Ten Years Ago - MGMT - Congratulations

 

In the Ten Years Ago series, we take a look back at the ten most brilliant releases of 2010 which are celebrating their first decade this year. Next up is the psychedelic soaked classic ‘Congratulations’ by MGMT.

On the blog we have recently begun to revisit lost classics – great albums that have faded into obscurity or that never received the acclaim they deserved on release. ‘Congratulations’, MGMT’s sophomore album, could just as comfortably have sat in that list. Despite the critical acclaim received on its release, it has never found the wider adoration and recognition it deserves.

MGMT burst on to the mainstream scene in 2007 with the release of their wildly successful debut album ‘Oracular Spectacular’. Featuring unforgettable anthems such as ‘Time to Pretend’, ‘Electric Feel’ and ‘Kids’, the record was a soundtrack to the heady summers of the ‘Skins’ generation, and was a glam rock infused rollercoaster of a listening experience. It placed bandmates Ben Goldwasser and Andrew Van Wyngarden (until then relatively unknown graduate musicians) firmly into the public eye and the pair were lauded for their innovative and distinctive sound.

So how to follow up? Not many would have expected ‘Congratulations’ to be the answer. The easy option for MGMT would have been to have dashed off a release containing more pulsing anthems and capitalizing on their appeal. Not for them though. Instead they took their time and crafted something far more interesting and credible – a space rock opera of flowing psychedelia.

From the descending bass line in the opening bars of ‘It’s Working’, it was clear that ‘Congratulations’ was not a continuation of the summery feel good atmosphere of its predecessor. Gone were the easy feel good vibes and in was clever instrumentals and lyrical introspection. Opener ‘It’s Working’ steadily builds to a raucous pitch with choral vocals and a pulsating cosmic rhythm. ‘Song for Dan Treacy’ is the first of two dedications to the group’s musical heroes, and the Pete Doherty-esque indie rattle of the opening quickly twists into something else entirely with snaking synths and creeping riffs.

‘Flash Delirium’ is not your standard lead single (not many of those sport a flute solo) but was the only track on this collection that fit the bill for the lead release. It is a classic. Its understated opening quickly escalates into rattling verses, diverse breaks and a closing chorus that bursts out of nowhere with such ferocious urgency and passion that it is unforgettable. It’s lyrically obscure and hard to interpret but who cares when it sounds this good!

The true indication of genius comes, however, with the 12 minute epic ‘Siberian Breaks’ which sits right across the middle of the record. The song is a gargantuan classic of unfiltered psychedelia. Quite simply nothing like it has been recorded before or since. Launching off as a reflective acoustic ballad, it builds steadily before crashing back to a section of gently rolling instrumentals and a near spoken word lyrical piece. A flowing instrumental section follows with a symphony of strings and woodwind before a Led Zeppelin-esque escalation to crunching guitar rock and sighed vocals evolves into a complex instrumental outro. The piece sounds like six songs stitched together but it is seamless (pardon the pun). Truly genius!

‘Brian Eno’ the second tribute to a musical hero, quickly jerks the listener back in with a ferociously urgent rollicking rhythm and a great chorus. Album closer and title track ‘Congratulations’ meanwhile is a thing of delicate beauty. A stirring acoustic rhythm is complimented by rippling riffs and world weary vocals. It is a gorgeous close to a classic album.

It may have lacked the commerciality of its predecessor, but ‘Congratulations’ was better proof of the raw talent of MGMT and found a band willing to shake off the shackles of radio play and unit sales to create a piece of art that was something far more important – authentic and unique. This is not only a real contender for the best album of 2010 but for the best album of the decade!