But maybe that wasn’t MGMT. During the band’s humble beginnings, its members were dorm-room miscreants, playing shows consisting solely of the theme from “Ghostbusters.” After signing to a major label, they created a list of dream-producers featuring Barack Obama and “Not Sheryl Crow.”
The band was a paradox. Fun-loving hipsters churning out arena-ready anthems like “Kids,” then poking fun at stardom. The group’s first single, “Time to Pretend,” might be looked at as a confession now. MGMT was faking it once, but not on “Congratulations.”
The music is exactly what you would expect from the jokers of the electronic rock two-piece. “Song For Dan Treacy” is a catchy pop tune at first but quickly dissolves into a haunted house-music bridge. The title track sounds like an early Bob Dylan song before the synthesized hand claps and electric piano catch up to it. “Someone’s Missing” is the only remnant of the old MGMT, and even that features a disco-inspired finish. Every bizarre noise and genre-hopping experiment is the sound of MGMT having fun.
The album only falls apart when that fun comes at the expense of the listener. The lyric-less ballad “Lady Dada’s Nightmare” was probably an enjoyable exercise for the band, but the song is forgettable for everyone else, while “Flash Delirium” might be just a little too strange for fans of “Oracular Spectacular.”
“Congratulations” may be exactly what the title promises, though — a pat on the back for a band who ran through the trials of becoming great. MGMT deserve some indulgences after a debut that could be considered a classic years down the road, but “Congratulations” is so full of them it quickly turns into a challenging listen.
So, is MGMT’s “Congratulations” as inspired as their debut? The short answer is no. It’s a textbook “sophomore slump.” The album’s setbacks outweigh most of the noteworthy songs, and it’s hard to find the gems through all the clutter. But after the members of MGMT made a name for themselves with an album based on being someone else, it’s about time they stopped pretending and showed everyone who they really are.
Contact the reporter at clecher@asu.edu
