MGMT- Congratulations

Thu 20th May, 2010 in Music Reviews

Congratulations is MGMT’s much anticipated, “difficult” second album. The one they wanted to give away for free. The record some people wish they had and the album that received so much bile and hatred upon its release that many listeners exclaimed that those tall poppies had finally been cut down and their feet brought back to ground.

But is this anti-MGMT sentiment justified? Well, it is easy when listening to the twelve-minute epic, Siberian Breaks to sit back and question if these guys having a laugh? In fact, it’s almost impossible not to imagine the boys sitting around in the studio with producer, Peter Kember AKA Sonic Boom with mischievous grins on their faces. Perhaps Andrew VanWyngarden turns to Ben Goldwasser and suggests, “What if we did this?” But Goldwasser is not to be out-done and suggests something bolder. This then continues until the train of thought goes from the bold and daring to the plain ridiculous.

The song Siberian Breaks isn’t without its moments. But it is telling that Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody is just under six minutes while Stairway To Heaven falls short of eight. And let’s face it; these guys aren’t Queen or Led Zeppelin.

So if you’re looking for the MGMT of Kids, Electric Feel or Time To Pretend then step away from the music player. The nine tracks on Congratulations are less like traditional songs and more like stream-of-conscious pastiches with the result like upending a toy box with elements strewn about the place with one bit here, one bob there and so forth.

MGMT 2010 are about reverb-drenched surf riffs, sprawling sounds and disjointed lyrics. They choose to pay homage to the experimental art-rock types of Syd Barrett, The Velvet Underground, Brian Wilson and another Brian with the surname Eno.

It’s Working is the kind of grandiose-come-psychedelic-sound you’d expect from the likes of Queen. While Songs For Dan Treacy is pure bubblegum pop and Brian Eno is an instrumental that sounds like screaming banshees or at the very least animals that are being badly harmed.

Congratulations is an ambitious project and its fragmented nature means that it is difficult listen, alienating all but MGMT’s most ardent fans or those looking for tunes that challenge conventional standards. They’ve broken the mould with this record but at times it seems contrived and overindulgent, and the applause at the album’s end will be like pouring salt in the wounds for some people.

MGMT have said they didn’t want to repeat the formula and write an Oracular Spectacular Mark II. Instead, Congratulations is a cluttered and trippy affair through complex, prog rock.