Reviews (page 13 of 14)
Cool album, enjoyed all the songs, none bad, singles I had heard but pleasantly surprised with the rest
This album takes me back to 2007 and beyond. That year I realized a lot about myself and left a shit relationship to strike out and find stuff on my own. Also, Time to Pretend always makes me think of the pilot episode of HBO's "Girls" now.
3.5; Still holds up & feels experimental and fun. Could be nostalgia though.
Always mostly liked this one
A solid alternative record, but the songs do tend to sound pretty monotonous.
A few good songs. A few I didn't care for.
It has a bunch of original classics in that album, but it's not one of their best albums. I found myself quite bored of it and I really wanted it to be over
Beh
Kinda overplayed, last few songs were ok
Gode gymnasieminder! Men udover de RIGTIG gode sange er det sådan lidt middel
Besides the 3 obvious bangers, there's not much to come for here. So little that I'll deduct one of the bangers.
I was looking forward to this one because it was listed on the Rolling Stone top 500 albums of all time in 2012. Sadly there is just not much here to pique my interest. ⭐️⭐️
Enjoyable but not earth shattering. The songs I knew previously i enjoyed but didn't find much else to keep me coming back to this as an album format. Amongst the greatest albums of all times this one lacks a little.
Listening to this in 2026 was an exercise of hearing the first few seconds of whatever hook and going "Oh yeah this song... I hate this song". Every time I got to a traffic light I turned it down out of embarrassment. This was a dumb era of music that outstayed its welcome being played in the bouldering gym along with Passion Pit, Coconut Records and Bon Iver.
i just liked 1 song: "of moon, birds and monsters" the rest of the album put me to sleep. 2 stars.
Vale no me esperaba que al primera canción fuera una de esas canciones icónicas que has escuchado antes, me gustaria saber mas del album por la web pero bueno estoy emocionada por descubir nueva músicaaaa
Decent album but not my style.
Ei ollut niin huono kuin luulin. Muttei omankaltaista musiikkia ollenkaan. 2/5.
The hits hit. The other ones are alright.
This album was pretty cool. Lot of cool electronic beats and instrumentals. Wasn’t my favorite but also wasn’t bad.
I certainly remember MGMT hitting the scene, and I do think it has significance as a herald of music to come in the Obama era. That said, as an album it doesn't do much for me beyond the singles.
Minecraft movie
Favourite song Time to Pretend. Not the best album TBH
In my opinion, it's good but it feels like it's half-hearted, some of the tracks at the beginning are worse than the tracks at the end, the lyrics are really great, it's like it's hard to understand but it's also good, every sentence seems to have a mystery, overall it's just average, a bit bad
mid-aughts rich white boy pop. mid being the operative word.
I knew this time would come and I fully understand why this album would be on the list, but I just don't like it. I don't care how many times people tell me that I need to give it another chance because it's actually a phenomenal psychedelic album. Trust me, I've tried in the past and I tried again today. I still just cannot stand hearing Time to Pretend, Electric Feel, or Kids. It's not that they're bad songs, I get why someone would like them, it's just that their success meant that these songs were absolutely unavoidable and I've heard them too many times. Art is subjective, the ratings for this project are subjective, I don't like this and that's alright.
Fun, I enjoyed listening to this whole album. However I really only connected with the ones I already knew. Might need revisiting
Meh. Bad songwriting. Occasionally all the elements come together to form something great but it’s as rare as a Nat 20
Can't connect with it. The music is okay, the electronic elements are catchy, don't like the voice. Time to Pretend is good though.
Feels like the kind of music that a dj would use, i personally wouldnt listen to it again and it didnt really hit me. Kind of plain and the flow stayed the same most of the way through, some popular songs i recognise but even then they weren't very appealing.
Ok turns out i know this band from the radio. First song is pretty good but either not my style or was overplayed. Feels like this album was made out of or with the goal of money, not passion
I really thought I would like this album more. I remember it making a splash when it first came out, but I guess it's never been my style. I liked "Weekend Wars" the best.
Okay...learning there are lots of styles of musics i dont know and its ok id I don't like.
It wasn't horrible, but it is definitely something I will never listen to again.
okay
Every few years I try and find new music to listen to. Sometime in the 2010s, that led me to MGMT, probably from a list like this. It wasn’t for me then and it still isn’t now.
This really did feel like mid 2000's and took me back to that time. I'll always think of my friend Ben when I listen to MGMT as he introduced me to them way back when. I never had them on regular rotation but knew more of the songs here than I expected. This isn't really my genre of choice but there are a few songs on here that I wouldn't turn off if they came on the radio.
The album isn’t great, and the headlining songs that hit for nostalgia reasons are still good, but the overall album does not sound like those songs, which is unfortunate because it was their best sound imo.
For me it’s an okay album overall, probably in the low-mid range. The feeling I got from it was strange but interesting. It almost sounded like the songs were being sung by the kids from Lord of the Flies after they found themselves on that island. There’s this rebellious energy, chaotic and a bit wild. Some of the lyrics are actually pretty interesting, but musically the album feels weak to me. The sound gets repetitive and doesn’t really develop much from track to track. Still, a few songs stood out. The Youth, Pieces of What, and The Handshake were the ones I enjoyed the most.
