MGMT’s Congratulations is a follow-up to its breakthrough Oracular Spectacular only in the sense that its release date follows its predecessor.
The two albums are nothing alike. There aren’t any radio or single-friendly songs that immediately jump out from Congratulations’ track list.
The duo’s trademark electronic funk-rock is there, but dialed up to hyper-speed with a heavy order of synths and keys. The MGMT you came to know is gone, and if you can get past the shock, you should find a lot to like in the band’s latest manifestation.
Music Review
MGMT
Congratulations
Dive review: 3.5 of 5 stars
There is no compromise or settling with this album’s sound; MGMT parades its acid trip of an album unapologetically.
It’s not a gentle step away from Oracular Spectacular — it’s a meteoric leap.
And while it’s one that may cause them to lose some fans (I can’t imagine the flat-out weird “Brian Eno” taking away the spot of dance anthem “Kids” on a party playlist), those who are patient enough to stick around won’t leave totally empty-handed.
The album opens up with “It’s Working,” a frenetic drum and organ piece propelled by Andrew Van Wyngarden’s signature falsetto. It sets the stage for the majority of the album.
Songs explode into your eardrums one after another, each with its own quirks, whether it’s packing in a smorgasbord of clashing instruments and melodies into “Flash Delirium” or turning the ballad-like “Someone’s Missing” into a hazy pop jam session.
These songs don’t particularly blend together, but the underlying theme of the psychedelic screwball pop is present throughout. You can’t help but be charmed by its unforced strangeness.
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Despite its charms, Congratulations sometimes feels like too much too soon, muddying an already ambiguous musical identity.
The unexpected folksy-ness of its titular closer is one of the strongest moments on the album, and ironically, the song that sounds the most like Oracular Spectacular. It ends the album on a surprisingly somber note.
You can’t miss Van Wyngarden’s despair and dissatisfaction with fame and success as he sings, “But I’ve got someone to make reports … To book my stays and draw my blinds, so I can’t see what’s really there.”
It’s a great way to close the album. MGMT has proven that it won’t follow the same trails it has already blazed.
Whatever expectations you had about this album, it’s a safe bet that MGMT will defy them.
It might not work 100 percent of the time, but it sure does make you think. And that just might be point.
“You pay attention for me. As strange as it seems, I’d rather dissolve than have you ignore me,” VanWyngarden sings at one point.
Mission accomplished.
Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
