MGMT

In Washington DC, MGMT took the stage to the warm applause of a private show as the bands presence broke the anticipation. Andrew VanWyngarden, lead singer and guitarist staggered between his amplifier and the microphone as he tuned his final notes over the hum of energy leaking from the crowd. Ben Goldwasser could be seen stage right, standing behind his keyboard, waiting for his counterpart to address the crowd. The lights dawned on the modestly dressed Andrew, wearing a flannel shirt, noticeably without his trademark headband. Ben Goldwasser looked like Andrew’s nerdy counterpart sporting wide frame glasses and neatly pressed collared shirt and tie. As Andrew addressed the crowd, he asked “would you like to hear the title track off our new record, or our hit single Kids?” The crowd erupted at the ladder option as Andrew turned to laugh with his band as if the crowd had made the disappointing decision. Against the crowds decision, the band opened their show with the their new title track, “Congratulations”. The only problem was, the album hadn’t been released yet. Some of those crazy stalker type fans might already know about how the album leaked on the Internet far before it’s release on April 9th. If you couldn’t find the songs, MGMT was one step ahead of you. Instead of trying to ignore the preemptive release, MGMT gave audiences their album free to listen to. Their website offered free listening privileges for the entire album. I personally spent that entire first day in the library so I could have smooth streaming internet without gaps throughout each track. For the superficial MGMT fan, this album is not that easy to listen to. In their last album Oracular Spectacular, MGMT was able to ride the success of such synth poppy hits such as “Time to Pretend” and “Kids”. Oracular Spectacular had it’s introspective independent hits, but for the most part, MGMT was able to keep your attention. Congratulations is a great album, but it does lack it’s stand out hits. The first track “It’s Working” has a great B-Side beach boy’s /Morrissey vibe, but lacks structure. To a certain degree, this lack of structure is what will loose their larger audiences who devoured their remix-able hits. I’m sure the band never wanted such a broad scope of college, dance happy followers, and this album could almost weed out the “non believers” in truly independent rock. Another song that sticks out of this album is the fifth track “I found a Whistle”. Played in a bold four chord, Bob Dylan type progression, the song describes the metaphoric whistle as the escape hatch for the writers life, rescuing him moments after he decides he actually doesn’t want to hang himself. “ Flash Delirium” could rival the unstructured spontaneity of Canada’s experimental rock band Of Montreal. The video for Flash Delirium speaks for the album’s purpose as well, watching as Ben Goldwasser has an “electric eel” ripped from his throat, possibly symbolizing their evolution as a band. We probably won’t be hearing Girl Talk remix these new songs, but it’s a great album nonetheless. I’d strongly recommend a solid pair of headphones, maybe a glass of wine and a long sit down with the freely available new album. It’s refreshing to see bands who can not only redefine themselves, but also risk their own success through simplifying their sound and finding their true roots