One of my favourites from They Might Be Giants’ album Flood from 1990, ‘Letterbox’ sees John Flansburgh and John Linnell sing in unison with a rapid pace amidst a backdrop of a warm synth bass and quick acoustic guitar strums in a waltz time. It’s one of the shorter songs on the record, coming in at a minute and 25 seconds, but still filled with the many things that make a Giants song great. It’s all about those melodies, man.

It’s been about nine years that I’ve had Flood in my iTunes library now, and the songs I enjoy most from it I could serenade you with as easily as I could recite the alphabet. Though this one starts with a little difficulty. Flansburgh and Linnell are able to cram a large number of syllables into a matter of seconds with each line during the verses, delivered to you like a musical tongue twister. The two known to be quite reluctant/secretive when it comes truly revealing what some particular songs of theirs are about. Not a lot is known about this one. I definitely couldn’t tell you. But it sounds fantastic to the ear.

Not only do the two Johns sing in unison; they also switch things up by providing harmonies to one another. Linnell sings a falsetto harmony in the left channel during the second verse and then sings the bridge by himself, before Flansburgh comes in with an emphatic higher harmony during the final verse at which things come to a thudding stop. I sometimes wish this song was longer; it really doesn’t need to be. It does its job.