Is there a word for the opposite of nostalgia? The overwhelming revulsion at a point in time. A feeling of discomfort at its signifiers. There are some undeniably strong melodies and hooks here. The arrangements are propulsive and neatly engineered. The keyboard timbres make me queasy. The voices are whiny. And the lyrics to Time to Pretend are such a cynically vapid pastiche of the vapid mid-00s culture as to be barely amusing - two years after Nickleback had hit the killing blow with Rockstar. It feels like smugness too late. Indie had lost all credibility when The Shins did a McDonald's ad in 2002. It's just clever boys writing clever music with all the horrible tools at their disposal: plug-ins, pro-tools, some musical education. But no purpose. Nothing to stand for. Perhaps, under different circumstances, these pleasant tunes and catchy hooks could have been put to a better use. But the times were against them. And the times were against Animal Collective. And LCD Soundsystem. And Grizzly Bear. And Panda Bear. And Bon Iver. I don't even think I had a particularly bad time in 2007. It wasn't just me. It couldn't just be me. It was the time's fault. Nobody wants to be reminded of it, right? The opposite of nostalgia is post-traumatic stress. 1.5 Well I like MGMT very much and having said that it feels inadmissible to criticise their debut album as a mess because several of the albums I wish were here instead of their debut, are also a mess. A mess Oracular Spectacular is surely, but its failure, for me, to coalesce into a sympathetic record is even more fundamental than its confusions of style and ambition. It doesn’t have many good songs on it. Kids and Electric Feel, for all their instant, addictive appeal, do not stand up to scrutiny - or being catastrophically overplayed in those first years. RIP Electric Feel and Kids 2007-2010. OS is sometimes simply hard for the ear to tolerate - particular Andrew’s gurning Mick Jagger impressions on Weekend Wars and Pieces of What. Time to Pretend, however, is superb and one of the best things Dave Fridmann ever did - strange then that here, in his pomp as a producer it feels like he is for the most part led, perhaps overruled, by a couple of novices in love with the reverb filters (as we all are the first time we record) and not sure what they sound like. Good for Dave. Of course they dropped him for their next (superb) album and got one of Spacemen 3 in. Good for them. I like MGMT very much. I’ll probably never listen to this album again. 1.5/5
These songs are totally forgetable for me, they contain some catchy melodies but thats it. The most annoying thing for me is the vocal, i dont know how to describe it exactly but every Indie/alternative hipsters music have this; it contains echoing effect and singers are whispering and talk more than sing often.
falopa.
This wasn't really for me I fear. I felt like a lot of the songs didn't really go anywhere, and while it may have been well-produced, nothing stuck with me enough to go back for a second time.
Not a top 1000 album. Cool songs and shit but just a normal album.
"Everybody's got a bomb/ We could all die any day, oh/ But before I'll let that happen/ I'll dance my life away, oh" Variety: 2 Adequacy: 3 Listenability: 3 Uniqueness: 2 Emotionality: 1 = 2.2 rounded down to 2.0 I very much associate this one with the beginnings of my iPod listening days. For several years my work day was a constant back and forth between podcasts and playlists, and the hits from this featured quite heavily. This is also maybe one of the first albums I went through and cannibalized for the cream of the crop, dropping the rest. yes, I did my part to kill the album as a format. My old iPod still works (technically - screen is barely visible through all the cracks and it has to constantly stay on the charger) and a look-see reveals that I only saved two songs. We'll see if you can guess which two. THE TRACKS "Time to Pretend" - This one is way more memorable than I recall. Not sure why this one got deleted. Hooky, bit funny, and seems like the perfect mission statement for the album. Fun, danceable energy with some light sarcasm and melancholic "we're fucked, but we might as well have a good time" vibes. The repeated childlike synth melody, the rising near the end and the nostalgia-tinged lyrics give this one a deceptive heft. "Weekend Wars" - Turn into a downbeat indie rock here immediately adds some variety, and brings to mind some later bands who would seem to make this song their whole vibe, with the choral up vocals. "The Youth" - Effects laden, quiet bit of jangly twee is step up from the previous track, but in the same mode. These guys got vocal hooks for miles though. This sounds like they may have listened to Beck's Mutations album and taken some good notes. "Electric Feel" - All time classic. If you don't find yourself tapping toes to this, I'm not sure what to say except... my condolences. No surprise this was a radio hit and continues to get heavy play. It's a bit downbeat despite the catchiness. "Kids"- Wow, two in a row. Definition of an ear-worm. Also digging hard into that "sad content/ bouncy melody" dichotomy. The music video for this one is tied heavily into my memory of this one. I've seen this one live and funny to see a giant crowd chanting and jumping up and down to this weirdly dark song while the band has some sort of bargain bin Flaming Lips-ish style stage stuff happening with dozen people throwing stuff around and dancing. "4th Dimensional Transition" - Ooohhh trippy, maaan. I can't tell if these guys are fans of psychedelia or if this is some sort of send up, but this one runs the gamut of influences from the Doorsy organ, to surf rock ( dig that "Wipeout" beat). And yet it all blends well. But does it amount to much? That strumming ending started to get on my nerves though... "Pieces of What" - Throwaway track here. 60's era Rolling Stones seem to be the target here, and while the sound was somewhat successfully evoked, the feeling was most definitely not. Feels unfinished. "Of Moons, Birds & Monsters" - More 60's pastiche stuff going on here, but harder to pin down what the influences are. Not sure this one knows what it wants to be either. "The Handshake" - More of the same, but even less energy somehow. Phenobarbital Rock. "Future Reflections" - Still on the floor here, but at least it's got a bit of a groove to it, and some dynamics. Weak statement to end on though. HIGHLIGHTS - "Electric Feel" and "Kids" are both all time classics in my opinion, and will forever have a place on my 5 star playlist. - "Time to Pretend" LOWLIGHTS - Latter half of this disappoints in comparison with the energy of the first half - Also lacks the synthy hooks of the first half FINAL THOUGHTS I was 27 when this came out, but I think it's one of the first things I remember listening to that made me feel old. This is also around the time I remember it starting to feel like genres were disappearing and everything, even the good stuff, sounded like a collection of influences from the last several decades, but had no identity in and of itself. This one certainly fits the bill. You got electronic, indie rock, folk, psychedelia, baroque pop, maybe a dozen other microgenres represented here. And while it doesn't feel like a complete mess, at least for the first half, the last half is shambling and not as distinct, and suffers wildly in comparison. I read somewhere a while back that the impetus of this album was a more or less cynical attempt to write something that would be intensely radio-friendly, hence all the hooks and upbeat synth pop stuff here. Several of the songs were originally conceived as parodies of what these dudes thought a hit song was. And the dumb throwaway jokes became their biggest hits. Right after they veered far away into more experimental, difficult material. I do distinctly not enjoying the follow up. Mission accomplished I guess, but wish they had further developed in the direction this album points. Seems like maybe a ton of other artists took the ball and ran with it though. Guess my initial thoughts on this one did not change too much. Was hoping this would be a whole album built around the energetic synth pop jams, but those just seem like anomalies dispersed amongst the other tracks. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Drop everything but "Electric Feel", "Kids", and "Time to Pretend"
Peak indie sleaze. Time to Pretend is great, but the other two big singles haven’t aged super well. Album cuts are just ok in my opinion. Perhaps this is the perspective of someone who lived through this era of synth tone and would be fine never hearing it again, though.
