In theory, this is one of those covers you really want to hear. This combination makes so much sense: the Wrens capture heartbreak and disappointment like few other bands, and “They’ll Need a Crane” is undeniably one of They Might Be Giants’ most depressing songs. I mean, this is a song with a refrain of, “they’ll need a crane / to take the house he built for her apart.”

Thing is, though, the Johns of TMBG know how to couch sadness in the language of great pop music. The acoustic breakdown in the original is one of the best moments on Lincoln (1989), but the song as a whole is one of those hyperactive, elastic little nuggets that TMBG were always using to hide the fact that, deep down, all was not well. The Wrens, guitar-gods that they may be, are certainly not in the business of subtlety. They move the breakdown to the front end of the song, and then the rest just feels like a slow build, complete with carefully layered vocal parts, to a climax that just sort of never shows up. Clocking in at nearly twice as long as the original, the song drags, doesn’t really go anywhere, and eventually just disappoints. Still, it sure as hell beats Self’s far-to-serious cover of “Ana Ng.” Also, how do you make this comp and not include a cover of either “Birdhouse in my Soul” or "Shoehorn with Teeth”?

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