Reviews (page 14 of 15)
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
This is from a decade when I was working and travelling so much that I didn’t spend much time seeking out new music. I recognize a song or two from this album and there isn’t much to get excited about.
It's above average pop music, not bad but nothing to really get excited about.
Two songs that aren’t too bad. Most vocals are a bit too breathy and don’t really inspire me.
There was a time where it felt like I couldn't turn on the radio without a track from this album coming on. 'Time to Pretend', 'Electric Feel', 'Kids', over and over. It makes it kind of hard to listen to the album objectively now. What I like about this album, and others from that era like the self-titled debut from 'Vampire Weekend' and M.I.A.'s works around that time. It felt like popular music was becoming more expressive, freer from imposed conventions, and drawing from a fuller spectrum of influences, sounds, instruments, techniques and all of that it. I don't know that I can really pin any of that on this album, though. Considering this album on its own, it feels more like two mini-albums. The cohesion and compellingly novel sound of the former, far greater (on both counts) than the latter. Going back to where I started though, I've heard the interesting parts of this album ad nauseum at this point, and the novelty has worn off. There are numerous albums that can stand that test and make it to infinite replay-ability. Not this one; not for me at least.
Meh
Betcha can't guess the two songs I know from this one! The dark lyrics of Time to Pretend belie the light music, makes me wonder about the rest. Cool contrast. I think it's safe to say that this music isn't particularly my jam, but I appreciate it. Maybe I just don't like the song The Youth. I like Electric Feel quite a bit, though! So it kind of seems like their hits are hits for a reason, and the others are... just okay. Maybe a little less than okay at times. The Handshake has some cool audio effects that sounded interesting in stereo with high quality earphones. Overall, I can see why people really like this album, but for me, I probably won't listen to it again.
generic 2010s electronic dance not my sorta album time to pretend was enjoyable
This one is unremarkable. I understand why it's here, a few of these songs are absolutely synonymous with the first decade of the 2000s. For me, even those hits are a bit of a snooze. 2/5
Bof
Their few popular songs are fine, but the rest are horrible
I was only familiar with the opening track, Time To Pretend. If you were alive in 2008, you could not have escaped it. Extra catchy tune. As for the rest of the album, I liked Weekend Wars & Pieces Of What & the drums in 4th Dimensional Transition, but found the rest of it lacklustre.
Meh
Three out of the first five songs are good, but zero out of the next five are good, and in its entirety, a number of the ten songs on the album unlistenable. Two stars.
2 great tracks and a load of filler.
Started well with the hit single, but then just variations of that track.
Not really doing it for me. Pleasant enough, but nothing that memorable. Comes across in parts as a lighter version of Black Keys, but not as good.
ive heard of them. idk if it matters tho. eh. 2 or 3, leaning toward 2. Its not offensive but its so boring.
A couple of songs were recognizable. It is best to describe this as indie music with synthesizers. The album was tolerable and relatively short which helps. Be than a two but not really a 3. I will round down to a 2.
2.5
Tråk! Gillar int sången och vill ha lite sämre produktion....
meinlaust, ekki ég
Ironic dance music I'll happily iron to even if it doesn't always make me want to dance.
nope. not for me. mgmt has never been for me.
Their best, but it's just few songs which are OK
Eh
Hit songs are great, but not much to recommend for the filler.
I drank too much this Weekend to remember enough of this album to write a propper review. My overconsumption of alcohol wasn't a deliberate attempt to forget, but maybe there is a subconcious causal relationship between the two.
2 great tracks
What's the deal with this? I hate the production job and for the most part the songs are mid-paced borefests. Plenty here to dislike but the main bugbear is the complete lack of ambition. Still, that 'Electric Eel' song sounded catchy on one of the old FIFA games.
I actually listened to this album once before. In both cases, there was nothing for me to grab a hold. Its probably a taste thing more than anything else
The psychedelic sound got tiresome even in the psychedelic era. Wasn't awful to me but not an addition to my library.
Forgot they existed, but neo-psych has never been my genre
Ubiquitous A few gooduns here 4th Dimensional Transition best track on here
First Listen. Sounds pretty good.
I wish this album was more like the highlight, kids
I find the seemingly random tempo changes annoying.
Was ok. Happy it finally ended....
I find this quite annoying. But I always found Electric Feel and Kids irritating. Kind of liked Pieces of What.
I don't know how to be positive about this album. I knew some songs before and those songs had a nice melody. However the lyrics were in my opinion pretentious and unintersting. Sometimes the mixing of sounds was quite awful.
The two well known tracks are really good, I don't have much time for the rest really
I like 1 song
Yawn
I is not a bad album. But a bit common to me. It is not realy speaking to me.
Some interesting songs, not my cup of tea...
Didn't finish it, got bored
Overhyped. A couple of really great singles, but that's pretty much it.
Kind of interesting but nothing special.
Music is too busy with lack of memorable tune. The tracks from MGMT's 2005 album could easily be mistaken for any track on Oracular Spectacular. I guess if you appreciate the style then the differences would be apparent. It's not the worst thing that I've listened to so... 2/5 (?)
Lamest album ever created.
def not my thing
Back in the day when I first heard the singles I just thought they sounded like pretentious dicks pretending to be hippies. Roll on almost 20 yrs and with being more mature I’ll give them a proper listen. My opinion hasn’t changed, the singles are the stand out tracks, the rest are just ; wishy washy. Absolutely no substance to this album
I was super excited when I saw this albun. Electric feel has been a favorite in a lot of my playlist and never really listened to any other mgmt song. Sadly I was quite dissapointed. The first half of the album fell flat for me, and the ony other song I liked was kids. I did "like" the other songs but more as background music and would not regularly listen to them.