It’s giving commercial background music
lol what the hell
There were a couple huge hits and a lot of synth noodling without purpose
Nope. Radio friendly bull shit.
Honestly, I did not enjoy this album. While I am by no means saying it's not good, because it is, I could just never relate to MGMT sound. Maybe it was too artsy for my taste, maybe too experimental in some ways, or maybe it's the keyboard and the electric parts, which I have not loved even in the bands I absolutely adore, such as The Who and The Doors. All in all, I have to give credit where credit is due - sound on Oracular Spectacular sounds innovative, brazen and even fun at times. I obviously knew Kids even before this listen, and that intro sequence is just a vibe. Vocals on this are just not my thing. While I have no knowledge of music in any sense other than my limited subjective enjoyment, the vocal is kinda grinding my ears, and the same goes for higher notes throught the songs. Overall, I would say that there is no doubt this album was influential and spectacularly produced. While I don't enjoy the vocal or the melodies, I respect the innovation and understand this is a question of taste, not quality. With that in mind, I will be rating this album purely on how much I enjoyed it, not on any more objective criteria.
I couldn’t get into this. There were a few tracks I mildly enjoyed but nothing really grabbed my attention.
Meh, couldn't finish it.
I didn’t hate it but it was nothing special. 2.5
A few reasonable songs, but wouldn't go past background listening.
Hits, I’ve heard. Like, I don’t.
Kids oli tuttu, muuten ei oikein mitään sanottavaa levystä. Ei oma juttu ollenkaan. Olisin voinut antaa vain yhdenkin tähden.
MGMT menee kyllä täysin oman musiikkimaun ulkopuolelle. Vähän väkisin joutu kuuntelee levyä läpi, ei uponnut juuri yhtään muutamaa biisiä jotka nyt menisi taustalla soidessa.
what the actual fuck is this doing on this list. A couple of novelty hits and now I have to hear it before I die? Well, I had already heard it, saw them at a festival, and now hearing it again, I can definitively say that you don't need to hear it before you die
Album sucks with 2 decent songs. 🙄
Honestamente, conocía algunas canciones por TikTok. No es un mal álbum pero no es para nada el tipo de música que escucho. Por ello le doy un 3/10, no creo que vaya a guardar ninguna canción en mi playlist!
Listening session: january 25th, while getting ready in the morning Listened to before: heard a few songs before Thoughts: this reminds me of 2020 TikTok and tbh it’s not really my thing Favourite tracks: Time to Pretend
yeah ok, but just ok.
Maybe I’m just too old for these guys. Hate the lead’s voice and much of the music sounds obnoxious and repetitive. “Kids” is an overplayed grater. But there are some catchy tunes, I’ll admit. I think it’s more of a “me” problem.
Lost my in the second half
Listenable. Feeling generous
It was okay, some little glimmers of high points (4th Dimensional Transition was ain interesting song). I think it is pretty dependent on the big hits (Time To Pretend by far being my favourite), and tbh id say its probably just not for me.
OK, but not my taste. Some was catchy, at times I got Beatles/Gary Numan vibes.
2 songs are fun. The rest of the album doesn't hit just right. Willing to try again.
Niet helemaal mijn ding, beetje te poppig
There are a group of bands from this era (Cage the Elephant, Passion Pit, Mgmt) that for me all sound roughly the same and lack a hook that holds my attention. They’re good songs randomly on the radio but not something I seek. This album is just meh for me. 2/5
Obviously, "Time to Pretend", "Electric Feel", "and "Kids" slap. But the rest of the album feels spacey David Bowie, which isn't for me. Just kept falling asleep trying to listen 2/5
Passed by without grabbing me at any point. Nothing all that interesting, IMO.
I do not like the intro with the noises but time to pretend is tolerable to listen to I kind of like the track (Kids) only because of the synths and bass but the lyrics annoy me too much
De har ju en del bangers men förvånansvärt tråkigt resten av albumet..
Aside from a couple of good tunes, a bit dull.
So incredibly overrated it’s not even funny.
not for me 4/10
Fav Songs: Electric Feel, Time to Pretend, Kids, 4th Dimensional Transition. Honestly this album wasn’t my favorite. Most of the songs didn’t catch my attention. I LOVE Time to Pretend though.
Warped, encircling telephone vocals, tiktokfied hooks and brief breaths of air into a lofi alternate world. However at the same time some of the space-psychedelic textures lead to boredom rather than trance. Favorite track, moons birds and oceans (and the handshake)
I like the three songs I know from this album (Electric Feel, Kids, Time to Pretend) but the rest I didn’t care for - lots of skipping on this album. (2)
The hits hit hard. Not crazy about the rest.
Boring Melodies
Time to pretend is a banger. The other massive hits are good as well, but the rest is just lacking, I'm not to fond of the vocals affects and sound here. Just feels like something off and doesn't click for me.
I'm not a pop music fan by any means, but these guys are relatively decent. And I even knew 2 songs out of this one. Probably right in the middle of the road for me, maybe a bit below, but that's just my taste
I should be the target audience for MGMT but I find them a one-trick pony. Revisiting this album did nothing to change my opinion, sadly. Kids is still a behemoth of a song, but nothing else matches up.
knew the 1st track quite well, and kids i have a nostalgic love for so that get a star in itself. other tracks i could take or leave really (mostly leave) .
