Oracular Spectacular
MGMT

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.

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