Brzmi bardzo staro - produkcja wydaje się naprawdę płaska i amatorska, zagospodarowanie pola stereo jest irytujące (celowali w ten vintage podział na lewe i prawe ucho z początków nagrań taśmowych), dobór brzmień jest fatalny, jakiekolwiek obiecujące próby stworzenia atmosfery (warstwy synthów brzmią poprawnie, choć nierewolucyjnie to zwyczajnie dobrze) po prostu rozpadają się przy zderzeniu z nieadekwatnie agresywnymi i wyrwanymi z kontekstu bębnami. Aranżacje wydają się czasem powołane do życia przed sztuczną inteligencję, ciężko przebrnąć przez te utwory i nie czuję z nich zamysłu ani próby opowiedzenia historii. Kaszana
Banal (adjective): describes something so ordinary, unoriginal, or predictable that it becomes boring or lacks any fresh perspective. It is typically used to criticize things that are cliché, hackneyed, or overused to the point of being uninteresting
I understand why people like this, just... its not for me.
Just really don't feel it. I was looking forward to another listen.
couldnt get through one song
No es de mi agrado, aburrido, solo conozco 2 canciones Time to Pretend y Kids, después aburrido...
I'm not a fan of the vocals... Favorite songs: Electric Feel
Really not a very good record
ASS
Another HORRIBLE synth pop electronica piece of trash. 0 stars really needs to be an option.
This was terrible. Unoriginal, vacuous and annoying. I’ve tried to be objective - it’s executed well enough, but for me it can’t be more than a 1.
It's a defently no for me, it doesn't my taste... the sound it's too show for me
awful.
A waste of a few catchy riffs.
No thanks.
Time to pretend: lowkey sad 🧍🏻♀️
Hate them
Hated it
Derivative and uninteresting.
Låter vansinnigt daterat nu den här "bloggelektron" uppblandat med indie från 20ish år tillbaka. Jag ska erkänna det fanns grejer där som jag gillade...Då! Få saker har åldrats lika illa. MGMT var inte en av dom jag gillade då och är det verkligen inte nu heller. Musik som borde stannat på bloggarna, funnits där i några flykyiga ögonblick för att sen glömmas för all evighet. Det finns några helt ok poplåtar men samtidigt saknar dom helt popkvalité på nåt vänster. Jag nöjer där och går och lyssnar på nysläppt popmusik med Four Tet, Suede och Saint Etienne istället. En etta som sniffar på godkänt!
I am mad at this stupid website for making me listen to this
Not my thing.
not for me
One or two tracks hold up. 1.5/5
Whiny crap
Poor
Shit
Hollow wannabe Rolling Stones tracks with a farting synth on top. Such garbage that you half expect Oscar The Grouch to pop out of it.
The singles were, I suppose, the sound of the summer nearly 20 years ago. The rest of the album is pretty forgettable.
Horrible
cal
Entirely boring and derivative shit. The 2005-2015 decade of modern pop is dead to me. Zero stars.
mhhh
It's an album that existed. If I was another person back when it was released, it might have really connected with me. Handshake and Future Reflections had musical moments I liked, the rest of it I either knew too well, or didn't care to know. Sorry MGMT, I'm not your audience. <3
Not my bag at all, sorry.
no es para mi
Not great. Background music at best.
Harmless farts
I'd heard of MGMT but don't remember listening to them before. Now that I have I hope to never have to again. There are no redeeming qualities to this album. Boring and uniquely grating
This whole album sounds like the same song...I'm old!!!
Other than the two songs on it everyone knows, it was bab. The whole thing didn’t feel like a cohesive album. They were clearly trying to be cool and subversive. 🙄
BRNG In their defense, I don't believe I heard a lot of their stuff back in the '00s Then again, very little good stuff was coming out in the '00s So, yeah, not for me. Amazed at how many listens their songs get, 1 tune at 425 million, another at 768 million, and a third showing off at 807 million If only Mink DeVille would get that kind of attention... but no, because that is not what makes the young kids happy...
Bein reinhören finde ich nichts was mich sofort packen würde.
Nope. Definitely not for me.
even the big hit has only a hook going for it. never listened to the lyrics before, and now regret it. 'everybody get sad and DANCE!' is one of my favourite silly little tropes & I set a low bar to clear for that kind of song. this doesn't have enough feeling to even sad dance. music: hated. (⌐■_■)
Empty Millennial Optimism was very similar to Empty Boomer Optimism eh? These guys have so many lyrics about how like, A Change Is Coming, but none of it articulates what the change is, and if you try to extrapolate it from the vibe of the album, it sounds like the change is “Doing cocaine with some cool girls and talking about Change”. Terrible.
🤮 Disappointed we can't do negative stars.
Not for ne
Party rockin pop
1. time to pretend - 1.5 2. uueekend uuarz - 1 3. youth - 1 4. feel - 0 5. kidz - 1 6. 4th dimenzion - 0 7. piecez - 1 8. monzterz - 1.5 9. handzhake - 0 10. reflectionz - 0
Gibt mir gar nichts. Meist langweilig, oft sogar nervige Synthsounds mit Kinderstimmen. Weg damit.
Boring, unnecessary to hear.
Meh
Not my type of music
Nicht mein Ding.
Not great for me. Could not listen to much of it.
nix für mich
probably tolerable if you, like many of these other reviewers, were 13 when it came out and listened to it a lot. i was 13 when it came out, but i did not