WHEN MGMT (Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser) made their die-young, stay-pretty decry on “Time to Pretend”—the opening number of the flawless Oracular Spectacular—it resonated as a landmark moment in this current age of insatiable digital culture. Their lyrics spoke of fame, cocaine, and models with harmless naivety, but their day-glo onstage personalities and neon garb still weren’t enough to distract us from the truth: This pair of Wesleyan graduates were little more than a couple of dorks playing rock ‘n’ roll dress up. MGMT’s compiled lot of haphazardly assembled influences was a glorious mess of dance floor inhibition, ambitious pop hooks, and most importantly of all, just plain fun. As they put it in “Time to Pretend,” “This is our decision, to live fast and die young/We’ve got the vision, now let’s have some fun.”
Their Brooklyn peers in Vampire Weekend were defending their African colonization pop, and Yeasayer was stuck attempting to seize the art-rock crown from atop the pillowy afro of TV on the Radio. Meanwhile, MGMT soared past their borough mates, selling over three million song downloads from Oracular, spawning a handful of legitimately great singles, and cementing the carefree duo as the next great rock ‘n’ roll hope.
But as all cautionary tales go, MGMT should have been careful what they wished for. When you innocently sing about the Behind the Music trifecta of fame/drugs/money, you might actually get exactly that. As rumors and early leaks hinted that their sophomore recording—not including their demo LP Climbing to New Lows—was doomed to fail, the band’s infallibility began to corrode.
Everything about the bloated mass that makes up their latest, Congratulations, is a soul-crushing disappointment. The cracked foundation began with the axing of Oracular‘s producer, Dave Fridmann (a man whose very name is synonymous with quality recordings), in favor of Peter Kember (AKA Sonic Boom), the burnt husk that remains from the Spaceman 3 divorce. But even this misstep—coupled with the band’s respectable urge to become more than just a pop band with a gold record and Gucci-inspired clothing line (seriously)—could have been overlooked had MGMT’s artistic urges not come across as cumbersome odes to pastoral folk and ’60s rock experimentalism. They wanted Forever Changes, but instead they got Tusk (and this coming from a Fleetwood Mac apologist who actually adores that record, flaws and all).
It’s not that Congratulations is merely a terrible record—it really is, never forget that—but MGMT’s restless experimentation comes off not as bold attempts at artistic relevance, but as middling, drug addled, and completely unnecessary. The dizzy carnival organ of “Song for Dan Treacy” can’t save a lopsided song, and their ode to “Brian Eno” might just be the worst musical atrocity linked to the iconic man’s name—yes, even worse than his work with Coldplay and Natalie Imbruglia.
No one is quite sure who to blame for the bloated stoner excess that permeates Congratulations (see: the dozen-plus minutes of “Siberian Breaks,” a song that should be trimmed by at least eight minutes), whether it be the band members, Kember’s influence, or their newfound obsession with Royal Trux (between Sonic Boom and Trux, the young men of MGMT are not good at picking responsible role models). The band itself eventually threw up their hands, issuing an apology for the trainwreck lead single “Flash Delirium,” and Goldwasser summed up the collective opinion of countless baffled fans in an interview with the Guardian: “We don’t know why anyone let us do this.” Neither do we.
I LOVE TUSK.
Very well said. I went out and bought the record the moment in hit the shelves and to say that my soul was crushed would be putting it softly. There wasn’t a single song on the album that saved MGMT for me. It’s as if they tried to record the album whilst simultaneously snorting piles of coke off their synthesizers, infact I’m not even sure if they took their faces out of the piles of coke to see if they were even hitting the right notes. In this album, I would go as far as to say, there are no right notes. I was VERY disappointed and I fully agree with this review.
I couldn’t disagree more with this review, which would be fine, but the sheer mean-spiritedness and shortsightedness of it really makes me question the reviewer’s credibility. Want to hear a truly bad album from an overhyped artist? Try The Fame Monster. Even if Congratulations isn’t perfect, you must really live in a spoiled indie-rock-hipster bubble if you can’t see that it’s better than at least half of what passes for music these days.
Really? You lose all credit by citing Pete Kember, Royal Trux, Tusk, etc. in a negative context.
Congratulations isn’t a perfect record by far, in fact I’d go as far to say not much about it has really stood out as being engaging for me. But it’s an interesting record, full of interesting choices. Maybe it’ll grow on me, maybe it won’t. It’s not the end of the goddam world, fer chrissakes. MGMT tried something different, it didn’t really gel. Get over it.
