17: MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
Colombia

Despite the critical love given to other debuts, when many, many people think of 2008, it will sound like MGMT. As of the time of this review, Oracular Spectacular has sales of over 350,000 in the US and been on the charts for 50 consecutive weeks (beating every other critical hit except perhaps Vampire Weekend). The tremendous A-side of the record, starting with “Time to Pretend” and ending with “Kids” is expansive, electro-pop goodness with catchy and danceable melodies delivered by a couple of hyper-sexual Brooklyn hipsters. While the songwriting is direct, strong and ready for easy consumption, Oracular Spectacular’s secret weapon is Dave Fridmann, who turns in his best production since the Soft Bulletin. Unfortunately, the second half of the record is awful, but it can be easily avoided by playing the first five songs over again instead.

Labels: 2008 Recap, Album Review, MGMT