Oracular Spectacular

Music history is replete with youthful innovators with a deep understanding of past music, displaying a sophisticated command of the genres they were working in. The duo behind MGMT, Andrew Van Wyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, are not that. Rather, they are clever debutantes, skimming along the surface of the last 50 years of pop music, plucking a bit of glam there, a touch of Prince there, a little disco there, some electronica here, a scintilla of psychedelia there, and weaving all these disparate elements into bright, summery pop music. They have an equal partner in Dave Fridmann, whose taste and firm hand on the keel is much appreciated. Fridmann balances analog and digital textures beautifully, and I didn't spot one single horrible synth patch, a small miracle in 2007. Another impressive aspect of Oracular Spectacular is that the duo composed all of the tunes, played all of the instruments, and did all of the arrangements. When I looked up the album on discogs, I fully expected to see session musicians. While Wyngarden and Goldwasser would never be mistaken for virtuosos on their instruments, between them they are competent on drums, keyboards, guitars and bass, at the very least. It doesn't stop there. The pair use their voices intelligently, sometimes going for mellifluence, sometimes a Bowie-esque whine, and still others a Prince-like falsetto. Their tunes are both catchy and display a keen understanding of pop songcraft. The tunes don't always develop in predictable ways. There are surprise changes in tempo, key, and time signatures. And their arrangements are canny, combining the old and the new harmoniously. The music on Oracular Spectacular may be light, fun pop, but there is quite a bit of skill under the hood. This kind of light pop really isn't my kind of thing, but MGMT and Dave Fridmann have done a great job with the concept and material.

OVRRTD.

Takes me back to the days when I worked at Subway and would mop the nasty floors jamming to MGMT

This might be blasphemous, but fuck it - there are shades of David Bowie in here. The hits are here, but the deeper cuts are infinitely listenable. Just an enjoyable album front to back. Best track: Kids

I can't get on board with management. Bunch of boring clean shirts in their ties and polished shoes. Probably get home and expect their tea to be on the table. A downtrodden wife, who's been slaving away all day and doesn't even get a "thanks". A cottage pie, a cheap bottle of plonk and five minutes of miserable missionary. Makes me sick.

Nostalgia clouded rating! This album (and more specifically "Kids") was ubiquitous when I was doing snowboard seasons. I subsequently listened to this album a lot and have grown to love it. It makes fun noises!

Really great record. Some classic naughties singles. Fantastic production throughout

Oracular Spectacular?....Craptacular more like it.

MGMT BAAAAAAAABY

hipster supermarket music

Tie-dye bandana hype. I couldn't get on board with the music (or the tie-dye) at the time, and I still don't get it now. Three absolute monster hits and a lot of really dreary filler. Rehashing all the shit parts of the 1970s in a knowing hipster way for the 2000s generation, great.

Pleasingly proggy, I wish I'd listened to it sooner.

MGMT understands the enjoyment of being enveloped in a wave of sound like a shoegaze album whilst keeping the catchy hooks like your favorite pop song. This leads to an album that certainly has its fantastic hits and moments on it, and the whole album otherwise is still incredibly solid. My only worry, and the reason it stays from the five range, is I question how much this will stick with me past the singles. Some of the sounds of songs already allude me just after the album ends, and it does sort of give off the vibe of the music the alternative kid listens to just to stand out, albeit far better than most other groups that fall into that genre. I certainly don't dislike it, far from it, I just could use some more form in my pop and some more overwhelming noises in my wall of sound.

There were some songs on this album that brought back a lot of memories. MGMT sounded familiar but wow those songs were really popular. They're also the best songs on the album, however. Some of the songs are a bit boring but songs like Electric Feel mostly make up for it and maybe it's partially because I recognize them but Time to Pretend, Electric Feel, and Kids are great. That being said, the lyrics are pretty weak throughout the whole album and the production sounds a bit washed out even on my favorite songs. Plus the end of the album is really weak and I skipped several songs on the album on the second listen. The good songs are good but there aren't enough of them to justify a 4th star. Favorite Songs: Time to Pretend, Electric Feel, Kids Least Favorite Song: The Handshake Decent 6/10

dog shit. psych music is probably my most listened to genre so its nothing to do with genre, its because its just fucking shite. i feel dirty classifying it as psych, its like an instagram version of being wavy. like some teenager wearing a tie die t shirt and saying 'far out maaaan'.