A couple of good songs … but they start sounding the same after a bit
This isn’t my wheelhouse but I can’t help thinking that I see how people like it. It’s essentially radio friendly music that people who don’t want to listen to music would select or be fed by a streaming service. It’s not great, it doesn’t suck.
😬
Good alternative band. Good sound,sound music.
I remember this album resonating with a lot of people in 2007. I wasn't one of them then and I'm not one of them now.
most of the time i felt like listening to a tv commercial break
I was pretty disappointed with this album. I was expecting it to be more interesting but outside of the hit singles (of which many are "meh") the others just sounded like reverb-soaked bores. I did like the last song and some if the electronics but over all not for me. 2/5
A landmark millennial LP that just never hit for this Xer. The three hit singles aside, as an *album* it leaves a lot to be desired - over half the tracks just feel like filler.
Only liked one song
Hipster wank music - 2 good songs does not a great album make.
Hmmm. First impression: this music is way too treble-heavy for my tastes. Did this help set the trend for annoyingly tinny pop that seems to have taken over the airwaves as I age into my curmudgeon era? Ah, yes, there are three songs on here that get enough radio play for me to recognize, but I wouldn't say I'd ever ENJOYED those tracks. Meh. Mildly irritating, but I don't hate it. That's a two.
Hipster Sparks
Some moments where this is almost good. Some where it isn’t close. It's actually put me off the hits, if anything...
Thought I liked this but gradually went from "this if fun" to "I wouldn't mind if this was on" to "I'm not sure I'd sit through the whole thing again"
Mostly filler. A lot of pretty unmemorable songs
Aside from the mega popular tracks (Kids, Time to Pretend and Electric Feel) the other tracks felt a bit unforgetable.
Time to Pretend and Electric Feel are solid, rest are meh
Better than I expected. Worse than I hoped. While I am glad to have heard... *gestures at album* ...Whatever this is, I wont be giving it a second listen. No songs were good enough for the playlist.
Not my type of music
To truly understand the depth of their sound, you must to look closer at the band’s name: MGMT. Clearly short for Management, the moniker is a deliberate abbreviation, leaving a remainder of the missing letters anaeen. This is not a coincidence. “Anaeen" is a well-known name in traditional Arabic folklore, and it refers to a girl who, “possesses a desire for self-expression and social contact”. The story follows the girl as she tries to find her unique voice in the world. The name has become synonymous with seeking freedom from monotony and restrictions. This should offer insight into why MGMT chose their name and what they seek to achieve in their music. The struggle between creativity and conformity is clearly the influential driving force behind the band’s unique sound experimentations … Okay, I’m just fucking with you. This is just 2 catchy singles surrounded by a dumpster fire of hipster bullshit. Crystal meth synth pop.
What did i just listen to? Honestly, what the hell was that?! I heard the songs they released as singles and those are fine, a bit longer than they need to be, but not bad. The rest of the songs, just no. Absolute nonsense.
Spending hours of my day in a car with my boss. I put this album on and he cranks up the volume because it's his wife's favourite. Management lovers love MGMT. 2.75
Not for me, but I can see the appeal
Mediocre
Pretty good sound
disappointed. i thought I'd like this but i just didn't at all. not for me
I didn't have the time to listen to everything, I liked "weekend wars". It's good but not my favorite. It was interesting but I don't think I was in the right mood for this album.
Joo okei pari megahittiä mut muuten erittäin meh poplevy. 2/5
I've heard of them a lot, but never heard them at all. Let's see. Cut #1, TIME TO PRETEND - love the lyrics, but not crazy about the vocals or the music, so... WEEKEND WARS, same deal. I sense a pattern here. Gotta say, I'm pretty bored as cut #3 begins. Am tempted to zoom through this album. As Neil Young once said, "It's all the same song." This particular song doesn't do anything for me. It exists. ⭐⭐ ________________________________ 🎧 LPs reviewed: 83 🎧 LPs left to review: 918 🎧 LPs I found great/relevant enough to be mandatory listens (5): 18 🎧 LPs I *might* include in my own list (4): 20 🎧 LPs I will certainly *not* include in mine (1-2): 25
Knew a few of the songs already. Nothing wrong with this, but not for me.
Hard to separate my own contemporary experience in the music business from these guys. We would’ve loved to have worked with Fridmann and actually did with one of his engineers, with good results. But how did these 2 put this together? Family money? They had some talent based on the initial EPs so this isn’t a case of Fridmann molding them into something, but still, what..? It’s a distinct enough aesthetic that I can see it being reclaimed down the line, but atm (2025) this feels like something best forgotten.
Q little weird... but not in a good way. Opeining cut get's an additional star to the rating
This albums combines a lot of things I like - deep lyrics, pop-sensible structure, guitar (or guitar synths)....but I don't like it.
First i was like who is this band, then they played that 1 song everyone knew.
Some really nice melodies here for me were spoiled by the overblown contrived space age production. Synths sound dated. Just listen to David Bowie instead.
no thanks
The hits are good, but the rest don't measure up. Generic pop?
Couldn't connect to this even though I tried. I didn't hate it though so it deserved at least two stars. The song Kids stands out.
Montage music.
Perfectly fine electronic Bowie-esque pop, though I’d prefer to listen to both Bowie and/or less derivative electronic music.
Inte alls min grej. Glättigt och överproducerat.
Indie stuff is not for me. This isn’t terrible, though.
Sorry MGMT, dini Ziit isch biz dure. Han dich erträgt wod ide Charts cho bisch aber nonie richtig gfiired. Schlecht isch es irgendwie ned aber de Störfaktor het de es-isch-mer-egal-Faktor Fast biz überbotte. Darum nur zwei Gsichtdbemalige
Kids and Time to Pretend feel like the highlights, both were played incessantly on the radio when this album came out. While this is a fun album, it really feels firmly stuck in 07/08 and aside from nostalgia I don't see myself really revisiting
Basically, there are the two 'hits': I really like the ironic synthy pop of 'Time to Pretend' and the more melancholy thick fuzz of 'Kids' is good enough. But otherwise, the songs are just kind of mediocre, though the proggy new wave disco production has its cool textural moments. I don't know, it's fine.
