Disco de MGMT: “Congratulations [Limited Edition]”

MGMT founders, Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden, were unceremoniously catapulted into fame with the release of Oracular Spectacular--a place that they didn't appear to comfortably occupy. The crowds of excessively adoring adolescents were perceived by the band as a pseudo-fan base. The darkly tinged lyrics of "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" seemed lost on the blithe crowds who quickly targeted the album as the latest, must-have fad. The result was a flurry of interviews and award show appearances for which the band appeared to be ill-suited. Therefore, for their second venture, they seem to have distanced themselves from the style that forced them into the limelight--a style that was simply one of many in their creative repertoire.

With Congratulations, MGMT has meticulously crafted a musical journey that meanders through various soundscapes and experiments with broad variations in tempo and style. Although the universal sentiment is one of introspection and disillusionment, it is not crowded with thoughts and messages of gloom. While it would be fitting to assert that the drifting guitar riffs and psychedelic instrumentals are reminiscent of such classic rock influences as Pink Floyd, it must also be affirmed that the band has maintained a sense of innovation and novelty. It's safe to assume that there are no top 40 hits on this album, but this was likely intentional. It seems that, on this outing, MGMT's artistic course was a direct reaction to the standards of the radio industry, as accessibility was not a consideration. After all, their intended audience is not the mainstream crowd that flocked to their previous release.

"Congratulations" is one of those singular albums that needs to be experienced with an uninterrupted flow, as each track blends seamlessly into the next. While there are certainly stand out tracks, such as "Someone's Missing" and "Flash Delirium," the remainder of the album should not be considered any less momentous. Despite the variations, both in the midst of songs and among tracks, they play off of each other in a manner that makes them all significant to the thesis. The album closes with the title track, which is configured of equal parts melodrama, dripping sarcasm, and antipathy. As alluded to in the lyrics, Goldwasser and VanWyngerden could have easily remained complacent in their overnight success. Instead, they chose to challenge their expansive audience to see which ones were really getting the message, and separate them from those who were simply there for the party.

I really like the direction MGMT is going. Great album very different from their first but not diverging from their synth pop sounds. an A+ on this one

The first time I heard MGMT's new album, I thought of the interviews they had to give on the red carpet of the last Grammys. If you didn't see it, it was as awkward as interviews can be and at the time, it was clear that the band didn't want nothing to do with these people. What we didn't know at the time was that their hostile attitude would actually shape their entire next album, Congratulations. The band had also announced that there would be no more `Kids' or `Time to Pretend' and as soon as `Flash Delirium' came out, it was pretty obvious what went through their minds in the studio: `this time, let's do something that the mainstream will NOT dig'. If only this album was good.

The main thing that strikes me about Congratulations is that it's not only reactionary, but closed to itself and borderline-adolescent. It finds MGMT focusing too hard on making less accessible music, less catchy pop songs and even though structures are more adventurous and as trippy and enjoyable as it may be on acid, it leaves the sober listener craving for a lot more substance. The childhood nostalgia that characterized Oracular Spectacular is pretty much gone and that's fine, but MGMT tries to escape it by pushing too hard towards psych-pop experimentation.

It's still listenable, though. `It's Working' and `Congratulations' are decent opener and closer and `Flash Delirium' is a blast. Some people complain that it's not a single, and I agree. That's why it's awesome. It's crazy, all over the place and it keeps becoming something else. Then, there's my favorite cut, 'I Found a Whistle', a short and beautiful song with a hypnotic melody and a spectacular finale.

It's a clear case of Secondalbum Syndrome: trying too hard to move too far from the identity that the first album gave you. Anyway, an average MGMT album is still more refreshing than anything out there, so I'm happy. Yay!

Based on some of the initial critic and fan reviews, I might be alone (or at least one of the very few) who will be saying this, but I truly believe MGMT's Congratulations is one of the best albums to come out in the last decade. They were able to take everything that made them big from their debut and completely ignore them...and for that, I think they have comprised one of the most amazing collection of weird and twisted songs that I've heard in a while. What people need to remember is that aside from the few radio hits that came from Oracular Spectacular, Congratulations actually ISN'T too much of a departure from a lot of the other great songs on that album. Unfortunately, there are many "top 40 hits" type of people who took a liking to MGMT simply because of those songs, perhaps without giving much notice to the rest of the album. I'm afraid because of this part of their fan base, Congratulations will never receive the credit I feel it is due. I do however understand that it was all a conscious choice by MGMT, so they might expect a bit of a change in dynamic with the people who listen to their music from now on. I'm sure there will be many people who will indeed decide not to listen to them anymore, but as for me, I just became a fan for life with Congratulations. For anyone who is on the fence about how they feel about the record, give it a few spins. It definitely took me a few tries to fully absorb and understand this album, but once I did it was quite an eye-opening experience. Hopefully like myself, you can find it to be just as catchy and much more adventurous than anything they have done.

To me, MGMT was always two bands trapped inside one. You can clearly hear this through Oracular Spectacular. On the one hand there is a band that likes to be upbeat and give you dancy tunes with a pop sensibility. Then there's the other half of the album, where the band gets into psychedelia and prog rock. Both of them are MGMT and both sounds are great and work well on their debut. Congratulations is an extension of the sound they explored on their first album but a more cohesive one. The sound was already there on songs like "The Handshake". But based on some of the negative reviews, it may feel like it came from left field.

I'm glad these guys put out the album they did because as a complete album from start to finish, it works very well. There is still some pop here (Song for Dan Treacy, Flash Delirium, Brian Eno) but it's more in the vein of twee and 60s pop with an injection of psych. But it's true, this album will take time to appreciate and love since the bulk is more subdued and slow. I can't blame fans for looking for another "Kids" or "Electric Feel". Afterall, they set up that expectation with their first album. So you have to divorce yourself of those expectations and appreciate Congratulations for what it is, not bash it for what it isn't.

Maybe MGMT are even, on some level, acting as music curators on this album by exposing some of those fans that are just looking for the next dance hit to music they may not have heard otherwise. Maybe they'll seek out info on the music that influenced MGMT and find beauty in what Congrats pays homage to. Just maybe a new generation of people will discover Music for Airports and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Just like Lady Gaga got her fans exploring The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.