1. Time To Pretend: This sounds familiar. Oh I know this!!! I love the sound. I relate to this so much. It’s a little sad at the end. I get the existential nihilism but I hope they change their mind over the album. I love the… synths?… in the background. 2. Weekend Wars: Ugh I love this whole sound. “my predictions are the only things I have” is hell of a lyric. “There’s a reason I don’t win, I don’t know how to begin” 3. Youth: This makes me sad knowing they are probably mid millennials now. Every generation thinks it’s gonna change the world doesn’t it? Or maybe this is about growing up and taking your parents generations place as the adults in the world? This album feels very like “is growing up worth it?” This has a trance-y hypnotic feel because of all the repetition. 4. Electric Feel: I think this song is about the industrial revolution? Or the information (internet)/ technological revolution. They have a lot of repeating musical motifs throughout this album kind of like you notice in Broadway. Oh I love this flute part or whatever is. It sounds kind of Norwegian? Or something like that? Like I’d hear it in Frozen. 5. Kids: Everyone knows this song. I think Gossip Girl or something used it. Crazy how it was huge years after the album came out. I was obsessed with this once. Oh the famous “a family of trees wanted to be haunted” lyric that no one knows what it means but it’s provocative. Really gets the people going. Is this about growing up? Love the instrumental breakdown it’s gorgeous. Growing up and having to take responsibility? Unsure. 6. 4th Dimensional Transition: Pretty sure this is just about sex but it sounds really cool and the metaphors are interesting. I guess not committing though. The outro is so gorgeous. 7. Pieces of What: This sounds somewhat country but weirder. This has a lot of pathos. Not sure why. Idk I’m super into this it makes me feel nostalgic for something I’ve never known. 8. Of Moons, Birds, and Monsters: This is weird af but it sounds cool. What’s it about? Idk. I hear a lot of Lorde in this. I wonder if MGMT is one of her influences. Outro is so good. 9. The Handshake: This has to be the selling out song. MGMT’s hotel California. It’s such a cool song. All over the place like several songs stitched together but haunting and foreboding. 10. Future Reflections: I don’t know what this is about. Modernity maybe. But it’s gorgeous. Oracular means: relating to an oracle/hard to interpret/enigmatic/ utterance that seems to come from special inspiration or authority/prophetic Spectacular: beautiful in a dramatic or eye-catching way/ an event such as a pageant or musical, produced on a large scale and with striking effects/striking, sensational, notable for size or beauty Oracular Spectacular is a perfect name for this album. (Future Nostalgia could never) I love this. It’s like a perfect listening experience in the same way that melodrama is. And I feel like you probably pick up more and more on subsequent listens. This is going on my album rotation. Curious to see where the band went from here. 2nd listen: 1. Such a good opening track for a debut 2. I guess I just like trippy-ish music. This sounds Beatles-ish meets solar power Lorde but that might be boss baby syndrome. I just am into the vocals and the atmosphere. 3. This gets a little sinister cultish sounding towards the end? But I like it? It’s like yay! Growing up! Oh wait. Growing up. Or it’s starts out good intentioned but ends up really sinister. 4. I fucking love this song. Everyone says it’s about sex or ahuayasca but I still think it’s about technological innovation/Revolution and how it changed the world and how we felt about it at the start (before we knew the consequences) and the band straight up said it’s about electricity 5. If you don’t/didnt like this song at some point you have superpowers. But in context of the album (which seems very reluctantly coming to grasps with coming into adulthood both as an individual and a generation and a human race) it fits so well. I love love the bridge part. Second half of the album is apparently controversial about if it holds up to the first half. 6. This is the sex/drugs song though clearly. It has no hook but it’s atmospheric af. 7. I just really like this. I’ve never heard anything else like it. It’s like a trippy fucking Jack Johnson song or something but make it country on lsd. Love the beat pick up at the end. 8. I just love the instrumentals of this. Can’t make out the lyrics at all really. 9. I never get tired of the songs about selling out for fame. They’re always so sinister and cool. The handshake under our tongue being a reference to hiding pills under your tongue instead of taking them is clever af though / the whistling at the end is so eerie. 10. Is that an organ? Or an organ sounding synth? The vocals on this are higher in the mix then anything else. The end reminds me of something more recent. It’s like a trippy oceanic feeling. I really loved this album. I might change the tracklist order eventually but there are no skips.

