Oracular Spectacular, MGMT’s debut album, is exactly what it claims to be. Spectacular. Colourful songs, catchy choruses and hypnotizing melodies achieve perfect symbiosis in this compilation of psychedelic and mind-bending music.
MGMT is an American band who released Oracular Spectacular, their first album, on October 2nd, 2007. The band was widely accepted, and the album was a major success in the U.S and other parts of the world.
Since then, the band has produced a large number of albums, the most famous including: MGMT (2013), Congratulations (2010), and most recently, Little Dark Age (2018). If I’m being totally honest, it was a hard fought battle to try and decide which album to review, especially between Oracular Spectacular and Little Dark Age, alas a review can only be so long without getting boring…
Back to my original point - the music is transfixing. I found myself in a daydream-esque state after my first listen through, and I was instantly in love. The relationship between the words and the sounds you hear is mesmerizing, and it almost lulls you into a state of passive awareness; where you’re conscious, without being conscious.
Some of the hit songs on Oracular Spectacular include: Electric Feel, Kids, and Of Moons, Birds & Monsters. These songs forge the interconnectedness of beautifully crafted music and carefully constructed lyrics, to help create a sound that is most unique to the group, and is truly something to behold for yourself.
The song, Electric Feel, is one of their more successful songs, and is about the relationship between a person and the person who gives you that “Electric Feel”(at least, that is my interpretation, but we’ll get to that later). This dynamic is created through vibratious sounds and constant direct address; making for an engaging and head-boppable tune. The chorus of the song (and my personal favourite part), utilizes direct address especially well, having the last line of said chorus, go like: “Turn me on with your electric feel” which enhances the relatability and level of engagement listeners can have with the song. The use of the words “me” and “your” create a relationship between the band and the listener. It also allows for substitution for who is “me” and who is “you”, given someone’s particular romantic situation. If MGMT were to have given either of these entities a name, or made any insinuations towards who they are, not only would the chorus no longer have the same effect, but the song itself wouldn’t either.
Furthermore, the song Kids also utilizes plenty of direct address, partnered with one of the most iconic and recognizable alternative beats, arguably of all time, which masterfully incorporate one another in such a way that doesn’t just make the song a good song - it’s an experience. The use of the direct address and intriguing techno sound are definitely something that catches attention, and is a combination that almost anyone can enjoy. The beauty of music and literature is that you can interpret the words in any way you choose… Oracular Spectacular is no exception. During the song Kids, the beginning line of the chorus is “Control yourself” followed immediately by “Take only what you need from it” which can be interpreted in a plethora of ways. Without being given any context, we can make our own assumptions (and stories even) of what the song is about. The use of “yourself” and “you” are methods of engagement and relatability. Once again they are expertly inserted into a precise location amongst the rest of the ensemble of melody and lyrics that make it an effective and entertaining listen.
Overall, Oracular Spectacular is a spectacular spectacle to say the least. Not only are Electric Feel and Kids great songs that I have examined, but all others on the album are worth listening to as well. The album is merely 10 songs long. Short but sweet as they say; songs that include: Time to Pretend, Weekend Wars, The Youth, Electric Feel, Kids, 4th Dimensional Transition, Pieces of What, Of Moons, Birds & Monsters, The Handshake, and Future Reflections. The album is fantastically fluent and continuous in both the themes and the identity of the sound that the band produces, and is an extremely addictive piece of art that has completely taken me over, and will take do the same to you, should you give it the chance…
Written by Jack Fowler
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