On their major-label debut, Flood, They Might Be Giants exchange quirky artiness for unabashed geekiness and a more varied and polished musical attack. Although the album contains two of the group's finest singles in "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," the overall record is uneven, since the group's hooks aren't quite as sharp as before and the humor is either too geeky or leavened with awkward social statements like "Your Racist Friend." Even with its faults, Flood has a number of first-rate songs, and it's a strong addition to their catalog, even if it isn't as weirdly intoxicating as its predecessors. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

It is fair to say that listening to this, their second album, in one hit is a little hard on the ear. Individually, the pathos and humour these chaps manage to put into every song is admirable--very much like a '90s version of Tom Lehrer, but without the satire. The jokes are ironic rather than obvious. Their commercial success is of course due to the songs' accessibility, the most commercial being the wonderful "Birdhouse In Your Soul," a deserved hit single. The story of a back-stabbing office ogre is chronicled in the shape of "Someone Keeps Moving My Chair." Some tracks are clearly private jokes and pass by the listener, although self-interpretation can come into play.