In countless recent interviews, the power duo of MGMT have insisted that their second LP moves far away from their magnificent 2008 debut, Oracular Spectacular. It’s starting to seem as though they did that to fend off suspicions of sophomore slump. Although this is an admirable form of preemptive defense, it is unfortunate to realize that they did it with full knowledge of their musical shortcomings.
When it comes down to it, Congratulations spreads itself too thin over too many genres without enough cohesiveness to bind everything together. The band purposefully created an album without any obvious singles because that is how they want it to be consumed—as a single unit. However, much of their charm came directly from those playful standout tracks found on Oracular Spectacular—which actually accentuated the slower tracks and made them all that more endearing—and, without them, MGMT fail to strike a chord.
The effervescent closer, “Congratulation” could easily have been on their debut album, but it lacks the novelty which the band has been bragging about. Or what about the excruciating “Siberian Breaks”? A 12 minute tribute to 80’s soft pop? Thanks, but no thanks. The single saving grace on the whole album is the mischievous, Misfits inspired track called “Brian Eno”. Everything else fades into uninspired drivel. Look elsewhere for a good fix of psychedelic music, you won’t find it here.
2/5
MGMT - Electric Feel [mp3]
from Oracular Spectacular
