Jukebox The Ghost make optimistic music that you’d feel comfortable putting on a mix for your crush or just-your-friend-that-you-probably-are-crushing-on. The trio from Washington D.C. have been making really catchy pop music for the majority of the 2000’s and recently signed to Cherrytree Records after releasing their self-titled album. If you are into Passion Pit, Walk The Moon, and that sort of post-MGMT electro pop sound, then this will be required listening.

For our latest edition of Car Tunes and Cartoons, singer/guitarist/bassist Tommy Siegel let his nerd flag fly high with an all-They Might Be Giants playlist and a an illustration of the band as members of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Pretty self-explanatory that the dudes from Jukebox The Ghost know whats up as men of discerning taste, but for some more thinking on the mix and cartoon, read up on Siegel’s thoughts below.

Tommy Siegel on his mix and illustration:

In this man’s humble opinion, They Might Be Giants are one of the best pop bands of all time.  With so many classic albums over their 30+ year career, their perpetual genre-hopping and two fantastic lead singers, they’re like the Beatles of dorkdom. And the best part?  They’ve still got the magic. Songs like “Mesopotamians” and “When Will You Die” from their last few records are among the best in their catalogue.  A few years ago, one of my good friends did a photo shoot with TMBG and invited me along as his “assistant” (I don’t know anything about taking photos).  I think John and John figured out pretty quickly that I didn’t know a goddamn thing about photography, but they were nice enough not to mention it and let me hang out for a couple of hours and indulge some of my questions.  They were just as warm, intelligent, and funny as their music is. Most people seem to have discovered TMBG in high school, but for me it was a mid-20s-discovery — This playlist is my attempt at putting together a chronological playlist of some career highlights, of which there are too many to fit in a single playlist. But hey, I tried?

Also, in the tradition of embracing your high school nerd in your late twenties, I’ve drawn the band as characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation since I just binge-watched most of the series over the course of our last couple of tours.

What do you guys think of this latest installment of Car Tunes and Cartoons? You digging Jukebox The Ghost? Who would YOU like to see contribute a mix and a drawing next time? Let us know, homies!