I like adverts they make me buy lots of things to impress my friends and work colleagues

This spectacular journey of bliss entranced me.

A pretty pleasant listen with a few super catchy synth melodies. I enjoyed my time with the album, it gets pretty dreamy at times and I for sure liked some songs more than others - which all seem to have been their break through hits from previous recordings just re-recorded for this album. Standouts Time to Pretend Electric Feel Kids 4/5

Singles carry this album

There are several songs on this album, that shaped future albums, future genres, future music. Probably it's enough to give it 5 stars. I'm gonna go with 4.5/5.

It is clear that this paved the way for a new alt-pop sound, with artists like Tame Impala living the legacy MGMT never could. Only rating this a 4 because it has 3 great genre-defining songs (the rest are your typical experimental-style musical shrugs). This is, undeniably, a must-listen.

Good start, amazing hits in the middle w "Electric Feel" and "Kids" back-to-back, and then a little boring toward the end but still a strong debut from the best band from Connecticut ever, which is saying something coming from someone who has put in more effort than most trying to create the best band from Connecticut ever. Recipe to cure a lonely night: 1. Listen to "Kids" 3 times in a row. 2. Listen to "Broken" by Lovely The Band 3 times in a row. 3. Go back and listen to "Kids" again, noting how Lovely The Band so thoroughly borrowed "Kids" main keyboard riff as the backbone of their (excellent hit) song. 4. Play "Broken" one more time, but as loud as you can and scream along with the lyrics.

Nr. 177/1001 Time to Pretend 4/5 Weekend Wars 3/5 The Youths 3/5 Electric Feel 4/5 Kids 5/5 4th Dimensional Transition 3/5 Pieces of What 3/5 Of Moons, Birds & Monsters 4/5 The Handshake 3/5 Future Reflections 4/5 Average: 3,6 Fun mix of pop & electronica.

Great music. Loved it when it came out and still do.

Love this album. Always a fun listen just not for everyday listening imo

4 Songs in. If everything is as good as these first 3 tracks (I've heard Electric Feel before), this is gonna be an EASY 5 star. Upon finishing the album, the back half kinda falls off. It's still alright, but I went from "every song is now in my likes" to "80%". Which means this is a perfect 4/5 in every shape of the name. Gonna be real funny when I check the global average and discover that people hate this album or something.

first track is one of my favorite mgmt tracks ever. something about the hard synths and then the raucous drums hits like nothing ever has second track is wildly different, almost early beatles in soul third track is like an anthem of a generation. somber and urgent and plaintive I SAID OOH GIRL 💃🕺💃🕺💃🕺💃 (track 4) damn this shit comes all the way back from high school. downloading the music videos off youtube and putting them on my ipod (track 5) not a lot to say about tracks 6 and 7 Overall phenomenal album incredible for history

