MGMT - Congratulations

Congratulations is sort of catchy, but it doesn't get my immediate attention like the uplifting resonance of Time to Pretend, or the funkiness of Electric Feel. There's no depth to the album, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. Just not as good as Oracular Spectacular.

It's almost like the beginning Congratulations is on coffee. The energy is there, but it's kind of empty. It might even seem like they made the songs fast to cover up for the fact that none of the melodies are very interesting. Same goes for the song Brian Eno. Luckily this feeling clears up when Someone's Missing and Flash Delerium. The tunes get a little better, and FINALLY we get a little guitar action, and cool drum tracks that aren't coming out of a keyboard.

The best songs on Congratulations is I Found a Whistle, with its waltz-like, hopeful spirit. Unfortunately, it turns out to be the only real fresh breath of air on the album. The next 12 minute song Siberian Breaks is interesting, but it changes way too much, as if the duo decided that they had too many songs for the album, and tried to cram them all together into "one" song. I find it to be too synthy for me too.

I think that you either like this album, or you don't. Or you're in between, like me. Give it a listen.



-Julian