Oracular Spectacular | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 2, 2007 | |||
Recorded | 2004–2007 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:30 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
MGMT chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Oracular Spectacular | ||||
| ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
Oracular Spectacular is the debut studio album by the American band MGMT,released on October 2,2007,by RED Ink and physically on January 22,2008,by Columbia. [1] It was produced by Dave Fridmann and is the band's first release of new content,being recorded from March to April 2007. Promotion for the album started as early as June 2007,when the song "Weekend Wars" was given away in summer issues of free monthly magazine Nöjesguiden in Stockholm,Sweden. Matching CDs could be picked up for free in all stores in three different shopping malls around Stockholm from June 26 to July 31. The album was also promoted with three singles:"Time to Pretend","Electric Feel" and "Kids". Both "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" were re-recorded for the album;they were originally included on the band's previous release Time to Pretend (2005),with the opening track serving as a "mission statement" and the theme continuing through the album's subsequent tracks.
Although Oracular Spectacular never sold more than 17,000 units in a week,at least 2,000 copies per week were sold during the period from January 2008 through April 2010. [2] The album received positive reviews from critics,who lauded its production style,musical direction and composition. It was nominated for the International Album award at the 2009 Brit Awards. In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 494 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. [3]
The duo recorded with music producer Dave Fridmann in 2007 for their major label debut,Oracular Spectacular. [4] MGMT opened for Of Montreal on tour in autumn 2007 as a five-piece touring band including Matthew Asti (bass),James Richardson (drums),and Hank Sullivant (guitar). [5]
Promotion for the album started as early as June 2007,when the song "Weekend Wars" was given away in summer issues of free monthly magazine Nöjesguiden in Stockholm,Sweden. Matching CDs could be picked up for free in all stores in three different shopping malls around Stockholm from June 26 to July 31. [6]
In November 2007,they performed for the first time in Europe,supporting the band Samantha and The Courteeners at Koko in London,England. [7] After March 2008,Hank Sullivant left the band to pursue his own band,Kuroma. Will Berman joined as the new drummer,James Richardson switched from drums to guitar,and Matthew Asti remained on bass.
The album was also promoted with three singles:"Time to Pretend","Electric Feel" and "Kids".
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 76/100 [8] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
Alternative Press | [10] |
The Guardian | [11] |
The Independent | [12] |
NME | 8/10 [13] |
The Observer | [14] |
Pitchfork | 6.8/10 [15] |
Q | [16] |
Rolling Stone | [17] |
Uncut | [18] |
Oracular Spectacular has received mostly positive reviews. Jason Lymangrover of AllMusic called Oracular Spectacular's tracks "some of the catchiest pop songs to come from NYC since the turn of the millennium" and stated that "the songs never feel insincere and the record is inherently strong throughout,making it a solid start to their career." [9] Prefix Magazine described the album as "a college-dorm experiment gone horribly right." [19] Giving the album a three-star honorable mention rating,Robert Christgau stated that "like Vampire Weekend,only as synth-dance rather than indie-rock,they convert a quality liberal education into thoughtful,anxious,faux-lite pop." [20]
In a mixed review, PopMatters ' Matt Fiander criticized the second half of the album,writing,"The second half of the record settles into a more monotone kind of space rock that is as big as the better first half,but gives us no recognizably distinct songs or catchy melodies." [21] The album was named as the best album of 2008 by NME . [22] In 2009, Rolling Stone named it the 18th-best album of the decade,and in 2012 the magazine included it at number 494 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,saying,"Two hipster geeks get some rad vintage keyboards and compose a suite of synthesized heartache". [23] [24]
The album has a Metacritic score of 76 out of 100 on based on 22 critics,indicating "generally favorable reviews". [8]
All lyrics are written by Andrew VanWyngarden and all music by VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, except where indicated.
