Since crash landing and puncturing both the bloggersphere and commercial market back in 2007, MGMT have solidified themselves as an act nearly impossible to pinpoint. A big part of this can be attributed to their rather divisive sophomore record, Congratulations. That album not only separated casual fans from their dyed-in-the-wool following, but also saw the group drift away from the kind of infectious indietronica that initially put them on the global radar. Delving into more abstract, ambient and psychedelic territories, Congratulations not only saw MGMT further embrace their inner freak, but it also opened up a number of creative doors, all of which have led to this — their third, self-titled record.
MGMT is very much a continuation of the stylistic tendencies the group opted for on their last outing, which no doubt is going to once again enthrall some and upset others. Despite the widening gap within their audience, though, it’s abundantly clear that MGMT are in the business of making the kind of music they want to hear. This is ever-present within the complex prism of this album, and on one hand, I wholeheartedly applaud the band’s integrity and their true-to-self approach here. On the other, however, the freedom that comes with this also produces its fair share of overindulgence. To say MGMT is a weird album is a serious understatement — it floats somewhere between the realms of DMT and alternate dimensions. Its slow burning neon buzz is not just seriously out there. It’s a sticky, hot, mess of warbling electronics, spacey textures and science fiction atmospheres that bring into the fold sounds from worlds outside our solar system.
All of the above results in a collection of glistening musical gems scattered throughout. Unfortunately, these gems are not collected, grouped or sorted into any real or effective order. They’re buried amongst a rubbled body of distraction, sidesteps and potentially good ideas which linger and meander into the distance. When it’s in focus and given clarity, MGMT can actually be an exciting and engaging listen. More often than not, however, its scope is significantly blurry, and although a number of its parts extract the wonderful from the weird, as a whole there’s too much creative distortion and stylistic white noise blocking out its more defined and finely decorated elements.