It’s only because of all the attention being paid that this seems to be a kerfuffle with critics like you. It’s telling that you mention Royal Trux; they produced a delicious body of work that ran the gamut of thrilling, perplexing, infuriating etc. Their willingness to take chances and staunch refusal to cater to ANYBODY else’s expectations besides their own artistic satisfaction stands as a testament to the old school indie ethos. It’s only because they flew under the cultural radar on a label like Drag City that allowed them to avoid the kind of backlash we’re seeing for Congratulations now.
If MGMT had put out this record on the heels of Oracular Spectacular in the mid-90’s on an indie label f*ckers like you would be praising it’s willingness to take chances. It’s all about context.
I’ll just go ahead and leave the shit music to you then. BUT, for MGMT’s sake, I’m glad there is someone in the galaxy that likes the mess they call an album.
Yawn. “Indie guy too indie for indie”. That’s fresh.
How is Congratulations a terrible record? It’s catchy, psychedelic pop/rock– much of it not entirely dissimilar to the second half of Oracular Spectacular, which “Ezra Ace Caraeff” calls “flawless.” Dave Fridmann wasn’t by any means “axed” to leave– the guy mixed the record! Bringing in Sonic Boom was an inspired move; who would have ever thought that he’d produce an album that would peak at #2 on the Billboard chart?
The merits of Tusk notwithstanding, Congratulations hardly presents comparable bloat. The album is a half-hour shorter, and more consistent. “It’s Working,” “Song for Dan Treacy,” “Someone’s Missing,” “Flash Delirium,” “I Found a Whistle,” “Siberian Breaks,” and “Brian Eno” are all great songs. I’m especially perplexed by the vitriol leveled at “Brian Eno”: “the worst musical atrocity linked to the iconic man’s name–yes, even worse than his work with Coldplay and Natalie Imbruglia.” HAH! I guess that about says it all as far as “Ace” Caraeff’s musical credibility goes. Down the toilet. (Honestly, give the song a listen, folks. See if you agree. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkS6x7ihljc )
The Portland Mercury can do better than this. Surely there are more sensible music reviewers in the gem of the NW.
Everybody’s a critic.
That said, I don’t quite understand why we even bother giving space to ‘reviews’ of anything that relies on subjective interpretation. What, actually, is the point of reading about another person’s opinion of another person’s creative work? Is it for affirmation of one’s own opinion? What would be the point of that? Opinions are not based on facts or knowledge. Therefore, they rate fairly low on the scale of importance of discourse.
Besides, even if we grant some value to opinions, can’t we develop our own reactions to the output of an artist without the meddling influence of an intermediary source? And, further, why should that intermediary source get paid for its output of what is essentially unimportant, subjective, non-fact, non-knowledge content?
The only way this is a good record is if you have incredibly shitty taste in music.
This album is ahead of it’s time. I can see bands copying from this in the next 5 years. I bet you Ezra yells at the kids in the front yard to turn down the music and get off his lawn, while he bitterly writes reviews in his front porch rocking chair. Or maybe I’m wrong, someone just pissed on his cheerios that morning the review was due.
Actually… I’m looking for anything other than warmed-over seventh generation indie pop. So you just sold me.
A modern band into Trux? Yeah. Gimme fire, drugs, and rock and roll.
Trux are fantastic role models. Who would you prefer? Death Cab for Cutie? Ho, ho, ho…
And if MGMT have even half the excess vibe of Tusk, I’m buying it.
In fact, I’m going to listen to this record online right now. Be right back.
Okay, I’m back.
Not horrible. Not great. Won’t buy it.
Trux? Nope. Tusk? Not even close. I do see the Love affectations, but MGMT reminds me more of the Monkees. Tho’ not as good as Headquarters. Or Head.
Have you actually listened to Tusk? I only ask because that reference is totally inaccurate.
And it’s one of those records some critics carry around like a pop culture touchstone to throw out from time to time — like how a certain Hollywood writer might carry a weather-beaten copy of Hero of a Thousand Faces but hasn’t actually read past page 33.
It doesn’t make sense to harshly criticize an album because the artist chose a different direction to go in than the reviewer would have liked. The music on Congratulations should be assessed for what it is and not what it isn’t. I think the album is great, and have enjoyed it much more than it’s predecessor.
No, really, it’s pretty damn rough. “Congratulations” is probably the best track, and it’s really only enjoyable in an I-woke-up-on-a-couch-in-a room-I-don’t-recognize-and-what’s-that-on-my-pants-I-better-just-leave-while-everyone-is-asleep kind of way.
So by “shit music” I assume you mean Royal Trux, Pete Kember (and by extension Spacemen 3, Spectrum, E.A.R., etc.)?
If so, that statement can stand on it’s own in bearing witness to a lack of credibility on your part.
