Wicked Little Critta: I Was Wrong About This Song (Don't Tell My Friend)
A changed opinion: why Wicked Little Critta might be the best song on They Might Be Giants' Mink Car, and the production duo behind it.
My closest friend texted me a few months ago:
I listened to Mink car again this morning. For some reason, it seemed way better than I remember. Maybe I’ve finally hit the threshold number of listens for nostalgia to kick in.
I told him that I thought the first half was much stronger than the second half. This surprised him. He didn’t want to get into it and stain my current perspectives as I was just making my way through the album again. But here’s the thing, as I continued writing, I found my tastes were changing rapidly.
By the time I reached track fourteen of this album, wearing my nicest set of noise cancelling headphones, listening with fresh ears - I was hearing things I had not noticed before. Across the entire album, the programmed beats, the little taps, the little sounds you only catch when you're actually listening. Appreciating the very high level of production. The nuanced sounds. And all of them seem to have coalesced in Wicked Little Critta.
I was a changed man.
If you’re new here: Kiss Me, Son of Blog covers every They Might Be Giants song in chronological order through personal essays, music deep-dives, and the occasional changed opinion. Subscribe free and get the next one in your inbox.
Lay a Patch on the Tar
Some bleeps and blips start the song off setting the time signature followed by some fuzzy digital record-scratchy sounds. I’ve seen these sounds (or some like it) pulled off during live performances via a Korg Kaossilator Pro. I don’t think that’s what is being used here however.
John Linnell starts the first verse (or the first chorus? Does it actually start with a bridge?). The Boston accent from the days of Self Called Nowhere have returned but this time it actually makes sense. This is a very Boston-y song. It’s about a very Boston-adjacent kid whereas the previously mentioned song just seemed to have Linnell going full-on Boston mode for no reason other than vibes.
After the shout of WICKED LITTLE CRITTA we get a nasty bass drop and more of that digital scratch but this time with some drums. Linnell starts again with:
As he proceeds to torch the place
As he proceeds to scorch the place
As he proceeds to torch the place
Scorcher!
Torture!
Scorcher!
Wicked little critta!
This first shout of the song’s title was a triumphant declaration that drew out the excitement in me. My ears were primed for the song to take off but instead, something else happens. A classic TMBG move to subvert what you expect to hear. Nothing but Linnell singing sweetly along with his accordion.
Finally, a heavy drum fill builds back into the continuing phrase. The digital scratch now replaced with a synth tone that is highlighting the chord changes as it oscillates from one ear to the next. I’m left with this feeling of being completely enveloped by the sounds, urged to move. My head, almost by command, wants to bob.
The bleeps and blips come back and this time they are followed by the bass drum and a heavier beat. It’s as if somewhere, just behind your ears, on the flesh of your brain, there is an itch that you can’t reach - but these sounds can.
This song is a powerhouse of digital tone, rhythm, and grooves. It shares something in common with Man, It’s So Loud In Here, Mr. Xcitement, I’ve Got A Fang, and My Man.
What do these songs have in common? They all share the collaborative efforts of New York based record producer/composers, Chris Maxwell and Phil Hernandez - aka Elegant Too. Arguably, these are some, if not THE, strongest songs of the album. Just absolute bangers. I encourage you to go down an Elegant Too rabbit hole. You will not be disappointed.
Pop a Wheelie on a Mini Bike
Sure, there are still three songs to go before I finish writing my way through the Mink Car album but I’m convinced that I was wrong from the jump. As if my friend needed any other reasons to defend his stance that the second half of this album is no less amazing than the first - Linnell himself said, in a 2002 interview that Wicked Little Critta was his favorite song on Mink Car.
As far as I’m concerned, this is one of their greatest albums from start to finish, an all-time musical achievement. Now, I just need to convince myself to swallow my pride enough to text my friend back and let him know how right he was.
Maybe tomorrow.
Has a record ever revealed itself to you much later in life — something you'd written off that turned out to be exactly what you needed? Let’s talk about that.
You’re reading one of my Mink Car essays. An album full of pop, depression, car accidents, and high fidelity.
See all Mink Car posts - Start Here
Dive deeper into TMBG lore at TMBW.net (fan-run and fantastic)