MGMT’s ‘Congratulations’ pales in comparison

Congratulations

MGMT

Sony/Columbia

Grade: B

Rocks like: Phoenix, The Beach… Congratulations

MGMT

Sony/Columbia

Grade: B

Rocks like: Phoenix, The Beach Boys, MGMT

Taking one look at any of MGMT’s music videos from its breakout album Oracular Spectacular might make you think you arrived in a wonderland.

The Brooklyn-based duo managed to match a series of psychedelic visuals to its energetic and soulful, synth-based, indie rock ballads.

Released with no singles and already streaming for free on the band’s website (whoismgmt.com), the album’s main form seems to have descended from the deeper cuts of Oracular, with the lush and expansive tracks fleshed out into rocking masterpieces oozing with Phil Spector-style “walls of sound.”

The album is gorgeously assembled enough to be beautiful as an audio soundscape alone.

But this is not ”Oracular Spectacular Part Two.” There is a decidedly album-cut feel to all of the tracks, and even though all are worthy, they are by no means the poppy singles that the band’s first album produced.

Even two of the album’s more accessible tracks — “Flash Delirium” and “Brian Eno” — won’t light up dances the same way “Kids” did.

The group’s lyrics also seem to have a self-reflective tone in line with its growing fame, which perhaps explains why it made such a different second album.

Full of worthy MGMT gems, Congratulations isn’t the subpar follow-up that many expected. However, those expecting their previous effort’s psychedelic ballads might best stay clear of this trippy slice of LP art.