After hundreds of remixes, thousands of plays at dance floors everywhere, commercial appearances and several world tours, MGMT moved more than half a million copies of 2007's Oracular Spectacular. Truly, though, it was only three songs from that album - "Electric Feel," "Time to Pretend" and the ubiquitous "Kids" - that powered the MGMT hype train. The soaring synthesizer beats and catchy lyrics on those three songs assured the duo a permanent place in the canon of late contemporary popular music.
To be clear from the start, Congratulations has no such songs. There will be no hip-hop samples or remixes of anything on this album. It resembles Oracular Spectacular - sans the hits - more than anything, but even from that, it differs significantly.
What Congratulations is, then, is MGMT trying something different. The album is listenable but not catchy. And that is not necessarily a bad thing, but MGMT have much to say and often there is not always enough to make me hold onto the song. Too often I find the songs drifting to the background of my consciousness. The vocals are often unclear and the melodies hypnotic.
Paradoxically, this ethereal quality is the strength of the album. When you really pay attention, it is a wonderfully enjoyable hypnosis. It takes a few plays of Congratulations, but when you actually give it your attention, the album is filled with rather beautiful music and songwriting.
The song "Siberian Breaks" is a microcosm of the nine tracks overall. It is 12 minutes long, an epic length by pop standards. At first listen, it just drags on, making it difficult to resist pressing the 'next' button as the song rolls from break to break. Multiple listens later, however, it has become one of my favorite songs on the album. It still is not something I am going to easily lose myself in and dance madly to, like I might have with "Time to Pretend," but you begin the appreciate the subtleties of the music. Lyrically, "Siberian Breaks" is borderline poetic: "But I hope I die before I get sold/ I hope I die before I get sold/ I'd rather die before I get sold," croons lead singer Andrew VanWyngarden, summing up the album quite well. MGMT did what it wanted to do and delved unapologetically into art-pop, completely forgetting the style that brought them fame and riches. The result is an album that is much less accessible - and frankly would never be enjoyable for many listeners. If you, however, are one of the listeners who enjoys giving a little effort, then Congratulations will be a truly gratifying experience.
"I save my grace with half-assed guilt/ And lay down the quilt upon the lawn/ Spread my arms and soak up congratulations." MGMT deserves to do so after this album, and I encourage everyone to give soaking up Congratulations a shot.
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