MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (2007)

Genre: Indietronica, Indie Pop, Synth Pop

Now a well established duo in the indie pop scene, their debut record showcased a gorgeous atmosphere of electronic influences and self-aware, true to life songwriting. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

Starting off with a bold testament on the life of stardom through the use of tongue-in-cheek humor and sarcasm, Time to Pretend is a perfect introduction to this album from a musical standpoint, but also serves as a statement of the duo's state of mind. They had ambition, and whether they took off was only a matter of time. There's nothing wildly experimental about their sound, but instead, they make it work by creating an intoxicatingly catchy atmosphere of fun synth melodies and occasional haunting vocals.

Songs like Weekend Wars and Kids are care-free throwbacks to years long past, serving as anthems for childhood imagination and childhood innocence, respectively. The latter song features what I believe to be one of the most uplifting synth riffs to come out of a pop record. It's fitting, as it's almost child-like in nature; simplistic and cute. There's also other highlights that slightly shift away from the synth pop influences, such as Of Moon, Birds & Monsters, which more often than not plays out more like an indie rock evaluation of the human psyche, slowly evolving into a psychedelic electronic jam session near the end. Make of it what you will.

Admittedly, Pieces of What is a song that initially feels out of place on this record, maintaining an acoustic aesthetic throughout. It's quite nice though, and it shows that MGMT were certainly capable of branching out a bit, even if it's for more traditional forms of composition. It was probably a sign of things to come, such as in their second album, Congratulations, which featured the gorgeous title track. There's no shortage of lovely tracks on here though, mostly of the neo-psychedelia variety.

The strength of this album is measured by its varied and eclectic mix of trippy soundscapes and melodies that make for a consistently beautiful experience. 4th Dimensional Transition is one of the few songs where I have ever truly felt like the title means what I felt, if that makes sense. It's a great experience. Sure, there were a couple songs that I didn't feel as strongly for, most notably, Electric Feel, which for being a hit, I expected a bit more outside of its basic groove and muddled disco influences. Nevertheless, this is certainly one of the better debuts of 2007, and one that is mostly a spectacular (pun intended) listen from start to finish.

A

Favorite Tracks: Weekend Wars; The Youth; Kids; 4th Dimensional Transition; Pieces of What; Of Moons, Birds & Monsters

Least Favorite Track: Electric Feel