If by “shit music” you mean Congratulations, well then… fair enough. Like I said, I haven’t really found much to connect with in it. I’m not going to get cornered into defending what might turn out to be a major creative implosion from a band that showed immense potential.
Congratulations is just different. A different record with a different set of goals and focus. Different freaks people out. Most people probably want another album of “Time to Pretend Pt.II” and “Kids (revisited)”. MGMT chose to move in another direction. It’s not the end of the goddam world. Get over it.
TUSK.
MGMT rocks. Congrat cd rocks. Their show rocked. REVIEW IS TRASH. But oh online mercury… thanx for the option for sharing our dumb fucking opinion 😉
Ps.
Should this have been a review of postal service: it would have all been cock service and not in the way ov awesome gay porn 😉
@ Snagglepuss: Your attack on the most basic validity of reviewing art has blown my mind (partly because you obviously cared enough to read the review, and then share your own review of the review). The reason I read reviews is as follows:
90% of the time: Because there is a massive, massive pile of art out there competing for my attention & money, I rely on others to winnow that pile down for me by creating concise reviews of it. For MGMT’s new one, I wanted to know the same thing almost everyone else did: “does it have a bunch of soaring, kick-ass electro-pop singles like the last one?” This review (and every other one I’ve read) has answered that question for me.
10%: Does the reviewer confirm my high opinion of art I’ve already consumed? Because if so, I’d enjoy it that much more to see that other people are enjoying it the way I am.
So maybe I’m crazy, but to me, that’s why reviews of art are valuable. This seems so common sense as to be ridiculous, but I guess that’s why you blew my mind.
@ Snagglepuss: Actually, it sounds like you’re questioning the validity of subjectivity in human discourse, which is an even bigger mind-blower.
For fuck’s sake, how are we supposed to while away our pathetic, dwindling hours, if not in part by discussing with each other how we individually experience our lifelong grope at the meaning of our very existence?
Communicating that subjectivity creatively is the whole fucking point of art, isn’t it?
um.. it’s a piece of shit. as was their underwhelming performance at Sasquatch. Time to fade away, MGMT. Take Vampire Weekend with you.
@ CC
I didn’t realize I was blowing anyone’s mind. Then again, I figure (hope?) you’re joking on that one. What I posted wasn’t anything terribly pithy or revelatory; just mildly annoyed. I’m not so much a fan of the ruckus that accompanies music/book/film reviews. I understand that they can serve a useful function by eliminating the artistic wheat from the quasi-artistic chaff, and that’s quite fine. I think pretty much everyone relies on them for that, to some extent. But, they also seem to me to serve as yet another wellspring from which a great amount of useless (and often insipid) chatter derives – much like this response is going to be.
Now, I wasn’t challenging the validity of subjectivity in human discourse – not only would that make me look all kinds of contradictory (since I did express several opinions, myself, and will again haha, and you can’t stop me!), that also would pretty much (as you pointed out) torpedo all of our notions of aesthetics, too, wouldn’t it? That wouldn’t be terribly conducive to us gaining much ground on questions of an existential nature, among other things.
What I was questioning was the paid (and presumably respected) role of the reviewer as somehow more or less qualified to evaluate aesthetics than any other observer, and the vehemence of, and time and energy put into, the argumentation for/against the reviewer’s opinion… which is an activity I’m apparently engaged in right now, heh.
Generally, it just seems like a waste of time to me to try and change someone’s opinion about aesthetics (or about most anything, really). It almost seems like trying to argue about the validity/invalidity of a religion – much will get said, but opinions will likely remain unchanged, due in part to their being based not on facts or knowledge, but on something else… the subjective experience/feelings of the believer.
I mean, if all the scientific evidence accumulated to date isn’t enough to convince some people of the Earth’s age or likely origins, how can you hope (or even want to try) to convince someone that some flash-in-the-pan indie-pop band’s new album is worth listening to or not?
Not sure if all that made much sense or not, but that’s just how I see it. *drum roll*
You are an elitist piece of shit. As soon as any of these talented bands make anything of themselves you shit on them but offer no better alternative. Congratulations is at the very least a 9/10 record. I will dump every copy of the jerkury in the trash from now on because you don’t know anything about art until pitchfork approves it. Everybody that I know that went to sasquatch has said that MGMT were the best performance of the entire festival. This is the reason why indie artists can’t rise about two or three good records; they’re shit on by all of you catty music critics because they aren’t blaring the conch shell for whatever new bullshit you’re promoting as the new wave of music. Go home, put a gun in your mouth, and pull the trigger. Sincerely, sincerely bitch.
you and the mercury have angered me= i will make my dissatisfaction known…. you have been warned
this is not fuckthejerkury btw