I recognize the objective quality of this record, and I see what makes it so beloved, but it’s just not my style of music. Clearly a huge inspiration on multiple other generations of music though!
I did not expect to like a THIRTEEN MINUTE INSTRUMENTAL nearly as much as I did! Really enjoyed this one (it's closer to a 5 than a 3); still settling my thoughts on a couple of the tracks, but really solid stuff! Never would have checked this out without this website, so thanks!
It's kind of amazing how much of MGMT's style immediately shows up on their debut album, when they were my age. That being said, they are SO young on this record, and you can hear it. This album perfectly captures that weird college feeling of having strong beliefs and opinions but struggling to actually convey them except for a few hyper-specific points. It's more a general disillusionment with the world around you without specific solutions in mind. Some songs do target specific issues, like Kids and Time to Pretend, but I was really blown away by songs that had none. Songs that make wild analogies that aren't really connected or about anything, but connected entirely by vibes. They don't quite live up to Neutral Milk Hotel in that way, but I found this album at a point in my life where it perfectly fucking speaks to everything I'm thinking. Loved it.
This album should not have grown on me this much. I in real time went from complaining about how repetitive and samey it sounded to suddenly fully understanding it. It’s peak new wave, with interesting messages and philosophies about humanity (even if the ways it expresses them haven’t aged well at all). Musically, it bridges old-school styles of rock with sounds that still seem futuristic even today. Just a really unique and fun sound!
Opening track is fantastic, love the bells playing with left/right audio tracks. Each individual song is great, but they blend together more than I’d like and I start zoning out at some point. Upon a relisten, it’s kind of amazing how well the album works as one giant song as well as individual tracks. Great example of rock of its era.
I’ve never heard an artist absolutely tear their vocal cords to shreds like Janis Joplin does on this album! You’d think that a vocal performance that makes your throat hurt as a listener would be less than stellar, but it elevates the record significantly. You’d feel everything she’s feeling. Combine that with some killer instrumental sections and this becomes one of my favorite records so far; I just have to find versions of these songs with a different album cover. I understand that the artist was a satirist, but I haven’t the foggiest idea what the point of the Summer Love panel is other than mocking black people. It harkens back to old-school blackface in the worst possible way, and makes me feel gross for enjoying the album as much as I did.
For as serious and important a political song as it is, it’s worth noting that Zombie is also just a lot of fun to experience. It doesn’t feel like 12 minutes; the rhythmic bead instruments, enchanting backing vocals, and chanting of “Zombie” are so captivating. Mr. Follow Follow, on the other hand, feels VERY long. It’s extremely repetitive and easy to tune out, and I think it’s a shame that it follows my favorite 12 minute song. If you listen to the deluxe version, it’s similarly split; Observation is No Crime is shockingly low energy for a song with that title and drags, while Mistake’s organ and crowd cheers keep it engaging despite its runtime. It’s an album of two extremes.