With a title like Oracular Spectacular, this album does feel like a hipster time travel report from the future (perhaps even now) back to 2007 describing what life will be like in post modern 2.0 internet A debut album, and what a debut album it was. If it were a vinyl, Side A 1-5 is the strength and Side B tracks 6-10 are the weakness. I feel bad for this group because as a debut album they have been doomed, even as they mature experientially and musically, to never reach its groovy heights ever again. 1) Time to Pretend - A confession of pretension is somewhat comforting? And on this track grooving. I also take this as a warning that the rest of the album that follows is lyrically tongue-in-cheek and not to be taken to literally or seriously. 2) Weekend Wars - The Bowie idolatry is on! 3) The Youth - Woefully naive, or sarcastically cynical, I cannot decide which. Love the dreamy production with walking bass and The Beatles-esque harmony. 4) Electric Feel - Love this sound and production. Lyrically, I am convinced this song is just simply about the transcendence of youthful lovemaking, or extolling the society altering affects the goddess Amazon.com. 5) Kids - Ahh, the celebrated callousness of youth. Take what you want from it, but try not to be trapped by nostalgia nor participation trophies. 6) 4th Dimensional Transition - Where the college dorm psychedelia experience meets the road of reality. Love the pulsing tabla groove. Kula Shaker would be proud of this arrangement. 7) Pieces of What - The first song that feels like your standard early 2000s indie blues oriented rock. Not a bad thing, just the first song that did not eschew traditional song arrangement. 8) Of Moons, Birds & Monsters - Jefferson Airplane for the early 2000s. I love the finger food of music history approach in this song, and frankly on this album. A cynical person could say they are being ironic with their sound, but I personally think they truly love these pop forms as much as we do. The lyrics seem nonsensical, possibly chosen for the sounds of the words more than their actual meaning on this song. 9) The Handshake - Feels like a failed effort at Goth inspired songs. The angst is a bit eye-rolling, but then I remind myself that they warned us Time to Pretend not to take anything very seriously. 10) Future Reflections - Feels like a primer for understanding the image chosen for the album cover. All in all, a solid effort but in the canon of music nothing that delineated a before and after. One of the more interesting things to listen to in 2007. on a ten scale I would give it a 3.5, but since we are on a five scale, I'll give it a 4 on the strength of the first 5 songs.

I made a conscious effort to avoid this album and, to a lesser extent, this band for many years based off of the singles when they were released. Electric Feel, Kids and Time to Pretend didn’t really sit well with me then. I couldn’t get behind their sing-along, trust-fund hipster synth-funk. It was the kind of music that dudes who wore 80’s athletic shorts, had dumb mustaches and coke problems listened to; music for people who organized kickball leagues or duck-duck-goose tournaments in McCarren Park. Listening to those specific songs today, I still have that impression, I won’t lie. However, I don’t think those songs are a very good representation of what this record actually is. This is, and I mean this as a compliment of the highest order, a proper dirtbag psych rock record, along the lines of Ween or Royal Trux or maybe pre-Soft Bulletin Flaming Lips. I really fucking like it and I was wrong about this band. It’s weird, heady and psychedelic and doesn’t deserve to be lumped in with the superficiality of late aughts’ hipsterdom.

This takes me back to a really specific time

Not sure about this, maybe I'm a bit too old. Pleasant enough but a bit of a whiff of 'of the moment' hipster vibes? 'Kids' is awesome though.

So I enjoyed the MGMT “Oracular Spectacular” album, and appreciated the originality of their sound… Pretty good diversity from a musical perspective throughout, and overall the album was pretty well done… “Kids” is by far the best track on the album, and its sound is incredibly original, and I’d give it 5-starts out of 7 in my little rating scale… Lyrics seem quite interesting as well, though don’t really have an idea as to exactly what it’s about though the line “…Control yourself, take only what you need from it…” really resonated with me from a variety of perspectives… “Time To Pretend” & “Electric Feel” were also the popular, and I though they were pretty solid, but the track other than “Kids” that grabbed me – was “Of Moons, Birds, & Monsters”, as I just really enjoyed that one as well… A solid 3 for me overall, and the “Kids” track really bumped it up…

It seems like MGMT wanted to be droning electro artists but then decided to turn their 45-minute instrumental versions of the Ghostbusters theme song into 3-minute pop songs so they could get famous. And they did so very effectively. The three hits are solidly hits. The filler is pretty bland but not offensively so. This is very 2007 “indie” pop but there are worse things.

Was familiar with some of these tunes, but never remember MGMT as the band! Or didn't know. Lounge party music?

