub was an indie rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia that formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1997. They played a melodic, jangly form of pop punk that was dubbed "cuddlecore" by some music critics...
. - "James K. Polk" is a song about James Knox PolkJames K. PolkJames Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
, the 11th President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. A sparser, drum machineDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
driven version had previously popped up on the Istanbul (Not Constantinople) EP (1990). It features singing saw by Julian KosterJulian KosterJulian Koster is an American underground musician and storyteller. A member of the Elephant 6 Collective, he is the leader of The Music Tapes, and a former member of Neutral Milk Hotel and Chocolate USA. He is also an influential and long time performer on the singing or Musical Saw...
. - The hidden trackHidden trackIn the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
(Track 0) on the CD entitled "Token Back to Brooklyn" is accessible by rewinding from the beginning of Track 1 ("S-E-X-X-Y"), and is not playable on all CD players. It can, however, also be heard on the rarities compilation They Got LostThey Got LostThey Got Lost is a rarities compilation album by the group They Might Be Giants. It was issued in 2002 in the USA and 2005 in the UK...
along with the Internet-only album Long Tall WeekendLong Tall WeekendLong Tall Weekend is a downloadable album released by They Might Be Giants in 1999. It was released exclusively on-line through eMusic . It was the first major full-length album released exclusively on the Internet by an established major label band. Many of these songs were outtakes from the...
. - Much to the disdain of the Johns, a cassette version of the album that claimed to be a "promotional item" from Elektra was leaked by an unknown source. Along with every song from the standard release (including "Token Back To Brooklyn"), this version also included versions of "On The Drag" and "Older" that have not reappeared on an official release, as well as "SenSurround" (the single version), "Counterfeit Faker", "Certain People I Could Name", "Unforgotten", "Reprehensible", "They Got Lost", and "Rat Patrol". All of these tracks were rejects from the Factory Showroom sessions, and were either released on the S-E-X-X-YS-E-X-X-YS-E-X-X-Y is an EP released in 1996 by musical group They Might Be Giants, in conjunction with their LP Factory Showroom.-Notes:...
EP or the 2002 compilation They Got LostThey Got LostThey Got Lost is a rarities compilation album by the group They Might Be Giants. It was issued in 2002 in the USA and 2005 in the UK...
.
Track listing
All songs by They Might Be Giants unless otherwise noted.- Token Back To Brooklyn 0:52 (hidden track)
- "S-E-X-X-YS-E-X-X-YS-E-X-X-Y is an EP released in 1996 by musical group They Might Be Giants, in conjunction with their LP Factory Showroom.-Notes:...
" (They Might Be Giants, Hal Cragin) – 3:52 - "Till My Head Falls Off" – 2:53
- "How Can I Sing Like a Girl?" – 4:32
- "Exquisite Dead Guy" – 2:02
- "Metal Detector" – 3:50
- "New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
" (Robynn Iwata, Lisa Marr, Lisa NielsenCub (band)Cub was an indie rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia that formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1997. They played a melodic, jangly form of pop punk that was dubbed "cuddlecore" by some music critics...
of the band CubCub (band)Cub was an indie rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia that formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1997. They played a melodic, jangly form of pop punk that was dubbed "cuddlecore" by some music critics...
) – 3:02 - "Your Own Worst Enemy" – 1:45
- "XTCXTCXTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
vs. Adam AntAdam AntAdam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...
" – 3:36 - "Spiraling Shape" – 4:24
- "James K. PolkJames K. PolkJames Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
" (Matthew Hill, They Might Be Giants) – 3:05 - "Pet Name" – 4:04
- "I Can Hear You" – 1:57
- "The Bells Are Ringing" – 3:31