They Might Be Giants

An inauspicious mp3 exclusive EP (although a limited number of real CDs were pressed and mailed to buyers in 2000), Working Undercover for the Man seems to be either a taster for the LP Mink Car or a promo plug for http://www.wildplanet.com's TMBG radio or both. Or maybe neither. These tracks aren't the best answer to fans' questions about the band's uncharacteristicly scant output from 1997-2000. "Boss of Me," the first TMBG hit in eight years and the theme song to Fox's Malcom in the Middle, isn't here. Nor is the Austin Powers 2 track "Dr. Evil." As it would happen, "Working Undercover for the Man" did feature on 2001's Mink Car, but the track is hardly strong enough to stand as a first single. Most of the tunes on the EP could be described as club rock. It's fairly straightforward guitar-oriented rock & roll, but with a hint of subversiveness and an eccentric display of chord theory. Still, "Robot Parade" is the only song to do justice to the musical mind's eye of classic TMBG. The radio promos are superfluous. ~ Christian Huey, All Music Guide