1. Time to Pretend - initially, seems like a song that talks about the boredom of the world and wants to get away and live lives of sex and drugs. as the song progresses, it talks of the true wanting: their childhood and life before their tedious life working at a 9 to 5 job. the outcome of their glam-filled lives, or boring lives too will be mediocre, and this was their 'time to pretend' after childhood; they were fated to pretend, couldn't escape it. song in general sounds super cool! 4/5 2. Weekend Wars - i don't really get it. i think they're bored? and what they may do to pass the time? no idea sounds pretty cool though! but a 2.5/5, not going in my playlist 3. The Youth - gorgeous gorgeous song. talks of the change in youth, the transition between growing up and staying kids. this is expressed more in the music, with an obvious shift in tone. 5/5, going in my playlist 4. Electric Feel - some girl whose charisma is very electric. 2/5 5. Kids - speaks of the give-and-take in the dynamic of a family. the importance of making decisions, and the stage of being an infant; a toddler. sounds pretty cool. 3.5/5 6. 4th Dimensional Transition - i don't get it. i don't like it. 1/5 7. Pieces of What - i don't know either. sounds alright, very country-esque. 2/5 8. Of Moons, Birds & Monsters - exactly what the title says. interesting song. not going in my playlist though. 3/5 9. The Handshake - i think its about power politics, of signing a deal and not letting yourself get caught up in the power struggle between people. about being ignorant and in denial of being used, and not forgetting your roots. sounds pretty cool. 3.5/5 10. Future Reflections - nooo idea what this is about, very philosophical and vague. i feel like if i got this i'd be/sound super cool or something. sounds cool though! not going in my playlist 4/5 what's going in my playlist? 1. The Youth my rating? - solid 3/5

3.3 - It's 2009 and I'm sitting at my cubicle with my earbuds in. Pandora's spinning another MGMT track, just for me. I look around. I see my mug. Then my screen. I gaze up at the beige ceiling tiles...Everything's FINE. Everything WILL be fine. Everything feels PERFECTLY FINE... I am feeling perfectly fine...

The rest of the album doesn't hold up to Time to Pretend, Kids and Electric Feel, but those three are fucking huge tunes...although were played to death a bit at the time. Let's shoot some heroin and fuck with the stars, I suppose.

Bowie, flaming lips, that Britpop band whose name I can't remember, oh, and let's make everything louder than everything else. Some of it was ok, but mostly just fatiguing.

Elite level singles. Pure hype beyond that. Even worse than I remembered, no nostalgia bump at all here. The lyrics are shockingly poor. Aimed for left field indie-psych, ended up with advert music.

Spectacular!

Very clever album

Absolutely GOATED album. Such a vibrant mix of genres and sounds and so many weird but catchy songs. So many standout tracks but have to mention ‘Of Moons, Birds and Monsters’ as they’ve somehow crammed like 5 songs in 5 mins with that one.

Best in whatever genre that was

really great intro song. sets the stage. Ive heard some tunes by them before, but not an album, and wasn't on the radar. Can see why after five tracks this is on the list. Start to finish not a weak one in the bunch. This is setting up to be my first "never heard of these guys but know a few tracks when I hear them" five stars. Kept it up throughout. This one is a keeper.

Special album for me. Very nostalgic so maybe I am biased, but this couldn't be anything but a 5 for me. It toes the line between experimental and pop bangers. 4th dimensional transition is like a pink floyd song. Of moons Birds and monsters is incredible. I love everything about it, and we haven't even gotten to time to pretend and kids, wow

