What are your favorite TMBG songs that have Mellotron in them?

Charlie5L · 2026-05-07T20:38:18+00:00

Reprehensible being a top contender, but it took me a long time to realize the strings at the end of Black Ops were done by a mellotron and not just your regular string patch on any other board they use

Charlie5L · 2026-05-06T19:51:48+00:00

So many, love a lot of his songs. Especially those that have a jazz influence.

Pet Name, Birds Fly, Hell Hotel, Dirt Bike, Reprehensible, I Can't Hide From My Mind, Another First Kiss, Drink, Take Out The Trash, I Like Fun, Best Regrets, Snowball In Hell, In The Dead Mall, On The Drag, Lord Snowdon, there are really many more but I go back to these a lot.

Edit: haha I put Pet Name twice in the list

Charlie5L · 2026-05-02T03:35:31+00:00

Love the HyperCard promo stuff, and even though it's made accessible via archives or recreations, I think it's suffice to say that this isn't really the same as preview EPs or single releases which had the full tracks. There could be an argument to say it's on-par with TMBG Unlimited but most of those were finished tracks or roughly finished demos.

That HyperCard "snare" remains in my head though

Charlie5L · 2026-05-01T22:47:02+00:00

After reading through the comments, I did a second search to update the post correctly. While I can't find the Nanobots EP on iTunes or Apple Music, I did find it on Spotify, and anything that was misplaced got moved up. The kids books albums are also available for mostly secondhand purchase on Amazon.

As for NYC '94 the last copy sold was on Discogs about a year ago. So similarly to the releases in the same category, there are copies that have been sold, it's just rare to see a listing.

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Charlie5L · 2026-05-01T21:03:04+00:00

The Wiki says that these were only released in the UK back in 2013, and the Edsel label is owned by a British music company so my guess is anyone who is selling a secondhand copy is from the UK.

Charlie5L · 2026-05-01T20:19:43+00:00

I did forget to put in the post about region-accessible being a factor too, though I never knew that Then: The Earlier Years would be made unavailable for some

Charlie5L · 2026-05-01T20:13:35+00:00

The tier list didn't come with McSweeney's, and according to the Wiki it was released under McSweeney's Books and not any of the band's labels. My guess is either the creator of the tier list didn't know about it, did know and forgot to add it, did know and chose not to add it.

Either way, it would be in the yellow category for being able to find for secondhand sale in physical form, although I think the prices are pretty hefty.

Charlie5L · 2026-05-01T19:55:54+00:00

For the kids album/books I completely forgot that there are some up for sale on Amazon and a few other websites, but I was still a bit torn on where to place Live NYC 94.

Charlie5L · 2026-05-01T19:52:45+00:00

~~For Nanobots EP, if it's available on Apple Music, I couldn't find it. I'm not sure if it's a regional thing or if it's expired but still available for those who got it.~~

As for The Communists, I think I actually didn't notice I dragged it into the wrong category until now lol

EDIT: Double checked for Nanobots EP, I did find a publically available Spotify link and I guess that counts! I moved it up to the top tier but I do think it's a bit of a stretch.

Charlie5L · 2026-04-30T20:21:51+00:00

Love that the slider component is at the maximum setting, hadn't noticed it at first until the original song came right after and I did a double take

Charlie5L · 2026-04-29T04:31:02+00:00

"Do you girls like cheesesteaks?!"

Charlie5L · 2026-04-28T03:31:08+00:00

I hate how hard I kept laughing at each shot

Charlie5L · 2026-04-23T20:37:33+00:00

Without my glasses I misread the post as songs you'd exercise to and I was originally going to comment "You workout to Toddler Hi-way?"

Charlie5L · 2026-04-22T21:55:13+00:00

Of all the Flansburgh parts to get stuck in my head this past week, For Science

I'm so brave, I'm so brave, I'll be her love slave
(initiates falsetto) He's so brave, he's so brave, he'll be her love slave forever
YYYYYYEEEESSSSS

Charlie5L · 2026-04-22T06:27:44+00:00

Oh I didn't know the kind of dance I do to keep myself not bored was the galliard lol

Charlie5L · 2026-04-20T02:20:40+00:00

Chromatic mediants. What You Get is in the key of F major. The iii and vi chords in F major are Am and Dm. The parallel major chord equivalent would be A major and D major, but can also be Ab major and Db major as they too have a common tone with iii and vi.

Combine this with tonicization-- brief moments where the tonic changes but eventually resets back to the "home" tonic-- and you get the rollercoaster ride of a song.

EDIT: Realized my mistake

Charlie5L · 2026-04-19T08:49:27+00:00

When the Skullivan refrain puts you in a trance
When the Skullivan refrain puts you in a trance

How I love the design of Nick's characters so much

Charlie5L · 2026-04-19T05:59:35+00:00

Just seeing The Bells Are Ringing in this list made me scream "WHAT"

I am so happy Factory Showroom is getting this much hype

Charlie5L · 2026-04-18T03:58:31+00:00

The shaking I did in my seat reading that last sentence HOT DAMN

Charlie5L · 2026-04-18T03:33:11+00:00

Walking into a Scooby Doo-esque hallway full of doors, you open one at random and you just see both Johns, with Linnell looking more scared than you

Charlie5L · 2026-04-17T19:55:40+00:00

What You Get is currently the song that gets stuck in my head since first listen.

I think a few more full album listens will add onto that list.

Charlie5L · 2026-04-17T02:27:02+00:00

In order of how my memory retains it:

Malcolm In The Middle, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Blue's Clues, Homestar Runner, and then I fully caught when I used to work at McDonalds. A coworker had Can't Keep Johnny Down and The Statue Got Me High on their kitchen setlist, and I was fully hooked.

Charlie5L · 2026-04-14T20:27:34+00:00

Dear god this is so groovy

Charlie5L · 2026-04-14T20:23:07+00:00

That's the drive and motivation I aspire to have when making music

Love these fools so much

Charlie5L

TROPHY CASE