Yeah, yeah. It’s still basically fine, just like it’s always been. Had to skip “Kids” tho, just so I wouldn’t have to kill myself. (Bonus: one of the worst album covers of my lifetime, at least.)
The first track is pretty good, but after that the MGMT sound wears thin, as does the songwriting.
I think this may be the most contemporary album I've received up until now, but you'd be hard pressed to believe that when listening to it. This really hasn't aged well at all, and honestly I found the bulk of it absolutely insufferable. MGMT attempt to mask what is a fairly rudimentary of the time indie album with a heaping of disorientating electronica warpage, going for a psychedelic vibe, but it ultimately culminates in an unconvincing and grating listen in the main. I was of course familiar with a couple of the singles ("Electric Feel" and "Kids", the latter of which in particular was unavoidable for a time in the 2000s to early 10s), and both are admittedly catchy, but they come nowhere close to compensating for much of the dross on offer either side of them. "Of Moons, Birds and Monsters" is also passable in that it is afforded more breathing room than the other unfocused tracks, and it offers a more tasteful ratio between the 'tronica and the indie, but it's hardly anything exemplary. Overrated, overstated, overwrought and overindulgent. This is the sort of album, for those of this era, that your mate from secondary school / college who tried acid at a party once, and thought he was the dog's bollocks, would probably have had screeching out of his Sony Ericsson push up phone.
hated this less once i realized they were trolling
First song made me think this might be something. Then, absolutely nothing.
I like the singles
Not for me
The singles are amazing. The rest of the album falls flat
Not a fan. Good production but very of its time.
Better than I expected, but still not for me
2.75
Bowie-esque. I’m glad it came out after Uni. Remember them being everywhere. Glad they’re not anymore.
irritating
I remembered the big hits, but never really liked them back in the day. The rest of the album veered between annoying and background advert muzak. There was a tiny hint of something better early on, but by the end it was just a slog to get through. Pretty dull 2 star fare.
MehGMT
fine
Ok pop album with two big hits?
not for me
Boring album with an overplayed hit.
Pop Prince wannabe. Meh.
Okay. Couple of good records.
decent vocals and sometimes even decent songwriting. arrangements are poppy trash tho'. could only make it halfway through. i'd give it 2.5, but if I can only give whole stars, it gets rounded down.
A few catchy songs like time to pretend, electric feel and kids, but overall I cant get over the singers voice, something weird about it, too high pitched and distorted. Guess I'm just not a fan of MGMT
This album is too thin and childlike to be very good. It’s a slice of ‘07 for sure.
Everybody seem to love this band in the late 2000s but I never did. And I dislike the guy's voice. And I don't love the synthesizer noises very much. The synthesizers sound like bad video game music and I generally like video game music.
Radio filler.
craptacular
I've listened to Oracular Spectacular and pretty much every MGMT album (except for the newest), they were one of those bands that I wanted to get into more but I wound up feeling like they weren't sticking with me like I think they would, even on my fave album by them (Congratulations). Coming back to this album for like the 4th time now just keeps the weird trend where the more I hear it the less I like it, maybe it's the fact that I have certain tastes and biases that have developed but genuinely hearing this album just feels like the 2 excellent singles (Time to Pretend and Kids) and 2 great deep cuts (Of Moons, Birds & Monsters and Future Reflections), everything else runs in the kind of indietronica/psych pop thing that just doesn't do it for me at all, mainly the vocals where they could get really annoying in some songs, or just the vibe they were going for just didn't really sound that interesting. It was a weird feeling to listen to this and feel like I was just waiting on the songs I liked while everything else was simply pure filler. I think they got better with Congratulations and Little Dark Age but generally? This album is just not my favorite take on synthy psychedelia (which is otherwise something I enjoy...)
Boring
Typical electro-pop fare, not sure why it made the list to be honest.
I saw "psychedelic pop" and thought I was in for something trippy and rock-influenced—maybe even a little mind-bending. Instead, Oracular Spectacular felt more like a synthy indie-pop mixtape with a few catchy hooks. I recognized "Time to Pretend" and "Electric Feel," but beyond that, it just didn’t hit. If you're expecting anything close to actual psychedelic rock, this isn’t it.
At times, just shrill.
i know it's probably completely unfounded, but in my head this is the artist and album where we completely abandoned making albums because singles could do all the work with streaming and digital music. at the very least it's confirmed by the rest of this album besides the singles being dogwater
I already lived through this once and I also thought it was hipstery and annoying that time
Highlights: Time to Pretend, Electric Feel. In a nutshell: monotone indietronica. The singles are excellent. Decent first half. After Kids, the tracks lacked definition and were forgettable. Was craving catchy hooks and melodies but was left disappointed. Overall: 4/10
overblown, overhyped, and overinflated.
Boring. What I imagine people with no personality listen to. Not sure what the target demographic is meant to be.
++: The Youth, Electric Feel, Future Reflections +: Time to Pretend, Of Moons Birds & Monsters, The Handshake +-: Weekend Wars, Kids, 4th Dimensional Transition, Pieces of What 5,5/10
I'm not a monster, the singles are good. The less said about the rest the better.
I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped. It's an unusual blend of pop and rock, but in this case, they don't really complement each other well. The album cover reflects the overall vibe, but again, it’s not my cup of tea.
