 | MGMT |
So here’s a little album I’ve been wanting to write about for some time, but didn’t know how to proceed. It may be due, in part, to the fact that it’s been quite a spell since my last hallucinogen-induced bender. Nonetheless, Oracular Spectacular is an encompassing album that is delightfully complex, while maintaining a lightheartedness throughout. Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser have done a very impressive of job of creating a mash up of eclectic sounds and styles in a manner that would make a Flaming Lips/David Bowie love child shed a single tear of joy.
Oracular Spectacular starts out with Time to Pretend, which personifies the ‘here and now’ livelihood these two young musicians seem to embrace. With lyrics such as, “This is our decision to live fast and die young, we’ve got the vision, now let’s have some fun,” you get a glimpse into the mantra of embracing the fear, naivety and invincibility of youth which emboldens them. It combines very articulate and densely layered keyboards and distorted drums (which are present through the entirety of the album) to manifest an electric/brit-pop/disco-ish assemblage that works very well and sets the tone for the rest of the album.
The duo then cunningly transitions into Weekend Wars and it is immediately evident there is some depth and character to the musical vision they possess. It is a slowly building track with thoughtful, albeit disjoined, lyrics. It grows from an almost simplistic traditional acoustic medley into a powerful tour de force of synthesized greatness that pulls you in without remorse. Spectacular follows with The Youth and Electric Feel, with the latter being an incredible song that goes a step further and incorporates funk-esque overtones complete with dirty little bass lines that almost makes me wish I listened to more music of the genre.
Kids comes next, and really draws out the British pop influences coated with the ever-present synthesizers. This is a very catchy track that gives way to 4th Dimensional Transition, one that both terrifies me and leaves me with a sense of wonderment. Very psychotropic. Pieces of What returns us to some semblance of normalcy (well, as normal as these two can be) and even opts for the styling of the traditional piano over the electro-keys.
Of Moons, Birds, and Monsters and The Handshake are both decent songs that continue to efficiently overlay various instrumental experiments. The album closes with Future Reflections, which is a befittingly epic closer. It brings the album back around to its beginning, leaving a sense of both satisfaction and sadness upon its final notes.
In all, this is a very solid debut album from a band that has done a very nice job of combining a plethora of diverse sounds and styles and coupled them with often unassuming yet well designed lyrics into a creation that works really well. Oracular Spectacular takes some very bold and unapologetic chances and it pays off.