The first time I heard MGMT song was at a party my older sister dragged me to. We were still in high school at the time (she a senior, I a freshman), and she wanted me to be cool and hangout with seniors and drink. Well, I was awkward as hell and really didn't know how to talk to strangers, let alone strangers I was trying to look cool in front of. So while I then (and now in hindsight for different reasons) appreciate my sister for volunteering to bring me along, I really was a fish out of water at the time. The one thing I have a vivid memory from that 2007 night though was hearing the strange, unique, intriguing, and in some ways haunting melody of "Kids" come on over the speaker one of the guys had brought with him. I was immediately drawn to its eerie synth melody, its simplicity, and how it made me feel. I didn't know what that feeling was in the that moment; I couldn't have been older than 15 at the time, and so had the emotional intelligence of a teenage boy that age. Looking back, I couldn't know what that feeling was because I hadn't lived long enough to experience it in a meaningful way - nostalgia. More specifically, a longing for the simplicity of childhood and a simpler life. So coming into this album, I was expecting a slate of songs similar in feeling and depth to "Kids." I got exactly that. I really enjoyed this album front to back. There were honest to god moments where it reminded me of The Beatles. Some of the arrangements and some of the sounds in general just sounded like Beatles-esque. They even had a song that sounded Indian-inspired. I really loved this album. It varied it energy, sound, attitude, and tone throughout. Some songs were heavier on the electronic sound, which is itself really unique. Maybe it's my limited knowledge of this genre, but I haven't heard anything else like this before or since. I liked that there were songs that were lighter on the electronic sounds and had some guitars and bass in there. A very happy five stars for this one. Very impressed. Would love to have another of theirs on this list. From what I remember, though, their peak was short lived, so we'll see. Standout Tracks: Time to Pretend, Weekend Wars, Electric Feel, Kids, Of Moons, Birds & Monsters, The Handshake, Future Reflections

Somehow I've never listened tl this whole album despite it coming out when I was in high school. Electric Feel and Kids were everywhere, and while great songs, they were severely overplayed which I guess led to me keeling the album at a distance. What a mistake that was, because this is seriously incredible. Every track is inventive and exploratory, reminding me a lot of the Bowie I've heard on this list. The chorus in The Youth is ghostly, and entralling, as is 4th Dimensional Transition. Of Moons, Birds & Monsters has some cool moments in the middle, but the last 2 mins of the song are special. This whole album is a vibe and truly stands out amongst its peers from the decade.

Un album, un groupe, qui débute par “Time to pretend” est forcément d’une classe à part. Le début enchaîne les tubes imparables et dégueule de talent et d’inventivité (“The Youth”, “Electric Feel”, “Kids”...). Ca se calme un peu sur deux ou trois titres à la fin mais quand même, quelle belle claque à l’époque. “Kids” (en même temps que le reste de l’album) était l’espace d’un été l’hymne d’une génération (pas la mienne), qui se moquait de la gloire, de l’argent et faisait semblant d’avoir un avenir joyeux. Je ne sais pas si encore aujourd’hui des mecs trainent avec les cheveux ébouriffés et des maillots de bain fluo.

MGMT were the most formative band for me in my teenage years, not least because I covered a lot of their music in my old synth pop band. Easy to listen to, fun, straight forward bops.

This album is always been a great one to me. I loved it in college and I think it is aged really well. This album is a lesser known one on the list but to me this is a 5/5!

this album is so classic to me. this album is so good. this was released in the prime of my life.

I have a complicated history with this album. When I was a teenager I was visiting Germany and my mp3 player bricked. Since I didn’t have much spending money I could only grab a CD or two from a local store and this was one of my buys. I listened to this album quite a few times over the next few weeks. I fell in love with some of the more popular singles like “Time to Pretend” or “Kids”. I listened to them on repeat over and over. Eventually I learned how great “Electric Feel” was. And I’ve listened to these songs so much. Spotify has recommended these songs so much. In a way I’ve grown weary of them. Maybe it’s because I know I can’t be a teenager again. Coming back to this album was a nice trip down memory lane. I don’t think I’ll stop by again for some time, but I was happy to be there. This album really reminded me of finding my own taste in music, of discovering what the alt music of the time was like. I know there is bias in my ranking, but like I said, my relationship with this album is complicated.

Some classics on here

definitely the best

Yes yes

Damn nice!

From good to cult!

One of my favourite MGMT albums, I know it by heart. Not my favourite album ever, but I have to recognise the novelty

an album i always found to be very unique and overall great with some great songs i could listen to over and over. favs: honestly most of the album

Oracular Spectacular - MGMT , (Official Rating: 10/10) Posted on, “Album of the Year," "Rate Your Music" and “ MJ’s Album Reviews.” Official Ranking of the Year: 8/75 . Genre: Alternative Indie, Artist: MGMT Date: 11/13/24

This album came out when I was finally determining my own taste in music, separate from what my parents shared with me, and it really changed my whole music discovery journey for the better. So glad it still holds the hell up.

