Any debut album whose opening song contains lyrics such as “let’s make some music, make some money, find some models for wives. I’ll move to Paris, shoot some heroin and fuck with the stars” will pretty much always get a thumbs up from me.
I can’t decide though whether ‘Time To Pretend’, the brilliant opening track and a synth-pop classic, is a joyously hedonistic manifesto of fame and debauchery (like Rock n’ Roll Star by Oasis, indeed the song ends with an Oasis-esque ‘yeah yeah yeah’) or a thoughtful warning of the trappings of fame and the inevitable live fast and die young attitude of too many deluded musicians. Who cares; it’s album of the year so far for me.
Standout tracks include the aforementioned, the superb Bowie-like ‘Weekend Wars’ and another synthy-driven-so-catchy-it’ll-annoy-you-for-days track ‘Kids’. MGMT have effectively re-imagined the recent past and the present with ‘Oracular Spectacular’. With their sort of influences it’s as though the band have imagined themselves in the mid 70s trying to make futuristic music. Mingling psychedelia (listen out for the Hendrix-aping guitar on ‘Of Moons, Birds and Monsters’) with elements of disco, electronica and glam rock, they’ve drawn on similar bands from the past as fellow New Yorkers the Scissor Sisters, but MGMT are more Hall and Oates to the ‘Sisters Elton John as ‘Electric Feel’ proves.
The choice of David Fridmann to produce was also an inspired one - ‘Oracular Spectacular’ displays the very best flashes of Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips.
My only half-complaint with the record is that it starts great and perhaps fades slightly towards the end. ‘Future Reflections’ seemed to me a bit of a let down and not really the way to close what is an astonishing record. That aside, the good work was already done with good impressions duly left.
Testament to this album is that after listening to only the first couple of tracks I already knew I was in love with it, played it again (and again) after it finished and couldn’t get it out of my head for days.
“This is our decision, to live fast and die young. We’ve got the vision, now let’s have some fun”. Says it all.
//Chris Walker