If there’s a band that knows how to lose fans and alienate itself, it’s definitely MGMT. When the indie pop renegades released their sophomore album “Congratulations” in mid-2010, fans were looking forward to a second round of the band’s colorful and pop-heavy debut, “Oracular Spectacular.” Instead, most were bitterly disappointed with the obscure and challenging direction of song writing that the band took, which made “Congratulations” one of the most debated, and fan-dividing albums of the decade.
It’s evident that front man Andrew VanWyngarden and company were intentionally producing a mild, anticlimactic record that challenged listeners. On “Time to Pretend,” VanWyngarden blatantly hints about his resentment to commercial success in the song’s ironic lyrics about the lucrative, yet superficial, lifestyles of big-time rock stars. The same theme is mentioned on the tune “Congratulations,” which indirectly addresses how the band wanted to take a different approach to writing music to avoid selling out.
Despite some of the self-inflicted contention that “Congratulations” caused, MGMT’s fans are still curious to hear if the band’s upcoming self-titled release will revisit the sounds of “Oracular Spectacular.”
Unfortunately, that is not the case. For listeners who were weren’t amused by “Congratulations,” the self-title will seem more mundane. The first few seconds of the opener, “Alien Days,” sounds spacey and futuristic, leading the listener to believe the song will be epic. Instead it mellows out into a slow-paced, psychedelic folk song, which sounds like it came from a soundtrack to an acid-inspired cartoon. And this is how most of the album sounds—as if the band members were under the influence of some strong hallucinogens, hanging out in the studio and messing around with their equipment.
Other than the fourth track “Introspection,” members don’t even seem to be having any fun. Take the second single “Your Life is a Lie” for instance; it’s a two-minute oddity that’s driven by a few distorted bass notes and a cowbell. To release a song that’s supposed to represent the album and barely attempts to please the listener is certainly not a healthy strategy for selling records or gaining new fans. Nor does it show any creative effort.
For those who are hopeful to hear the new album, it’s better to just replay “Oracular Spectacular.” “MGMT” lacks the structure, excitement and innovation necessary for it to be enjoyable. It will surely be remembered as the lowest point of MGMT’s career.
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Photo courtesy of Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times/MCT
