MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

7.5 out of 10

Brooklyn based MGMT’s sophomore album Oracular Spectacular is a trippy mindscrew of a record. MGMT (pronounced ‘management’) has already garnered attention from the music establishment, with Rolling Stone calling the group one of their “Artists to Watch” for 2008.
Happily, MGMT matches that claim. “Oracular Spectacular” starts off with the heroin-fueled yet sentimental “Time to Pretend,” crosses dance-pop with an atmospheric space rock feel. While the space rock elements continue throughout, Oracular Spectacular settles into a British Invasion-meets-Arcade Fire groove that helps the album glide out of the speakers.
MGMT takes the best elements of the Williamsburg sound of groups like Liars, TV on the Radio and Ratatat with strong psychedelic overtones and melds it into an innovative sound with a hauntingly familiar feel. In fact, MGMT might be the penultimate product of the entire Williamsburg sound. The group’s sound is much more closely related to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah than the oft-cited Flaming Lips.
Despite the overall tightness and reliability of the album, there are problems with it. The mutual influence that all recent bands from Brooklyn have on each other mutes MGMT’s creative streak. There are points where MGMT seems to want to break out and do something unique, particularly in “The Handshake,” but just can’t to totally break away. So despite the shiny gloss of originality, Oracular Spectacular is simply another Brooklyn band.
Overall, Oracular Spectacular is a solid album. It’s not the best album ever, but it’s a tight release with a well-defined and simply fun feel to it. It’s well worth a listen. Just don’t expect too much from it.

- Garrett Lyons

Best Tracks – “Of Moons Birds & Monsters” and “Weekend Wars”
Worst Track – “4th Dimensional Transition.”