A classic I find myself consistently go back to

Fantastic. Time To Pretend, Electric Feel, Kids - what was college without these songs? Aged well too.

nostalgia

Very enjoyable

What a trip down memory lane. Grew up with this album. Love the heavy synthesisers on top of the pop rock happy go lucky sound. Beautiful lay arranged and curated. Felt happy and empowered by it

peak fifa days

Great album

az úgy volt, hogy elkezdődött az első szám és egy "whoooah" után lement kétszer az album. :D lowkey blaszfémnek érzem az ötöst, de annyival jobban élveztem mint a rengeteg négyest mostanában, hogy kinda have to. 😁

What a great album! If this is the only discovery I make from this 1001 album process, it will be worth it!

brought me back to when times were good. but also made me remember they were never really good.

It's an amazing album!

Didn’t realise how many of the tracks I knew, but didn’t know who they were by.

A formative album for me. But I still love the entirety of this. So many good grooves and melodies. A perfect experience. 5/5

Love this album love the band. Fave tune is The Youth. Good singalong tune. Like the 70’s feel.

This album was such a beautiful little surprise. I'd heard a number of the songs before in various contexts. And they've been kind of playing in the background for a long time, but to hear all of this material together, unraveling song after song, was simply a joy. Each song offered something different and diverse, and emotionally surprising, but also nostalgically refreshing. Maybe this is just a new relationship energy I'm experiencing with the album that will fade fairly quickly over time, but I found that each song's discovery was accompanied by a little electric excitement--kind of like when you slowly increase the intimacies with someone that you've had a distant crush on in the background for a long time... it's comfortable sunshine, it's fun, It gets in you.And you catch yourself humming to yourself throughout the day....

Bangers…….. it’s crazy how they actually invented indie rock

Sounding like a modern take on the fab 60s band The Electric Prunes, this amazing album starts strong with the upbeat, anthem-pop of 'Time to Pretend' followed by the quirky 'Weekend Wars', featuring some nifty chord changes and jangly guitar. 'The Youth' is spooky with more awesome chord changes, trippy sounds like organ, treated vocal and sound effects [the organ especially reminds me of Saucer Full of Secrets era Pink Floyd actually]. 'Kids' is instantly familiar with its killer keyboard riff and '4th Dimensional Transition' is more exotic, edgy pop-psych and 'Future Reflections' brings things to close with a spacey climax. On the downside, 'Pieces of What' could have benefited from a another take on the vocals. Nevertheless, this is a very cool sounding neo-psychedelic record, chock full of oddball yet catchy songs, exuberant vocals and experimental spacey electronic effects. Another one to add to my vinyl wants list!

Love this album already, I know it was ironic but still ended up being one of my favourites ones

LOVE

This album is just about as perfect as it gets. I've listened to it probably a hundred times but never mind listening again. There's something nostalgic about it with thick synths and unexpected melodies. It just sounds so cool and thick. Highly recommended album.

Excellent. Classic. Always good.

Really enjoyed this

This album was recorded over a decade and a half ago now, and although it sounds very of its era, there’s something perpetually new and fresh about it. I’ve heard the singles from this album a million times, but they never get old. Perhaps it’s the liquid youth that emanates from these songs. The lost boy vibe of never wanting to grow up maybe froze time itself within its wax. Or maybe, I hate to say it, music simply hasn’t evolved as dramatically as say it did in the fifteen year gap between 1969 and 1984, so it feels newer in relation to everything else that’s come out since. Thank you Spotify algorithmic market research! The second half of this album is weaker than the first, but those first five songs are a powerhouse. 5 stars, and I’d give five more.

