MGMT has peeled from the bottom of their shoes the bubblegum psychedelic pop sound that was so prevalent in Oracular Spectacular and Congratulations, and instead bought a one-way ticket to the land of abstraction with their new self-titled album.
Songs like “Electric Feel” and “Time to Pretend” gained unexpected and widespread acclaim for MGMT back in 2007. And when their ambitious second album debuted in 2010, they lost many of their surface-value fans in a sea of ultra-chill psychedelia and trippy lyricism.
However, MGMT goes a little easy on the Gonzo this time. The first track, “Alien Days,” begins with an ethereal ambiance followed by a bubbly child’s voice, which then fades into drowsy synthetic rock. We’re given a thick texture of squiggly melodies and heavy drumbeats, showcasing the band’s eclectic talent. Between the retrospective lyrics and futuristic feel, they could almost pass as the spawn of The Flaming Lips.
“Cool Song No. 2” follows suit with an ominous, rumba-style atmosphere which is overlapped by a heavy finger hitting the piano. It plucks you from your seat and places you in a funky Middle Eastern nightclub with neon lights splayed across the walls and an array of psychedelic drugs being served. “Cool Song” couldn’t be a more fitting title.
And while most of us will deeply miss the ecstatic electro-pop grooviness of Oracular Spectacular, “Introspection” takes us even deeper into the depths of MGMT’s new vision. A pleasant, upbeat tune, this song ironically asks harkening questions like, “What am I really like inside?” and “Why have all the prophets lied?” The song dances with you through a mock quest for self-realization then ends abruptly with a bang.
I believe every album has a climax, and MGMT only further proves this theory. “Your Life is a Lie,” the lead single from the album, brashly grabs you by the shoulders and walks you through all the absurdities of the average, mundane life. It emulates their classic electro-pop sound throughout the two fleeting minutes of the song. “Nobody wins. Try not to cry, you will survive on your own,” sings Vanwygarden along with the repetitive clanking of a metal tin in the background.
Coming down from the high, we make a cool transition into the abstract with “A Good Sadness,” and then fall into “I Love You Too, Death,” which serves as a testimony to the entirely new direction MGMT is headed. The song sinks into a static sea of hollow vocals recorded over dreamy, mystical sound effects. The obscurity is bountiful. We’re given a glimpse of perhaps a striking profundity, or perhaps just a really bad acid trip. Either way, the band has metamorphosed into something entirely unique and of its own genre.
“Plenty of Girls in the Sea” picks back up with a dancey, bubbly beat, and ironic lyrics like, “The trick is to try to stay free, when it’s never that great to begin with.” We then make a journey to the grand finale of the album, “An Orphan of Fortune,” a five-minute long escapade into the hallucinogenic.
Though MGMT seems to be shedding off their old fan base one new album at a time, it’s impossible to ignore the immense transition they’ve made since “Time to Pretend” and Oracular Spectacular. With their brainy and melodic surprises, the band continues their trip into the realm of experimentalism.
Jackie Braje can be reached at jacquelyn.braje@spartans.ut.edu