From its scratch-off lowbrow album art to its panned leak of “Flash Delirium,” critics and bloggers were eager to make scant predications about MGMT’s follow-up to 2008’s smash hit Oracular Spectacular. That is, until the rest of the album leaked.
The group announced that no singles would be released from the album so that fans and DJs will listen to the whole album and play the songs that “jump out at them.” The sad thing is that there aren’t any that do. What’s surprising about Congratulations is that MGMT does not fail by going overboard. Instead, they drastically confine themselves, which is even more disappointing. With drums and bass solidly in their lineup, MGMT has eliminated the electronic aspect of its sound, and the result is an album that remains slow from beginning to the end. Lead singer Andrew Van Wyngarden’s voice barely rises above an urgent coo. There are no anthems, and no songs that can be danced to.
That’s not to say that the album sounds horrible. It’s just surprising that a band would entirely change its approach when singles like “Kids” and “Electric Feel” were huge hits. Relatively speaking, MGMT maintains the pop psychedelic sound found on its last album, but adds la-la folk to it. The album is well produced and well recorded. Plenty of time was spent making the songs sound good, but unfortunately they are not provocative musically, lyrically, or thematically. Where Oracular Spectacular had verses filled with hedonistic scenes and curse words, Congratulations’ lyrics are neither memorable nor anthemic. One has to wonder how an audience will respond to these songs.
Congratulations is a psychedelic slumber party. In tracks such as “Brian Eno,” the music goes on and on without engaging the listener because the weak lyrics do not create any mental images, while the music is not exciting enough to carry itself. There is no suspense, no surprises, and little ground is broken. The album sounds like a more naïve and less creative version of The Flaming Lips.
Perhaps the only track deserving of a pat on the back is the final track, “Congratulations,” an acoustic ballad with a David Bowie bass line that reminds us of how genuine the band can be. What makes this track better is that it does not sound like it was under the microscope of a producer. It’s enjoyable because it sounds like they are making it by themselves. Congratulations shows that MGMT need to get out of the studio and back into the house party.
Voice’s Choices: “Congratulations,” “It’s Working,” “Siberian Breaks”