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Time to Pretend" | 4:21 | ||
2. | "Weekend Wars" | 4:12 | ||
3. | "The Youth" | VanWyngarden, Goldwasser, Will Berman | 3:48 | |
4. | "Electric Feel" | VanWyngarden, Goldwasser, Berman | 3:49 | |
5. | "Kids" | 5:02 | ||
6. | "4th Dimensional Transition" | 3:58 | ||
7. | "Pieces of What" | 2:43 | ||
8. | "Of Moons, Birds & Monsters" | 4:46 | ||
9. | "The Handshake" | 3:39 | ||
10. | "Future Reflections" | 4:00 | ||
Total length: | 40:30 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Time to Pretend" (Jorge Elbrecht of Violens Remix) | 4:30 |
Total length: | 44:36 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Time to Pretend" | 4:21 | ||
2. | "Weekend Wars" | 4:12 | ||
3. | "The Handshake" | 3:39 | ||
4. | "The Youth" | VanWyngarden, Goldwasser, Berman | 3:48 | |
5. | "Electric Feel" | VanWyngarden, Goldwasser, Berman | 3:49 | |
6. | "4th Dimensional Transition" | 3:58 | ||
7. | "Pieces of What" | 2:43 | ||
8. | "Of Moons, Birds & Monsters" | 4:46 | ||
9. | "Kids" | 5:02 | ||
10. | "Future Reflections" | 3:58 | ||
11. | "Metanoia" | 13:49 | ||
12. | "Electric Feel" (Demo Version) | 4:24 | ||
13. | "Electric Feel" (Justice remix) | 5:25 | ||
14. | "Kids" (Soulwax remix) | 5:39 | ||
15. | "Time to Pretend" (music video) | 4:19 | ||
16. | "Electric Feel" (music video) | 3:50 | ||
17. | "Kids" (music video) | 5:06 | ||
Total length: | 1:18:48 |
Notes
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
<//ref>
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [57] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Belgium (BEA) [58] | Gold | 15,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [59] | Platinum | 100,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [60] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [61] | Gold | 75,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [62] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
Ireland (IRMA) [63] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [64] | Gold | 7,500^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [65] | 2× Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [66] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Title | Award | Result |
---|---|---|
NME Awards 2009 | Best Track of 2009 | Won |
David Lawrence Fridmann is an American record producer and musician.
Hot Fuss is the debut studio album by American rock band the Killers, released on June 7, 2004, in the United Kingdom and on June 15, 2004, in the United States by Island Records. The album's music is mostly influenced by new wave and post-punk. Hot Fuss spawned four commercially and critically successful singles: "Mr. Brightside", "Somebody Told Me", "All These Things That I've Done" and "Smile Like You Mean It".
Ratatat is a Brooklyn-based electronic rock duo consisting of Mike Stroud and producer Evan Mast.
Mezmerize is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band System of a Down, released on May 17, 2005, by American Recordings and Columbia Records. Upon its release, the album received acclaim from critics. The album sold over 450,000 copies in its first week, and immediately topped the Billboard 200.
Minutes to Midnight is the third studio album by American rock band Linkin Park, released on May 14, 2007, through Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin; it is Linkin Park's first studio album produced without Don Gilmore, who had produced the band's two previous albums. Minutes to Midnight is the band's follow-up album to Meteora (2003), and features a shift in the group's musical direction. For the band, the album marked a beginning of deviation from their signature nu metal sound. Minutes to Midnight takes its title from the Doomsday Clock symbol. It is also the band's first full-length album to carry a Parental Advisory label.
MGMT is an American rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by singers and multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser.
Mothership is a compilation album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records and Rhino Entertainment on 12 November 2007 in the United Kingdom, and 13 November 2007 in the United States. It was released on the same day that Led Zeppelin's entire catalogue became available in digital stores, including the iTunes Store. The cover was designed by artist Shepard Fairey.
Magic is the fifteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released by Columbia Records on LP on September 25, 2007, and on CD on October 2. It was his first with the E Street Band since The Rising in 2002, and topped the charts in six countries, including the US and UK, going triple platinum in Ireland. Two songs from the album – "Radio Nowhere" and "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" – won a total of three Grammys, making Magic the second of only two Springsteen albums with three wins, after The Rising. It ranked No. 2 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.
