Six years have passed since MGMT dropped its debut album Oracular Spectacular. The breakout album, which features mega-hits such as “Kids” and “Electric Feel,” propelled the duo into the pop culture spotlight virtually overnight. However, MGMT decided to take a more psychedelic, unconventional approach in producing its second studio album, Congratulations. If Congratulations was a step in the opposite direction of Oracular Spectacular, the band’s newest self-titled album, MGMT, is leaps and bounds beyond that.
The album’s only single, “Alien Days,” is the first track on the album, and the title alone provides an appropriate preview of the general tone of the album: a dreamy, scattered, self-reflecting interstellar journey. Armed with new-age synths and airy guitar riffs, the album rocks a light, heady and sometimes eerie tone, topped off with the band’s signature echoing lyrics. However, there are times when the effects on the vocals are a bit much, such as on “Astro-Mancy,” where the words are practically indistinguishable and seem to blend in with the song. This makes the five-minute track seem long and dreary — a common theme in the album. Too many songs on MGMT feature long, drawn out intros that don’t add much to the tracks as a whole. This will probably turn some listeners away from the album.
A few tracks are an exception to this and really tie the album together. One of the more upbeat songs on the album, “Plenty of Girls in the Sea,” features a swagger-and-sway, sing-along feel that I would have liked to see more of. Starting off with an infectious beat, the song urges listeners to stop trying to find the “perfect” mate because no one is truly perfect. Lyricist Andrew VanWyngarden sings, “Ah the passionate painter will say with a brush / It’s best to accept it and not make a fuss / Just cause the grass isn’t green / Yeah there’s plenty of girls in the sea.” It’s a relatable song that we can all agree on and the lyrics provide a fresh, positive outlook on dating. It works.
A good portion of the songs on the album contain lyrics that can be rather abstract, chock-full of existential metaphors and occasional riddles. The track “I Love You Too, Death” — a clever play on words — starts off with a “Twilight Zone”-type intro with bells, shakers and spooky pulsating synths. VanWyngarden asks, “Who is much more than a friend / But never by my side?” The lyrics go off on tangents but converge on the uniform idea of companionship. With the plea, “Let me die when I’m in love,” this daunting request sums up the track’s notion that love causes more trouble than anything. From beginning to end, “I Love You Too, Death” can be described as an evolving journey, beginning with bare instrumentation that develops into a full, glistening contemplation of whether or not to love. On an album that at times tries too hard to convey valuable insight on various aspects of life, “I Love You Too, Death” does a beautiful job of getting the message across. It’s one of the better tracks to be found on MGMT.
MGMT is planets away from the sound that made the band popular, and, while it might not produce any Billboard smash hits this time around, I don’t think MGMT cares. While it’s not for everyone, their music is a reflection on their life experiences to this point. As trippy and out-there as they may be, they do a sufficient job of sticking to their guns and developing the sound they first experimented with on Congratulations.
3 out of 5 stars
