Frank Black, The Wrens Contribute to TMBG Tribute LP

Miller hopes the eclectic list of contributors will help rehabilitate a band he thinks has been unjustly dismissed by indie audiences. "Think of the bands who use that formula of melancholy lyrics set to really upbeat music-- the Cure, the Smiths, Nirvana," Miller says. "The Giants take both of those elements to extremes, but there's something in their sound that just turns some people off. Their songwriting is pure brilliance. I wanted to put these songs in a context where those people will get them."

Most of the acts are still deciding which TMBG tune to cover, but we do know the following: Steve Burns will cover "Dead" ("He's a good fit because he knows what it's like to be stigmatized," Miller says. "If the guy gets one more record under his belt, they'll forget all about Blue's Clues"), the Trachtenburgs will take on the 19-part mini-epic "Fingertips", and This Radiant Boy will dare to address "Don't Let's Start", one the band's earliest and best-loved singles. The Wrens, meanwhile, have their eyes on the Flood classic "Birdhouse in Your Soul", though that could still change. Also, there is the distinct possibility of it taking them seven years to finish.

Since "the Pixies are my all-time favorite band," Miller says, he's most excited about Frank Black's participation. "He wasn't an easy man to find," Miller says. "But he was number one on my list because he's a very big TMBG advocate. He's in the Gigantic documentary, and he was obsessed with the Flood record." The Pixies also figure into Miller's unlikely selection of Reel Big Fish. "They were on the Pixies tribute and did 'Gigantic'. I was like, 'I don't want to hear a ska version of 'Gigantic', but they did a weird house-techno version, so based on that alone I wanted them on this."

MM3 Records: http://www.multimediathree.com
They Might Be Giants: http://www.theymightbegiants.com