Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Can’t Keep Johnny Down,’ They Might Be Giants (Midnight Sun Remix)

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS. PHOTO COURTESY OF SHERVIN LAINEZ

Andrew Raposo and Morgan Wiley might just be the hardest working pair in American house and dance music. The duo, who have lent their talents to Hercules and Love Affair, Jessica 6, and Midnight Magic, have more recently performed under the moniker Midnight Sun. With music that evokes the funk of the venerable George Clinton and the irresistible disco of Donna Summer, this is a twosome that refuses to be pinned down.
 
It makes sense, then, that Raposo and Wiley have chosen to remix a track by veteran outfit They Might Be Giants—a group who might be giants of their own quirky sub-genre of rock, but haven’t exactly conquered the club scene. Forgoing the verses and circling guitars of the original, the producer duo instead recasts the song as a spiral of paranoia with the soulful vocals of Karl Dixon at the helm. It’s a bold move by a pair of originators, who steal the spotlight just long enough to leave us grasping as they inevitably slip away into something new.

It’s a big week for They Might Be Giants, too, by the way: they’ve just announced details of a big upcoming tour, and they’ve got a new release, Album Raises New and Troubling Questions, a rarities, remix, and video compilation, due out November 1. (We’re especially excited to hear its sixth track, a rendition of “Tubthumping” that features the Onion AV Club Choir.)