Here Come the 123s, the new CD from They Might Be Giants, has been out for about a month, but my mom just finally got around to getting a copy this past weekend. All I can say is, it’s about time!

Mom says that she used to listen to They Might Be Giants back in the olden days high school. That may be true, but if you ask me, they’ve only come into their prime since they’ve been the official song-creators for Playhouse Disney. It’s clear that writing and performing songs about letters and numbers (not to mention Mickey Mouse) has given them a depth that they’d have missed out on if they had limited themselves to songs about particles and birdhouses.

Anyway, on to my review:

Here Come the 123s is, quite honestly, the best CD I’ve ever heard. From the retro feel of High Five to the soulful stirrings of Even Numbers, the songs just speak to me. Whether I’m in the mood for something playful (like “stick out your tongue and wiggle like a noodle”) or something profound (like “if you go out and count up everything, it all adds up to one”), I can find it on Here Come the 123s. Hey, I know I’m only 1, but I need music that reaches me where I am.

The absolute, without-a-doubt, hands-down best thing about this CD is that it also comes with a DVD. That’s right, all those great songs — Zeros, Nonagon, The Secret Life of Six, and many more — come with their own videos. So not only can I listen to the songs in the car every single time we run an errand, but I can also monopolize all television viewing by requiring that the “123 DVD” is played constantly. Constantly. Or else I’ll throw a huge fit.

My parents act like they’re getting tired of it, but I’m on to them. Dad’s always singing High Five. And Mom has all the words to Seven memorized, even though she said that the song is a little freaky. (What? It’s a song about a whole bunch of number sevens invading someone’s house and eating their cake. I see nothing wrong with that.) The truth is, Mom and Dad actually like this music too.

And my 9-year-old brother, C.? He initially told Mom not to get the CD — ’cause it’s for babies or something — but he digs it too. There’s just enough bizarre in it to amuse him, even if he’s known all his numbers for 6 or 7 years already.

I make sure to reward my parents whenever they play either the CD or DVD. I make my eyes sparkle in that special way, I break out into a full-fledged joy-filled grin, and I occasionally run over to the parent who did this wonderful thing and lean my head endearingly against them. I’ve even been known to squeal out of sheer happiness. It’s called positive reinforcement: the more often I respond that way, the more likely they are to keep the songs coming.

And with Here Come the 123s, I’d be happy if they kept coming infinitely. (And yes, I know what infinitely means. The CD has a song about infinity. So there.)

Click the picture of the CD to pick this up from Amazon. But if you’re not ready to make that commitment, They Might Be Giants also has a weekly family video podcast where they play one or two of their songs and show the videos. You can get a feel for their bizarreness musical genius that way.

I give this one five stars. Or five nonagons. Whatever you prefer.