I know that all the year-end, best-of lists have already been put out there but I'm finally ready to make my claim. 
GO BUY IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.
The best album of 2008 is MGMT's Oracular Spectacular. With its woozy essence and space-disco pulse, the album is a work of staggering genius—not bad for a couple dudes from Brooklyn. Not only does the whole shape-shifting thing rock a room full of party people, it’s alternately effective alone, in headphones, where the soundscapes truly come to life.
By mixing modernist electro with time-tested psychedelic and world music, Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden crafted a debut with enough hooks to snag a sea of indie ears. "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" are so catchy that they'll be playing in your head long after the drugs wear off. “The Handshake” and its multiple parts are comfortably disorienting; the opiate sheen of the first two minutes awesomely sets up its pounding conclusion and the whistling on the fadeout caps the song. The guitar solo on “Of Moons, Birds & Monsters” recalls the freakout at the end of the 13th Floor Elevators’ “You’re Gonna Miss Me” while the aboriginal groove of “Electric Feel” calls to mind Men at Work’s hit “Down Under.”
Still, the album as a whole is refreshing. Nothing else that came out this year sounded quite like it. And despite what could be perceived as their apparent apathy, MGMT make their intention known on “The Youth,” singing “This is a call to arms to live and love and sleep together.” It’s a simple message that resounds across its ten tracks and one that seems more appealing now than ever. That’s what’s so great about it and that’s why it’s GimmeDanger's album of the year.
By mixing modernist electro with time-tested psychedelic and world music, Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden crafted a debut with enough hooks to snag a sea of indie ears. "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" are so catchy that they'll be playing in your head long after the drugs wear off. “The Handshake” and its multiple parts are comfortably disorienting; the opiate sheen of the first two minutes awesomely sets up its pounding conclusion and the whistling on the fadeout caps the song. The guitar solo on “Of Moons, Birds & Monsters” recalls the freakout at the end of the 13th Floor Elevators’ “You’re Gonna Miss Me” while the aboriginal groove of “Electric Feel” calls to mind Men at Work’s hit “Down Under.”
Still, the album as a whole is refreshing. Nothing else that came out this year sounded quite like it. And despite what could be perceived as their apparent apathy, MGMT make their intention known on “The Youth,” singing “This is a call to arms to live and love and sleep together.” It’s a simple message that resounds across its ten tracks and one that seems more appealing now than ever. That’s what’s so great about it and that’s why it’s GimmeDanger's album of the year.
GO BUY IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.
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