I had a terrible fear for MGMT that they were going to become one of those bands whose phenomenally successful first album became a cross on which they were continually nailed and whose gigs were forever full of people shouting 'play Electric Feel!' to the angry consternation of the band. This thought occurred to me whilst I was streaming the first track from the new album via their website (www.whoismgmt.com) which was not a good omen. However, two tracks in and I found myself heartened as I realised that same old magic was there. Maybe not in quite the same surprising form as the first ever time you heard this mischievous pair but they certainly haven't morphed into a rubbish over electro-fied version of themselves which was definitely a concern. And perhaps they have even dragged themselves free of the devoured carcass of 'Oracular Spectacular', who knows.
From the opening track - 'It's Working' - the old familiar madness seeps into my ears. Chord sequences from early 60s pop, a galloping horse noise that on closer inspection turns out to be bongos, complex layers, changes of pace, the addition of totally unexpected instruments and elements, it's all there - there's even a harpsichord for heaven's sake. Next up is 'Song for Dan Treacy' and suddenly I'm listening to The Libertines- the same tight dominant bass, subdued
speedy drumming and eerily similar vocal. Then in with the whurlitzer organ sound and it's MGMT again with all the little electronic touches and harmonies that entails.
'Someone's Missing' starts out so very gently, you kind of prepare yourself for something slow and sad. Then there's the shock of a big, sinister electric chord before the track unexpectedly takes off and it's all magic and swirls and that signature 'the sun's rising' MGMT sound that makes you want to dance.
'Flash Delirium', part Grease, part punk begins with a starter Casio keyboard beat and a David Bowie vibe and progresses like a Jackson Pollock canvas with everything thrown at it. 'I Found A Whistle' is the first prominently acoustic guitar track on the new album. It takes a whimsical approach to the first couple of minutes and then "hey I found a whistle that works every time" progresses with customary MGMT darkness to "hey I've got a pistol that's aimed at your heart." Finally, in floods the piano, big drums and uplifting vocals and it's a lighters in the air moment.
The wonderfully named 'Siberian Breaks' is an epic work. Opening with an easy, gentle rocking beat that's lovely for its simplicity, the track progresses through what could easily be the theme to Black Beauty overlaid with theatrical spoken word, a la Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka. This is followed by transition after transition, musical twists and turns for at least ten minutes before it is finally brought to a satisfying end by Barbarella style electro waves. Brilliant.
'Brian Eno,' all dramatic drums and a Rocky Horror picture show feel, goes for drama and speed whilst 'Lady Dada's Nightmare' is one dramatic instrumental complete with that whirly organ sound, a string section and even some screaming. With the album's title track - 'Congratulations' - there's no leap to be made as this is much more like the MGMT of old. The track sounds a bit like it should be on the Withnail & I soundtrack, it has such a wearily cynical poignancy to it.
Maybe 'Congratulations' won't win the band as many fans as 'Oracular Spectacular' but it's cut from the same crazily beautiful cloth. From the first bar of the first track and most of the way through, you're left with this feeling of 'well I wasn't expecting that.' Whilst this might lead many to slam this album because it isn't the same as the first one, it was that unpredictability and defiant sense of adventure that made me adore MGMT in the first place and that's still in there by the bucketload. If after you've listened to 'Congratulations' a couple of times you don't like it then fine, but you'd have to have a brain made of holey cheese to write this kind of real musical talent off. Because if the ideas, the adventures and the pure aliveness of 'Congratulations' is anything to go by, it's obvious that everything we've heard so far is just the beginning and there's a whole MGMT-shaped universe still waiting to be explored.
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