It’s amazing how a handful of electro hits, a gold headband and a few barefoot indie kids can bring a pscyh-rock revival. How will the flowery eyed followers of MGMT react to their difficult second album? Will the fake dream of 68 be crushed? Will the pseudo-spirit of San Francisco be gone? Are we fated to pretend? ALEXANDER BRITTON peers through the psychadelic purple haze…
MGMT – Congratulations
Released: 12/04/2010
You know that ‘hilarious’ comedic device where someone slips a large book over a smaller one to mask what they are truly reading? Apart from being both simple and effective, it also suggests that the packaging of the product alters the way in which we can appreciate the product itself – it would be crass to be seen enjoying the Da Vinci Code, but less so Atonement. This proves that despite our mothers’ best intentions we cannot help but judge books by their covers, in this analogy quite literally.
Following the wildly successful Oracular Spectacular, news of the new MGMT album, Congratulations, caused the hearts of a million gold-headband wearing electrowhores to skip a beat. And they are going to be bitterly, bitterly disappointed. This is the problem: because the MGMT ‘brand’ has been attached to this piece of art, I can guarantee that the lack of singles, the lack of ease and the lack of it being-exactly-the-same-album-they-released-three-years-ago will irk many.
But, for a moment, slip the MGMT booklet out of the album case and replace it with anything else. You’ll discover that, in fact, Congratulations is a pretty good piece of work. Opening track It’s Working sets out the theme for the rest of the album – the synths have been placed to one side and this decision allows the quirky and faintly psychedelic element of the band to shine.
Song for Dan Treacy wouldn’t sound out of place on a Coral album, with driving percussion deliciously complemented by a soft vocal performance by Van Wyngarden and a quirky, semi-ska bass and organ combination. This then gives way to lead single Flash Delirium which is simultaneously beautiful and bizarre. Beginning with an undercurrent of Bowie at his finest, and therefore most odd, the song oscillates between a fine electro ballad and a generic 60s rock n’ roll single, before finishing with a Spectorian wall of sound.
For those looking for the new Oracular Spectacular, Congratulations is not it. However, rather than pining for the album which this isn’t, try and appreciate what it is – a well-executed and entirely competent slice of contemporary psychedelic rock-cum-electronica.
Alexander Britton
Tags: CONGRATULATIONS, mgmt
Bloody good review! It’s a fair comment – on first listen after Oracular, I was stunned into er….silence for a while. But after 2 or 3 listens, I realised it was verging on a total work of genius, rather than Oracular Part II (which, personally, I think would have been a mistake). I think there ARE a few singles that will come to light – here in Australia anyway (Ok, our musical contribution might not be exactly world class, but we did give you AC/DC, Cmon!). Some beautiful tracks in here (a couple of immature irritations too) but generally an 8 out of 10. You can clearly tell they are having such fun – and that, more than anything, means it’s worthy of a place on my list. In a world of bad news, dirty bombs and uranium tipped ammunition – this is a nice counter-balance. Might not change your life, but I guarantee this slow burner will give you a new found respect for MGMT. Beautiful instrumentation, gorgeously mixed and hey, they’ve even grown up a wee bit. Respect.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and be honest… Sometimes, just sometimes people want to hear what sounds good. I don’t want to have to give an album “2 or 3 listens” before I enojoy it! Sometimes, I just want to tap my foot and groove… Oracular Spectacular was just that, a fun, new, amazingly different album that just connected with every mood. OS. was different… in a good way. I gave MGMT much props for putting something out that was creativally beautiful albiet different then anything to come around in a long while. That said, why buck the trend? With OS they stumbled upon a formula that worked and were rewarded for it! This new album, Congratulations is just awfully different. The review above states that if this were not MGMT it would be a good album. Well my friends… This is MGMT and why should anyone expect anything different? Ok, I get it… Bands want to be “creative” and show their musical diveristy. Do you honestly believe that this should be the time to do so!?! You know, as well as I, that EVERY fan of this band is gonna be blindsided with this release. People connected with MGMT for a reason… Great music with an amazing vibe. This new release just simply is NOT what people are going to enjoy or expect. You don’t take what works and then expect your fans to enjoy something completly different! I am not saying they should have put out a carbon copy of OS but C’mon! This album WILL DESTROY MGMT! Sure, there will be the select few that will get it but for the most part, the important part, enjoyment… I can not see the connection. What is wrong with expecting a “follow up” to such an amazing work such as OS anyway? Why do we all have to “pretend” to like this, which is what I expect a few folks will? Am I alone in just wanting more of the same? If I wanted a completly new experience, well then… wouldn’t I just listen to another band? One doesn’t walk into a poetry reading and expect to see a death metal band… CONGRATULATIONS, you failed MGMT. Thanks alot for completly disreguarding your fans!
If MGMT did what everyone expected then you’d all just end up disappointed. Phillychad, if you actually thought Oracular Spectacular was such an incredible piece of work I’m sure you’d hear most of Congratulations in its 2nd half.
You know, it’s great that a whole bunch of electro and fluro kids got a kick and some good memories out of the singles from the first album. I know I did, but that was 3 years ago and if I just wanted to hear that again I’d be no better than the millions of fans who stifled the Beach Boys by making them release the same rubbish again and again when, for a short while, they’d rivaled the Beatles themselves for creative works. There’ll always be some band that you can get your kicks from but don’t think to expect certainty from a couple of pranksters who wrote their three biggest songs as a joke.