Aja on 20/4/2010 at 04:34

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Wow, it's videos like this that make me think I should reconsider my "I don't like music videos" stance.

ps this album's getting too much negative press (and not just in the press press, but as meaning, "amongst the music fans i know online and in the RL"). I mean sure it's not mindblowing but who wanted another disc full of annoying synth dance melodies that depreciate over time? Hmmm. Like Spoon's new album (which also got kinda lukewarm reviews) I predict it'll do the opposite, and get better as time goes by.

Stitch on 20/4/2010 at 16:23

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It also isn't a particularly savvy assessment of Oracular Spectacular. The album did have dance anthems like "Kids"--which still kick ass, thanks--but it also had its share of loopy 70's psyche experimentation, especially in its latter half. If nothing else, MGMT's debut balanced these various flavors more successfully.

Congratulations, on the other hand, is a bit of a mixed bag. Ditching the dance pop jams is fine as long as their void is filled with something equally compelling, which MGMT manage for about half the disc (the "Someone's Missing"/"Flash Delirium"/"I Found a Whistle" run easily stands next to the heights of their debut). "Siberian Breaks" is a jumbled mess, though, a collage of underdeveloped song ideas that don't really work either alone or together, and its mid-point inclusion renders it a knife wound from which the album never full recovers.

Basically, Congratulations isn't the home run it could have been, and it represents something of an unnecessary line drawn in the sand with fans, but it is not without its strengths, and its highlight are utterly stunning. It isn't as good as it could be, but I'm still on board and look forward to seeing where these guys go next.

Aja on 20/4/2010 at 19:01

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Siberian Breaks is a highlight for me. I'll admit I haven't listened to the first album enough to give an insightful analysis, but the reason I didn't listen to it is because Kids and Time To Pretend were played into the dirt (not really their fault, but still). It's not that I don't like dance-pop; it's just that the MGMT variety is way too

http://www.ualberta.ca/~letersky/ipod.png

Congratulations improves the atmosphere and the tone and cuts the parts I didn't like from before. Plus, the Eno reference isn't just for show: there's a lot of Another Green World in this.

Aja on 21/4/2010 at 06:10

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I'm not a hipster, much as I try.