Time to Pretend is the second EP by the American rock band MGMT, released on August 30, 2005 by Cantora Records and made available on iTunes. New versions of the tracks "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" were later released on MGMT's debut album Oracular Spectacular (2007–2008). At the time this was recorded they were still known as "The Management".
"Time to Pretend" is a song by the American indie band MGMT, released as the lead single from their debut studio album Oracular Spectacular (2007) on March 3, 2008. An earlier version had been released on their Time to Pretend EP. The single was released as a 7" and CD single featuring the B-sides "Weekend Wars" and "Metanoia", respectively. In early 2009, the song was re-released in the UK. The song was ranked at number 493 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and its parent album, Oracular Spectacular, was ranked at number 494 on the publication's additional list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The song was also ranked at number 90 on NME's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
A Little Bit Longer is the 3rd studio album by American pop rock band, Jonas Brothers and their second album released on Hollywood Records. It was released on August 12, 2008. The album received generally favorable reviews, and four star reviews from Rolling Stone, AllMusic, and Blender. The album was preceded by three singles, "Burnin' Up", "Lovebug" and "Tonight". The album was number 40 on Rolling Stone's Best 50 Albums of 2008. One of the songs from the album, "Video Girl" was also number 49 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.
Only by the Night is the fourth studio album by American rock band Kings of Leon, released in September 2008 through RCA Records. Writing for the band's fourth album commenced just days after the release of their third, Because of the Times. The album was recorded by producers Jacquire King and Angelo Petraglia in April 2008 at Nashville's Blackbird Studio.
"Kids" is a song by American rock band MGMT. It was released as the third and final single from their debut studio album Oracular Spectacular (2007) on October 13, 2008. The version of the song that appears on Oracular Spectacular is updated from earlier versions that appear on the band's EPs Time to Pretend (2005) and We (Don't) Care (2004). A track entitled "Kids " appears on the album Climbing to New Lows (2005). On December 1, 2009, the track was announced as a nominee at the 52nd Grammy Awards in the category Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Andrew Wells VanWyngarden is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitar player and songwriter for the band MGMT, praised for "an uncanny knack for producing pop music that sounds as if it were filtered through a kaleidoscope." One of his songs, "Kids", received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, while the duo was nominated in the Best New Artist category.
Working on a Dream is the sixteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on January 27, 2009, through Columbia Records. It topped the charts in nine countries, including the US, where it was Springsteen's ninth No. 1. "The Wrestler", which appeared as a bonus track, won a Golden Globe award. E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt said that Working on a Dream completed a trilogy which started with The Rising (2002) and continued with Magic (2007), all of which were produced by Brendan O'Brien.
The discography of indie rock band MGMT consists of five studio albums, one compilation album, one demo album, four extended plays, eleven singles and fourteen music videos. Originally known under the name The Management, the group was founded in 2002 by Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser during their freshman year as art students at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. After graduating and changing the band's name to MGMT, they released an EP titled Time to Pretend in 2005 through the independent record label Cantora Records; music videos were recorded for two of the EP's songs, "Boogie Down" and "Destrokk". The critical success of the EP and extensive touring brought the group to the attention of Columbia Records, which signed them in 2006.
Congratulations is the second studio album by American rock band MGMT. It was initially made available for free streaming through the band's website on March 20, 2010, prior to its official release on April 13 through Columbia Records. The album marks a departure from the synth-pop style that brought MGMT acclaim on their debut, Oracular Spectacular, released three years prior, and features a more psychedelic, progressive and guitar-driven sound.
MGMT is the third studio album by American rock band MGMT. It was released on September 17, 2013 by Columbia Records; however, the band started streaming the album on September 9, 2013.
Little Dark Age is the fourth studio album by the American rock band MGMT, released on February 9, 2018, through Columbia Records. It is the band's first album of new material in nearly five years, after the release of their eponymous third studio album in September 2013.
Loss of Life is the fifth studio album by the American rock band MGMT. It was released on February 23, 2024, making it their label debut on Mom + Pop in the United States and internationally on BMG Rights Management, and their first studio album in six years since 2018's Little Dark Age. It features a guest appearance by French singer Christine and the Queens, making it the first feature on an MGMT album.