Good for whatever it is. Happy to listen to it- would not listen to it on my own. Time to Pretend Weekend Wars The Youth Electric Feel Was this one of their big singles? This feels a bit familiar Kids Oh, this is the big single 4th Dimensional Transition Pieces of What Of Moons, Birds & Monsters The Handshake Future Reflections
2007. 5/10 Time to Pretend Electric Feel Kids
I really love "kids". There's something so nostalgic about it for me. Almost like a time I listened to it so much at some point in my life I can't quite remember now. Other than that unfortunately the album as a whole didn't do it for me. I was never the biggest fan of "electric feel" which is what everyone always talks about. I get the whole parodying pop thing, but it just didn't end up doing it for me.
Meh. The only good thing about this album is the nostalgia summer vibe.
The ultimate millennial hit album. Heart this a ton when it came out and MGMT were the flavor of the week in indie circles. Interesting to see if it holds up. I mean, it's a cool album. This flavor of danceable indie pop is cool, but I don't think it's a very strong album when listening to it right now. The Bowie-esque "Weekend Wars" is very cool, but the rest of the album is like a watered down version of Of Montreal. It's still a fun listen but I'd rate it as two stars because it's definitely not a must listen.
I think some of the songs in this album are slightly tainted from being incredibly overplayed on radio back in high school days. They're some fun songs, but I don't think it's my favorite style, particularly not as a whole album.
Yeah man. (I'd never heard this album before.) This is lovely psychedelic pop music. Apparently MGMT opened for Radiohead after this album. Cool. Makes sense. Again, lovely. And also? I'm likely never coming back to it. Not sure why, but I'm not. (Giving 2.5 starts)
Not that good, I'm bored now
Oracular Spectacular is an album that feels more like a cultural artefact of the late 2000s than anything truly memorable. It leans entirely on two monster singles, "Electric Feel" and "Kids," which admittedly still hold up as fun, catchy tracks that remind me of my first years living in Connecticut. Beyond that? The album quickly devolves into a tedious slog of dreary filler and pretentious psych-rock posturing. The non-single tracks are indulgent exercises in spacey, high-frequency noise that feel like a deliberate rehash of the worst parts of 1970s psych-rock. Instead of coming across as innovative, the production sounds washed-out, and the song writing feels half-baked. If you want an example of how it should be done, Gorillaz's Melancholy Hill from around that time shows how to mix radio-style vocals, synth-pop, and rock in a way that feels cohesive and inspired. While Oracular Spectacular gave the world a couple of hits that defined a brief moment in time, the rest of the album is a hollow, frustrating experience that reeks of style over substance. For every "Electric Feel," there’s a barrage of uninspired, screechy nonsense that makes you wonder why you’re even still listening. Two good tracks can’t save an album this bloated with filler.
I get it. You can hear how this set up the sound for the 2010s. But whether or not that is a good thing is another story.
Not for me
Strong opening track, followed by repetition. Electropop is the disco of the 21st century, take that for what it's worth.
Something weird happened. I listened to the whole album, it wasn't great but it was good enough that I made it all the way through. And then, the Kids track came on again before I could close the tab - and I really enjoyed it. So I thought I'd give the album another go. Turns out the Kids track is the highlight, the rest of it is pretty boring.
Aside from the three famous ones, this album is nothing to write home about.* Surprised it made the list. *One exception being Pieces of What which is pretty good.
meh. lotta synth, distortion, disco-vibes, and weak lyrics.
Meh, rest of the album doesn’t live up the the lead-off tune.
Not really my taste.
This is definitely the highlight of MGMT's career, their most consistent and generally best batch of songs. It doesn't really wow me too much though, besides the delightful and emotional Kids, as well as Electric Feel (which is about a handjob :trueing:) and Time to Pretend. Basically, I am a singles merchant with this album. I feel like I should like this record more than I do.
Lyrically can approach intriguing (and sometimes a little sophomoric). Synth-pop can be a bit too synthy and a little too poppy to get me on board, and the interesting parts get uninteresting quickly. I guess what I'm saying is that yeah that first cut is iconic but not really backed up. Eye-winking gets you only so far--just ask Joe Walsh.
Pari passelia rallia, ei mitään sen suurempaa hehkutusta itseltä.
Pretty mediocre, Not really my type but electric feel was such a nice song
I dunno, close to feeling original but too close to pop to hook me. Sorry lads
Psychedelic pop is not for me but they are not untalented.
Not something I'd usually listen to, but there were a couple songs I liked
Way too much high frequency screeching. This is like Tame Impala if it was bad. The vocal style is also so annoying. This whole thing just aggravated me to no end.
played too many times for the single respectable track
Not a genre I enjoy. This album was too mellow for me to enjoy.
Paved the way in some sense. For early ‘10s indietronica, but horribly dull and clearly has an identity crisis, unsure of wether or not to take itself seriously
Not my thing.
Mweh, beetje hyped
Only 3 good songs, the rest sucks
Kedeligt, med undtagelse af time to pretend, Electric feel og kids
Apart from the hit tracks, I found this album notable only for being jarring and messy. Silence was definitely golden at the end of the 40 minutes or so that i spent listening to it.
Not too much to say about this, not bad enough for a 1, no where near a 3, so 2 it is.
Time to Pretend is an epic track, Electric Feel decent too. The other single I know (Kids) is ok. But the rest of the album is pretty poor overall. I bought this CD off the strength of the singles and it’s somewhere gathering dust as I was disappointed then with wasting my money..2 stars for the banging singles and I also enjoyed ‘Of Moons, Birds and Monsters’. The rest was garbage.
This wasn’t terrible, but it was forgettable sadly. I think forgettable is worse than just being bad, because this is an album I’ll never talk about after this or probably ever think about again. I mean I just finished listening to it, and I couldn’t tell you much about it. I just let it play and zoned out like it was nothing more than mere background noise.
The best song is Kids, which gives you the queasy, unsettling feeling that you’ve grasped some insight about life but can’t quite put your finger on what it is exactly. Outside of the three big singles, the rest of the album is disappointingly vapid and superficial.
Lisstened to this album a gozillion times. Certainly enough times for one life. I can quite explain why it now annoys me and has done for a long while. Wrote the above during the first song when the buzzy low tones were wigging out my laptop speakers. Album gets better as it goes on and chills out. Really it just reminds me of a dick scottish person i used to work with who played it over and over agin when he used to wash the boat. Cant escape the negative connotations.