While Oracular Spectacular isn’t my favorite MGMT album—that would be Little Dark Age—it remains a standout release from the inventive duo. MGMT was a key player in what felt like a mini indie psych renaissance from 2006 to 2012, alongside bands like Animal Collective, Of Montreal, Grizzly Bear, Neon Indian, Wolf Parade, and TV on the Radio, all of which frequently graced my playlists during that creative period. The album brims with youthful revelations and existential musings, offering psychedelic insights into a world of cosmic possibilities, though sometimes wrapped in abstract encoding. Whether it’s profound or just playful, it’s packed with vibrant, danceable tracks that invite both movement and mental exploration. Andrew and Ben excel at making these songs feel as though they were crafted by a full band rather than just two multi-instrumentalists. They achieve this through skillful layering, well-thought-out transitions, and engaging song structures. This intuitive approach is reminiscent of solo artist Kevin Parker (aka Tame Impala), whose albums should also be on this list. Revisiting this mind-bending debut inspired me to check out a few more of their albums, including their latest release. I’m pleased to see MGMT continue to create and share their art.

This album deserves all of the acclaim it gets. An amazing mix of electro-pop, dance, rock, and plenty of psychedelia, Oracular Spectacular is a sonic wall of intricate musical ideas which alone hold water but becomes a tour-de-force when alongside such innovative and catchy songwriting. "Time To Pretend" both mocks and aspires to the excessive lifestyle we've come to accept from glamour rockstars, and they come off as rockers seasoned in such hedonism instead of a new band putting out a debut album. But the consistent message I get from MGMT is that the kids are gonna be alright. "The Youth" passes the torch to the younger generation, offering encouragement and confidence that they are ready to take the helm: "The Youth are starting to change." And "Kids" reminds them to be responsible with their power: "Control yourself/ Take only what you need from it." "Pieces of What" doubts that there is much value to civilizations' traditions, that the youth inherited a mess and sadly, they may be better off starting over, leading with love. And it's one hell of song to belt out full voice after a couple of drinks. "Electric Feel" accomplishes an impressive task of making 3/4 feel like a danceable 4/4, impossibly remaining fully accessible to ravers and radio listeners who may not be aware of the technical complexity that is happening here. It grooves so well, and it shouldn't. Completely unique. Some of the latter songs meander in their psychedelia a bit, but there is always a melodic payout. Too much of this whimsy (like on their follow up Congratulations), and the album would blur into formless soundscapes, but in this context it offers more variety to what else is happening. I would be remiss to neglect mentioning the genius of Dave Fridmann's production on this album. I became a fan of the cleanliness and spaciousness of his productions (regardless that his clients often give him such challenging noise and bombast) since he first started working with The Flaming Lips. His expertise shines through once again on this album, which often has so many elements going on that in other hands, it would be muddy and dull. As it is, this album sounds forever fresh and exciting.

What an amazing album. Some song more simple, others with more complex layers. I love this album a lot. Electric Feel into Kids is amazing.

this is my SHIT

Liked this a lot. Did the rounds back in the day but missed me. Those two tunes were attached to every indie film of the 2010’s. Will add to library.

Bom demais e melhora a cada faixa

I went to this thinking I only knew 1 song (Electric Feel) and completely did not realize I knew "Time To Pretend" and "Kids". I've heard both a million times but not known who they were by or the names of the songs. I really enjoyed this album. It gives me big nostalgia for my late teens/early 20s. I think it's a great pick to capture a certain sound from a certain era. I ended up really loving a lot of the other songs too! I think I have to give it the extra star for the nostalgia vibes, and for the other groups it inspired down the line.

Time to Pretend, Kids, Pieces of What, un 5 en toda regla.

Good

Fantastic album - no notes

Ground-breaking emotional gothic and dramatic. This thing shaped so much music and theres so much emotion put into this. Best of all, its so serious in its weirdness. The album cover captures it perfectly. They're saying, "Yeah it's fun, but its deadly serious, it's silly, but its not a joke". MGMT has a commitment to making abstract and emotional music and never apologizes for it or tries to justify it. This is a rock solid musical statement and it deserves all the praise.

This is one of my go-to albums for a nice day. Every song is a banger.

Fun album with a fantastic diversity of tracks. A little bored on some of them, but overall, I love this album

This is an easy 4,5 I'll give it 5 stars

When this came out it changed my world. There are for sure weak songs on this, and the sound isn't for everyone. But it's for me!! Plus I think a good chunk of the albums on here are "you gotta listen" as someone's favs/vanity project so I don't mind rating one higher when it suits me