Weekly > Reviews
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser make up MGMT having met in 2002 at Wesleyan University in Conneticut, they formed the band through a shared love of music, playing each other their favourite albums and finally deciding like a lot of their favourite double acts they should form a band themselves.
Having toured a for a couple of months, taken a six month break and then finally knuckling down to some real hard work, the band found themselves in the enviable position of approaching this year as one of the hotly tipped acts to look out for.
Quite if that was based on live performances, the fact that this album has been available in the states for a while, or simply because of the optimism that they could fill the void left by Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev while they work on new albums is unclear, either way the tipsters were right as Oracular Spectacular is one of the albums of the year so far.
It opens with the should have been a massive hit single, Time To Pretend, the most infectious single you’ll hear and one of the most distinctive, doom laden anthems this generation has ever produced. After that things get less straightforward and at times even better than that, which took even me by surprise being a huge fan of the single.
Weekend Wars is a 60’s psychedelic track that hints at a Polyphonic Spree style gathering being behind it, not the work of two blokes. The Youth is my favourite track on the album, the first of many tracks that hints at The Flaming Lips and then Electric Feel comes bounding along with it’s funk bassline and falsetto vocal.
- MGMT
- Oracular Spectacular (2008)
- Category: Album
- Label: Sony / BMG
- Reviewed by: Kev
- Published on: 10 Mar 2008
- Comments: 0
- Beat Surrender Rating:
Weblinks
Add to favouritesKids has a dark lectro groove to it, 4th Dimensional Transition is a galloping track that develops into Shadows style guitar before a beat kicks in to bring it bang up to date and just to show they can do everything they then throw in a slow track (Pieces Of What).
The album finishes with another three strong tracks, Of Moons, Birds & Monsters is an epic Beach Boys style harmony effort, swfitly changing from a shuffling pop track into a chiming guitar spectacular, The Handshake finishes on a sinister Masons lyric with eerie whistling, but before that it starts off quietly, develops a psychedelic feel in the middle of the song before it’s stomping final third and Future Reflections is a tripping track that closes the album in the manner it deserves.
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