Tacky Melodies and a disgrace to psychedelic pop
Pop music that is technically well made, but weirdly annoying with no real edge to it Psychedelic stuff is particularly really boring and lacks much of a climax or any intensity to it
I started high school in 2007 so these are some nostalgic sounds from that time, but I have always found MGMT to be overstimulating and thus never resonated with their music. Time to Pretend has 400m plays on Spotify and it sounds so boring to me, and the mixing is just so odd. The sound effects are so much louder than the spoken lyrics, which in the end is fine because the lyrics are so incredibly trite that it made me roll my eyes. Kids, on the other hand, feels moderately more profound in terms of the emotion its conveying and its mixing is much more balanced but oddly enough still doesn't resonate with me all that well. And I'm a person who loves themes of family and how you exist in the ever changing dynamics of them!
This should have been called “3 good songs and some other songs”.
I somehow missed this when it first came out. I was either too knee deep into indie & folk at the time (Sufjan, Clap Your Hands, Joanna Newsom) and/or had started to have less time for scraping music blogs and Pitchfork reviews for new music. In any case, I have no nostalgia for this since I didn't become aware of it until years later. But even if my biggest association is the footage of Leonardo DiCaprio dancing like a kung fu fighting dad at Coachella in 2014, this still doesn't really do it for me--when it really should. It's like a poppier Animal Collective or a less rocking Tame Impala - but even when the music is really catchy, they just make me think of LMFAO based on that album cover, and goofy Leo giving me serious cringe with his dancing.
namby pamby woke nonsense. knew someone who loved these so much he followed them around on tour which is bizarre for such a non entity of a band who have managed a couple of catchy hooks
Electric feel Time to pretend Kids
Not as bad as i was expecting ….
It was ok and part of the list.
Average
Not my style
While the singles are quintessential listening for Millennials and anyone silly enough to want to understand them, the rest was uninspiring. This screams the era of streaming and singles, and not albums, but I probably sound like a crotchety old man. Prolly.
Great song to mime playing bass to
Groupe totalement inconnu, à part le morceau 'Kids' que j'ai dû déjà entendre sans vraiment l'apprécier. Le premier morceaux est plutôt intéressant ... autre morceau original : Of moons birds and monsters, mais cet intérêt diminue assez vite. => 2/5
Unremarkable 4/10
Easy songs for the radio and for memories that won’t last that long
Time to Pretend- iconic sounding song that I’ve definitely heard before, it’s nice, possible save in the future Weekend Wars- barely remember it The Youth-it’s ok, too chill Electric Feel- eh Kids- eh again 4th Dimensional Transition- forgettable Pieces of What- literally blanked out on this one Of Moons, Birds and Monsters- Boring The Handshake- Nothing here Future Reflections- Asleep
Hmmm. I heard a couple of these songs as background on a couple of early reels my daughter created back when she was a teenager. Best in the background.
Rock, Pop, 2007 -> 2
Yeah this one just didn't do much for me :kanatasleeper: Favorite Track: Of Moons, Birds , and Monsters
This isn't for me—I was counting down the minutes until it would end the entire time. A few tracks do have some interesting instrumentation but in VERY limited doses. If I'm honest, unfortunately, several tracks on this album were and are still WAY too overplayed, and I'm just burned out from ever hearing them again, ever.
This one just didn't do it for me. I feel like it's probably objectively better than I'm giving it credit for, but personally it didn't work. 2.4.
This did not click with me.
That synth sound is so annoying. Couldn't get over it. There are moments but not enough to earn a passing grade.
I mean... it's fine. Packed with 'oh I know that song', but I didn't feel so jubilant as I normally do because, well, it's 'Kids'. I don't really get the hype or why it's important? They sound like twenty one pilots would if they had to write each song in 10 minutes. But their spotify about tells me that makes me 'objectively wrong', so.
avg 2/5
Meh
Remember been interested in MGMT about this time, Cannot remember how - probably well known hits or seeing them on Jools Holland maybe. They were definitely a very different sound and considering the dross what was around in the mid noughties, they stood out as having talent. But from what I heard they were interesting but not enough for me to buy their music. Had then forgotten about them until this arrived on my list. Listened to the album in full and really enjoyed it. As per my initial assessment of them there is a lot of good stuff on this album to make it an OK album and one I’m likely to listen to again as well as their later music. 2.9/5 29/3/24
Nope. Overhyped as hell at the time of release and still considered a classic? Don’t fuckin’ think so.
I didn't think I'd ever heard (of) this band, but in fact several of the songs are very familiar, probably because they were played nonstop in 2007. Not exactly my kind of music, but surprisingly catchy and inoffensive pop.
Hard meh.
Ok, that's a nice bit of work. Some delight. Some indifference. Not quite 3 stars. Pleased to have encountered it. I may return when I have the urge.
Harmless, mindless, nothing that compelled me to want to listen to it again.
"Okay" is about the only adjective I can come up with.
Fine pop music for a Pandora playlist with outdoor BBQ seed. Not memorable. Heard all the hits and don't care. A few of the deep cuts were better.
Time to Pretend is a great song. Wanted to skip over the rest.
Nicht wirklich spektukulär
It was tolerable, listened to the whole thing, but that was plenty
MGMT are quite good at an aesthetic that I disliked and that seemed ubiquitous during the late aughts. They’ve at least one good tune, which is not enough to bring me back.
I listened to some of this and it just isn't my thing. Which makes me want to find out more about it ending up on the best albums list.
Short
A classic indie record that I could never get into and still can't.
Passed me by to be honest.
Blocking out the 'statement' look.
