MGMT "Oracular Spectacular" - Retrospective Review

8.5/10

Oracular Spectacular has become one of the most celebrated alternative albums of the first decade of the 2000s, receiving deep, deep praise within indie circles while also being celebrated throughout the mainstream. Oracular Spectacular, and the songs contained within it, have become entrenched in the memories of nineties kids—forever capturing a moment in time as they passed in and out of high school classrooms, smoked cigarettes in the parking lot, or walked to a friend’s house after school alongside other unlicensed youths. Oracular Spectacular drips with nostalgia, locked in at a specific point in the listener’s life, capturing an era and a youthful, innocent, naïve world that just doesn’t exist anymore. Just like Jack and Diane, Time of Your Life (Good Riddance), or American Pie, songs like Kids and Electric Feel capture a nostalgic moment, bringing the listener back. As Oracular Spectacular inches closer to its 20th birthday, such an iconic record deserves a modern, fresh assessment.

Oracular Spectacular, the debut album of Connecticut duo MGMT, mixed ’80s-style synth-pop sounds with electronic music and psychedelic rock to create a unique style somewhere between Daft Punk and Franz Ferdinand. The release of this record timed perfectly with the first wave of indie-electronica alongside Phoenix, Of Montreal, and Yeasayer. MGMT’s success with Oracular Spectacular shined a new light on developing synth-pop sounds in indie and alternative music, igniting newfound interest across North America. This newfound infatuation with songs like Kids, Time to Pretend, and Electric Feel paved the way for the around-the-corner success of bands like Two Door Cinema Club, Foster the People, and Milky Chance. The popularity of Oracular Spectacular, coupled with the record’s simplistic profundity and instant timelessness, exposed a North American market that was yearning for the synth sounds of the ’80s, wrapped up in a rock-forward bow.

Both Kids and Electric Feel made our list for the 100 Greatest Indie Rock Songs of All Time. Talk about two iconic intros as well—two of the most instantly recognizable songs in the modern alternative realm. Lyrically speaking, Kids is open to a lot of interpretation, but it undeniably screams nostalgic, becoming a big part of the reverence surrounding Oracular Spectacular. Musically, it’s a relatively simplistic pop tune, fitted with one of the most iconic and recognizable hooks of the entire era. The synth organ sound—which combines a square wave and a sawtooth wave with fast, deep vibrato—has since become an iconic part of MGMT’s sound.

A lot of 2000s-era alt and indie-pop records tend to come with a handful of filler tracks sprinkled through 10–12 song LPs, many of which can come off as cheesy and ultimately end up forgotten with time. Even beyond alt and indie realms, this rings true, but indie and alt records tend to put more stock in the album as a whole instead of just a few standout tracks. I’m not going to say Oracular Spectacular is completely immune from this pattern, but a handful of the album tracks are genuinely solid. The Handshake and Of Moons, Birds and Monsters come to mind specifically as strong deeper cuts from the record—especially the latter. Aside from Kids, Electric Feel, and Time to Pretend, Of Moons, Birds and Monsters might be the best song on the album. Muffled synth sounds, paired with bright, jangly guitar lines, epitomize the 2000s synth-pop sound—borrowing the creative synth work of the ’80s while adding another layer of musicality through the guitar. Putting the cherry on top, though, is the ominous two-minute, simply beautiful outro. Cool musical feats found within the deeper tracks help overlook the more disinteresting songs like 4th Dimensional Transition, although you’ll always find listeners saying, “that’s the best song on the album—what are you talking about?” Whatever—glad you think that, but not a lot of people in that boat.

Regardless, some albums just really hit a nerve, bringing the listener back in time and making you want to be a kid again, discovering this and similar records for the first time. Oracular Spectacular played a huge role in igniting 2000s-era synth-pop, particularly in bringing it to the masses. What an impact these two kids from Connecticut made—and how celebrated they still find themselves today.