MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Post date: Aug 23, 2011 10:56:29 AM

Neo-psychadelic fun reaching for the stars - 6.5/10

Top Tracks: "4th Dimensional Transition", "The Handshake"

Best Lyric: "You speak the language of the breeze / All your leaves were meant for me" & "It tastes like death but looks like fun"

Not the easiest album to categorise, it has some electronic, synth pop, noise pop, rock and psychedelic, after reading up on wikipedia I'll stick with Neo-psychadelic! Starting off with "Time to Pretend" which details the highs and lows of a rock and roll lifestyle they never really take themselves too seriously, the lyrics aren't deep but fit nicely with the music they have crafted. The biggest problem for me is that the album doesn't quite seem to know what it wants to be; Is it electronic or rock or pop? The fact that a few of the songs were included on a 2005 EP explains why it feels like it lacks a true direction, if I were to really poke holes I'd say it's simply a collection of a couple of EP's, not an album in the truest sense of the word (unlike their follow up to this Congratulations). With that little rant over it is an enjoyable listen and has a spring/summer feel to it; something to play in the car on a sunny day with the windows down. If you're into normal radio songs "Kids" or "Electric Feel" will be perfect for you, if you prefer something a little different check out the last 5 tracks on the album which I personally prefer and the majority of my score has come from.