MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

By Simon Howell - The Listening Ear - 01/22/2008

"I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw / I'm in the prime of my life." Beginnings don't get much more confident than "Time to Pretend," the ebullient opener to Brooklyn synth-pop duo MGMT's (pronounced "management") debut album. The track explodes with Technicolor synths, Dave Fridmann's typically commanding production work and an infectious sense of purpose -- even as it tosses out inanities about getting "models for wives." It's a sign either of brilliant things to come, or a band a little too eager to grab your attention.

Sadly, the latter case is a better fit. Oracular Spectacular is one of the most glaringly front-loaded records since The Killers' Hot Fuss. Second track "Weekend Wars" could very well be a lost Life on Other Planets-era Supergrass single, complete with goofy keyboards, a jaunty acoustic guitar hook and an agreeably psychedelic coda. "The Youth" boasts a nicely creepy chord change to accompany its choral echoes of "Are you starting to change? / Are you together?" The rest of the album lacks that song's sense of eerie near-gravitas; "Electric Feel" stomps by strangely unnoticed, while another attempt at an acoustic guitar-driven track, "Pieces of What," also fails to leave any impression. In fact, the only substantive highlight after "The Youth" is "Kids," a catchy, straightforward dance-pop sing-along. Their departures into more left-field territory don't do them any favours; "4^th Dimension Transition" and "The Handshake" meander through their twisted sonics and awkward melodic turns without arriving anywhere. Closer "Future Reflections" regains some of the verve exhibited on the album's first half before squandering it with an aimless ending.

Do MGMT a favour: go to your favourite online music provider, pay $3.97 for "Time to Pretend", "Weekend Wars," "The Youth" and "Kids" and encourage them to build up a little endurance for the next record. After all, we want We're In It for the Money, not Sam's Town.

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