| Oracular Spectacular's intriguing cover image features two members of what looks to be the Lost Tribe of Androgynously Handsome Nu-Rave Hippie Natives from Thunderdome. The boys on the cover are MGMT, the highly talented, multi-instrumentalist duo of Ben Goldwasser and Andrew Van Wyngarden. Bowie, Muse, Pulp, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Daft Punk, and other major players in the canon of postmodern pomp-pop clearly loom large in MGMT's universe. The group's lyrics play figurative dress-up, too, as when, on "Time to Pretend," the pair imagine that they're already rich and famous. But like the worst of Bowie (Tin Machine, anyone?), these lyrics and music unfortunately ring false, not unreal, per se, but as if not enough effort were put into the endeavor. Stylistically divergent songs like "The Handshake," "Youth," "Electric Feel," and "Weekend Wars" have a lot going for them, and the album is ultimately a promising debut. It just happens to sound like a wayward mix tape. Hopefully, successive albums will have both the cojones and the cohesion missing here. --Mike McGonigal Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
