MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

MTV.com describes MGMT as "electroclash musical terrorists [that] transmogrified into an eclectic, brainy pop group with heavy psychedelic overtones", and where I agree, I would have to push that definition further by saying that all of the acclaim that they have been garnering has not only been deserved, but I would consider the band to be one of the rare examples of an "it" band has lived up to and exceeded its name. Hopefully their sophomore release [whenever that may be] will be able to do the same, rather than cause them to fizzle out like so many of their predecessors and contemporaries.

They have been likened to bands such as Suicide and The Flaming Lips, and have spent time sharing the road with Of Montreal, but what I find so interesting about their sound is how it divides their debut Oracular Spectacular nearly in half. The first several tracks are percussion and synthesizer driven and would do well to start a dance party; the second half, however, is where the album gets very interesting. Just when the album starts to feel consistant [not monotonous], the track "Pieces of What" comes along, with acoustic guitars and Beatles-esque melodies. From there on, the tracks are much more indie feeling and [at times] sound incredibly inspired by Broken Social Scene [especially the track "Of Moons, Birds, & Monsters"].

It would be a daunting task to categorize MGMT, and it would almost certainly do the band an injustice. Their debut, Oracular Spectacular is a great album full of dance and indie tracks that serves as the perfect launching pad for this phenomenal band.

Tracklisting:
1. Time To Pretend
2. Weekend Wars
3. The Youth
4. Electric Feel
5. Kids
6. 4th Dimensional Transition
7. Pieces Of What
8. Of Moons, Birds, & Monsters
9. The Handshake
10. Future Reflections