Critical Mass

"I can't listen to that much Wagner.
I start getting the urge to conquer Poland."
- Woody Allen


Oh to be that witty! That quote tickles my funny bone every time.

The new MGMT record Congratulations is on my turntable today, as it has been many times since it's release. (OK, not really on my turntable because mine doesn't work and I don't own a vinyl copy of this particular album.) Their first CD Oracular Spectacular was a massive out-of-the-blue smash with the public. I thought it was alright, maybe a 6.5 out of 10 or so. It had really catchy singles like Time To Pretend and Kids, but mostly I didn't get the gushing praise and instant superstar status that was bestowed upon them by the blogosphere and critics. I think that is common to us all. I mean, there may be those of you who disagree strongly with my assessment of Phil Collins in yesterday's post and quite like his fashion sense and cover versions. To you I say "Get your bloody eyes checked and get your head outta the bag of glue!" But really, opinions are what makes life interesting and prompts people to put in their two cents in places like this.

The bloggers and critics at the music rags have been very split on the 2nd MGMT record, some hailing it and some, like Paste magazine, just trashing it. I fall into the former category. I avoided it altogether for awhile, my reason being all the hype over the last record and thinking they would make Oracular 2.0. Yes, I was sadly mistaken ( say that with an English accent) and indeed, it is quite a shocking and different little album. Melodic, trippy, with a real sense of importance which belies the fact that these guys are quite young. I'm not sure how old they are - let's just say that they don't remember when one actually had to go into the bank to get money out. So, here is an actual track by track review of this Magnum Opus of theirs:

Track 1: It's Working

A great little bass line drives this. A harpsichord? (Jason help me out here.) Great backing vocals too! The chorus ( It's working in the blood, but you know it's not the same as love, love's only in your mind, not your heart) is wonderful. Sing along! You will fall under its spell!

Track 2: Song For Dan Treacy

The first of 2 songs named for legendary artists, this dealing with the leader of the British band Television Personalities. Catchy Farfisa-like organ here leading the way. The melody is relentless too and you will be caught with this in your head as well.

Track 3: Someone's Missing

The shortest song on the record. It starts out with some falsetto singing, all echoey and sparse and turns into a full-blown summertime singalong anthem. The fast part reminds me of the Peanuts cartoons when Snoopy is so overcome with joy and he starts dancing with his nose pointed to the sky and his feet moving a mile a minute.

Track 4: Flash Delerium

This sounds like an English band. I can't put my finger on it, but it is all jerky, quick direction changes and there is even a bloody flute solo! I do love this song a lot, and the ending is positively cacaphonous.

Track 5: I Found A Whistle

"Hey I found a whistle that works every time." I shall sing this one too, and so shall you! " Such conviction to paint all the walls with the blood, of the young and the faithful and the good." Great line, very effective here and there's more! Sort of a weird almost church organ thingy happening here. Nice bluesy guitar toward the end too. Love it!

Track 6: Siberian Breaks

Quite possibly my favourite song of this year so far. Twelve bleeding minutes long! Starts out all Simon and Garfunkel, morphs into ABBA-like harmonies, then veers off into a Beatles Day In The Life sort of middle part. Martina's favourite lyric: " If you're conscious you must be depressed, or at least cynical." Fucking brilliant! "It's not right" Then we get a Pink Floydian Dark Side of the Moon bit which changes yet again into a psychedelic melancholy swirly kind of deal. Still with me? Another great line riffing on the Who's My Generation " I hope I die before I get sold." OK, then we'll rock out for a bit just to get the dust off of us. Then back to the Simon and Garfunkel stuff- now they do some synthy stuff just to finish us off. I need a smoke and a glass of red after that! Phew!

Track 7: Brian Eno

Holy New Wave Batman! It's 1978 all over again with this catchy paean to the founding member of Roxy Music and uber-producer of amongst other things The Joshua Tree. All squeaky synths and melodies. If you do not get a day long earworm from this, then you must be dead. "We're always one step behind him, he's Brian Eno (Brian Eno)."

Track 8: Lady Dada's Nightmare

Ahh yes! An instrumental. Beautiful keyboards here, which then get all Gothic and it sounds like someone may be having a root canal in the background. Either that or Heathcliffe has appeared on the moors again.

Track 9: Congratulations

Martina's Mom is Czech and as such speaks English with a very heavy accent. She would say the title of this song as Con-gra-too-lay-shuns. So now every time we hear this song, we sing it with her Mom's Slavic accent and piss ourselves laughing. It is a nice folky way to end the album though, but you must sing it with the accent too!

No best of today, just go out and get this record and their first one too. It will definitely be a keeper for years to come.