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John Linnell, 'TECVM CIRCVMAMBVLARE NOLO'

Attention young nerds: If you grew up obsessing over U.S. geography and now study Latin, you are about to get super-served. Because They Might Be Giants' John Linnell — a lifelong favorite of nerds the world over — has followed his 1999 solo album State Songs (sample titles: "Illinois," "West Virginia," "South Carolina") with an unexpected EP called Roman Songs. All four tracks are sung in Latin, but that won't stop "TECVM CIRCVMAMBVLARE NOLO" (translation: "I Don't Want to Walk Around With You") from getting lodged in your brain for days.

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Stephen Thompson is a host, writer and reviewer for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour. He appears frequently on All Songs Considered and NPR newsmagazines.

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