Great hits. nothing else
Nothing special
A disappointing listen
You came home from high school and thought "man, society, right?", so you hit up a few of your myspace friends to sing about plausibly profound topics, except you've never written anything more complex than a 5th grade poem and your balls haven't dropped yet. It's what happens when you improvise lyrics and make your message "kind of fit" in the framework of a song. Or in this case most of the album. "The Youth" and "Electric Feel" actually follow a kind of groove. Everything else is essentially slam poetry performed by a very bored / depressed / self-conscious kid. Those two songs raise it just above a 1 star album for me. 2/5 "A couple of tracks aside, would definitely not listen to again."
better than the stevie wonder one but it reminds me of the island boyz meme and it’s just kinda electro funk wannabes
Meh
Remember American apparel? A couple stand out singles, but why is this album on this list?
Not my cup of tea, but didn’t hate it
Kids is an absolute FIFA classic. Electric Feel is decent, would stick that on a playlist. The little tune at the start of Time to Pretend gets you going. But these are just a few nuggets of gold amongst what is otherwise a pile of shit.
Meh
I have probably heard the top songs from this album a million times. I'm not even crazy about MGMT. While its not offensive its probably 2.5 stars close to 2.
Naja - Bowie verschnitt??
Other than the hit singles, "Time to Pretend" and "Kids," this album was a chore to get through
I'm very meh about this album. At first I really didn't like it at all, but it grew on me a bit after I relistened to a couple songs. I was never into that indie rock sound of the late '00s (The Lumineers, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, etc.) and I think I'm still a little sick of the three singles being everywhere when it first came out. A lot of the songs feel like The Lumineers trying to do The Doors or Led Zeppelin ... or shoegaze. Something about all the really high-pitched synth notes in a wall of sound grates on me. “4th Dimensional Transition” finally sounds like a successful attempt at the modern psychedelia they seem to be aiming for. “Of Moons, Birds, and Monsters” is my favorite song on the album. It’s an interesting mix of synthpop/psychedelia/post-punk/post-rock and actually feels like a well-developed song and not just a wall of sound like the first few tracks. Other than the two tracks mentioned, I don't really see myself listening to this album again. I'd maybe sit through it if it happened to come on, but I wouldn't go out of my way to hear it.
Interessante Ansätze, aber insgesamt zu mainstreamig. Reißt mich nicht mit.
They wrote three singles and realized they had to fill up the rest of the album. And that filler.... hoooooo boyyyy is it filler. Overall an awful album, the bangers slap.
Oh wow, a 2000s American album trying really hard to sound like a 1970s British album. Considering the huge number of 70s albums in this mix I probably wouldn't have even noticed if I didn't check.
Eh
不喜欢
overall a pretty boring album. couple good songs on there.
The popular songs are popular for a reason. Otherwise, a pretty mediocre album. I find the vocals to be somewhat annoying. Favorite songs - Time to Pretend, Electric Feel, Kids.
WIll forever love the singles on this album. The other songs were not memorable to me.
Made it 6 tracks in. My impression didn't change from the first track. Generic electronic pop. All sounds the same.
Its okay. Not for me.
eh?
It was quite nice! A lot of funky tracks that’ve now become classics, but not really my style all the way through
Now that's a love-hate relationship. A mix of songs that give me goosebumps with some that I can't stand. Yet, I'm here to rate albums, not individual songs. It would get a solid 5 if it consisted only of Time to Pretend, Electric Feel and Kids. Now with the rest, it's shit.
Making Giddy Meaningless Tunes
I didn't like this very much. Too poppy and not even catchy to me.
Decidedly mediocre. Why is this on the list?
I liked Youth and I liked kids, otherwise this music just isn't for me. It is well made music but I find the singers to be annoying and droning and it just puts me off a lot of what otherwise probably would of been good songs. It's well made but I couldn't go back to it.
Like 2 good songs most of them boring and repetitive though and he has a really annoying voice.
Time to Pretend, Kids and Electric Feel are all still bangers but this didn't do much for me other than those. Not to say it was bad or anything but I thought the second half tailed off a bit. I may be being quite harsh because those three were all massive massive tracks so it's probably unfair to expect the whole album to be of a kind. If I'd checked out this album at the time I would probably be marking it higher
Average radio music, not to my liking
The hits will always hold a genuine special place in music history. But other songs like Pieces of What, will not. The highs were very high(Kids, Electric Feel) and the lows were very low(PoW, FR, basically everything else). It is very progressive and very influential but very disappointing nonetheless.
Definitely not their best work. Weekend wars, the youth, and pieces of what are good but otherwise I much prefer their albums Congratulations, Little Dark Age, and 11•11•11
Tentando entender como indie espacial. Só fez ampliar meu ranço com a pretensão de alegria.
I have never listened to this band, but have unsurprisingly heard two of the tracks on this album a lot as being somewhat ubiquitous in culture from a certain time. That aspect of this album takes away from the rest of the music, which is kind of weird and unique in it's own right. I'd probably like this more without those two mega hits. That being said this music is just kind of lowest common denominator. As a friend of mine told me "it's perfect for listening to when you want to wear neon sunglasses and sip on a shitty Montucky Cold Snack beer."
Electric Feel slaps but the rest of the album is uninspired
Time to Pretend is an awesome time capsule. I just feel like this album doesn't hold up to repeated listens. There's no depth and the back half is so unremarkable.
At first, its likable pop lo fi psychadelic but it doesnt sustain my attention - somethign about it just sounds dumb. Dumb and annoying.
Not my thing, mainly because I don't think the singer can sing. It's musically kind of interesting. As if the psychedelia of 1967 was still a thing to dress songs in.
A couple of hits, a lot of filler.
Gave it a go the first time, not into it at all. almost gave a 1 star. But I deeply believe that my taste in music relies heavily on my mood that (sooo much that I can easily change my rate from 1 star to 5 stars without hesitation). Anyway, gave it another go yesterday, finish up the whole album, it was actually not bad. Not usually into this kind, but this got its own distinctive style. I'd rate this a 3, but since I hated it the first time, 2.4/5
meh
Clever music in buts Lots of references … Just a bit thin and some nasty noises