Oracular Spectacular [LP] in Bloomington, MN

When
MGMT
were asked by their record label for a list of their dream producers, with low expectations they sarcastically replied:
Prince
,
Nigel Godrich
Barack Obama
, and "not
Sheryl Crow
."
Columbia
returned with
Dave Fridmann
, the producer extraordinaire best known for his work with
Flaming Lips
and
Mercury Rev
. In typical
Fridmann
fashion,
Oracular Spectacular
is a glamorous mega-production through and through. Drums are massively distorted and shimmering keyboards are articulately layered as he takes the reins, leading the duo through his daisy chain of onboard compressors, delay units, and whatever other mysterious studio gizmos and gadgets he uses to get his trademark sound. Expectedly, the 14-karat polish enhances
's blend of
psychedelic
indie-electro
to a shiny sonic gleam, resulting in some of the catchiest
pop
songs to come from N.Y.C. since the turn of the millennium. The tunes sound classic and new all at once, paying homage to
Bowie
the Kinks
, and the
Stones
, while updating traditional progressions with flashes of
Royal Trux
Ween
, and
LCD Soundsystem
. It's a wonderful mess of musical ideas, ranging from the dancy
disco
thump and
Bee Gees
falsetto of
"Electric Feel"
to the gritty acoustic-based
"Pieces of What,"
to the grimy synth groove on the anthemic
"Time to Pretend."
With tongues planted firmly in cheeks, sardonic wit is as abundant as
Andrew Van Wyngarden
Ben Goldwasser
spoof the stereotypical
rock & roll
lifestyle with lines like "Lets make some music, make some money, find some models for wives/I'll go to Paris take some heroin and fuck with the stars." Despite the ever-present irony, the songs never feel insincere and the record is inherently strong throughout, making it a solid start to their career. ~ Jason Lymangrover