#9 – MGMT – Congratulations
I actually had no motivation for picking this album up for a long time. I wasn’t a fan. I wasn’t really captured by anything they had done until this point, other than getting Kids stuck in my head for weeks at a time. So what changed, you may ask? Well one of my friends from church had asked if I had heard it and almost casually mentioned that it’s as if Syd Barrett were fronting a band today. Well why didn’t you say so? Of course I’ll get it. Seeeeeee? That was easy.
Now having said all that is this really the case? Not entirely but I would buy that a song like Song for Dan Treacy could very well be a long lost Syd tune so the comparison isn’t entirely without merit. In fact, the entire album is a psychedelic adventure and quite a turn from their more dance oriented fair from its predecessor. I really enjoy everything on the disc, but there *is* one problem. I just can’t get emotionally invested in ANY of these songs. I’ve really tried and lyrically I just don’t get pulled in. That’s probably just me. I just don’t know what most of the songs are about. Anyway, I will say I love the sound they’ve made, it’s ambitious in places (especially the 12 minute long Siberian Breaks), and the chord progressions and sounds all fit in perfectly. It’s a great sound escapade for your ears.
The album does work, it’s tight, has a singular musical vision that doesn’t let up and I can put in on for most occasions. As with most artists, don’t get stuck on the fact that they wrote “so and so” song but if you take the leap, it’s worth it. Here are the requisite videos.
It’s Working
Song for Dan Treacy
Brian Eno
Congratulations
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