Search - MGMT :: Congratulations (Limited Edition)

A Great Band Gets Better

NYATTORNEY | New York, NY | 04/13/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, there are no singles on this album, which is going to be a shock (and a dissapointment) to a lot of fans of Oracular Spetacular, but this is an album that you cannot judge after one spin as it takes a while to sink in. But if you give it a chance it is a real grower and is easily the best album I have heard this year. Here is a brief breakdown....



1. It's Working - awesome, psychedelic tinged opener. Wouldn't be out of place on the second half of Oracular Spetacular.



2. Song For Dan Treacy - One of my favorites. It's not traditional pop per say and probably won't be played on the radio, but is very melodic even without a typical chorus.



3. Someone's Missing - The closest this album comes to a traditional single. Ends abruptly once the chorus kicks in at the end, but is still very good.



4. Flash Delerium - This is the first "single" off the album and when I heard it my initial reaction was "blah." But this song sounds so much better in the context of the entire album and is now my personal favorite off the album.



5. I Found a Whistle - A nice, slow break proceeeding "Flash Delerium." I imagine this will be the song that will cause the lighters and cell phones to come out during their concerts. Listen to the lyrics carefully. I assume the song is not referring to the "Phantom Menace," but I wonder.....



6. Siberian Breaks - This is probably the song that will determine if you like the album or not. At 12 minutes long it is one of those songs that people are going to love and hate. It is really like 4 or 5 songs thrown together, but for whatever reason it completely works and is the heart of this album.



7. Brian Eno - An almost punk-type song dedicated to Brian Eno. Not quite made for radio, but along with "Someone's Missing," it is one of the catchiest songs on the album.



8. Lady Dada's Nightmare - An instrumental and in my opinion the only mistep on the album. Not that it's bad, but it's not something you will want to listen to over and over and I would have much preferred a real, non-instrumental song, especially considering this is a short album at only 9 songs.



9. Congratulations - Great way to close out the album with probably the most traditional song MGMT has ever recorded. It is obviously meant to be a sarcastic reaction to the fame brought on by Oracular Spetacular, but is one of the best songs on the album regardless.



In closing, my only complain is that at 9 songs the album feels more like an EP then a full album. But even so, it is still so much better then most of the other crap out there these days. Give this one a chance, realize going in it is not Oracular Spetacular, and I have a feeling you will not be dissapointed"

First rate music. CD > Vinyl

funmusic2000 | California | 04/15/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought the vinyl on the faith that this album would deliver. And it did, double-confirming MGMT's status (in my humble classic rock opinion) as the best thing that's happened to music since the Beatles or Floyd. Someone [sven209] on their site said it was "Almost as if early Pink Floyd made their first few albums with todays technology." To that I might add with even better vocal harmonies.



With Vinyl as always, quality was excellent, but they split the record up into 4 chucks on 2 x 180g vinyls (for such a short album I don't know why). This provides for some interruptions in the music. I buy vinyls because they're nice to handle, but these were far from that. It is very difficult to cram 2 heavy and thick records in sleeves into one record cover. Plus, the record cover is just front and back, no fold out or anything. My roomates CD, on the other hand is really cool - it's fold out. There's also a booklet with some earthy-feel-good pictures and recording pictures and such, and it came with this coin that has parts mentioned in Flash Delirium.



In conclusion, definitely buy the CD, it's an amazing album. You might also buy the vinyl as well."

Better than their first?

joh | 06/25/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I really like the direction MGMT is going. Great album very different from their first but not diverging from their synth pop sounds. an A+ on this one"