MGMT - Congratulations (Columbia)

It was only about two years ago that "Kids" and "Time To Pretend" were blasting out of dorm rooms, dance floors and teenager's cars. Now from a listen of New Yorker pschedelic rock band MGMT sophomore LP Congratulations it's like they aren't even the same band anymore. Instead of the big stadium snythpop hits ("Time To Pretend" and "Kids) of their major label debut Oracular Spectacular MGMT plays more neo-psychedelia songs like the second half of Oracular Spectacular.

Besides MGMT becoming more of an "experimental" band, they're still pounding out the singles. First "Flash Delirium", a crazy psychedelic trip of numerous changing styles that can seem a bit out of place at times. "Siberian Breaks" is a very strange single and probably MGMT's most ambitious work. It's over 12 minutes long, but feels like it is broken up into five different songs. It starts out with a very chill acoustic guitar intro but builds into a pompous baroque-like waltz then a synth loaded space odyssey and goes back to the baroque waltz and then just goes all over the place.

The other very notable track is "Congratulations" that is just a simple cool down song with a very addictive bass line with lots of cool inputs of Asian-like instrumentation. But, the LP isn't all excellent, there are a lot of tracks that lack and just sound all the same. "I Found a Whistle" and "Lady Dada's Nightmare" are just tracks to show that MGMT is trying to be weird, which I can respect in all honesty, but in this case, it's irritatingly weird.

If you're looking for some good pump-up hits like "Kids" and "Time To Pretend", please save yourself some time and patience and do not purchase this album. It's not at all like the first half of Oracular Spectacular, if you want a perspective of what Congratulations sounds like; listen to the second half of Oracular.

It's all mostly a fun listen through, while some tracks lack and just give a aura of just trying to be trippy as crazy, which can be okay, but in this cause it isn't all that special.

Overall: 7.3/10

Track Listing:

1. It's Working - 8.0 *
2. Song For Dan Treacy - 8.5 *
3. Someone's Missing - 7.0
4. Flash Delirium - 7.5
5. I Found a Whistle - 5.0
6. Siberian Breaks - 9.0 *
7. Brian Eno - 7.0
8. Lady Dada's Nightmare - 6.5
9. Congratulations - 8.5 *

* - Notable Track

Sample:

"Flash Delirium"

The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt (Dead Oceans)

Swedish folk musician Kristian Matsson obviously isn't the tallest man on earth, but his sophomore LP The Wild Hunt sure shows true integrity of pure monumental height. It's just him and his guitar, with the inclusion of some banjo notes and the last track "Kids On the Run" which is a piano ballad.

When making a comparison Matsson is obviously taking roots from good old Bob Dylan, but Matsson take's his tracks farther. The intense hallow feeling of raw, down-to-earth vocals pierce you with such tenacity. Obviously rough and raspy voice isn't the most pleasant thing to listen to, his lyrics make up for it so well.

Indeed, the lyrics of The Wild Hunt tell epic poetry and touching stories. It is very ideal to print off a copy of The Wild Hunt's lyrics. Here's just a taste:

"And I wear my boots of Spanish leather/Oh while I'm tightening my crown/I'll disappear in some flamenco/Perhaps I'll reach the other side"

That's from the highlight track of the album, "King of Spain", the very fast and ambitious flamenco influenced track.

Matsson sings of the winding skeptics of love ("King of Spain") and tragic heartbreaks ("Kids On the Run"). I can't find a single track on this LP that doesn't please me with the lyrics. But musically some songs are lacking, especially on "The Drying On the Lawn" the guitar work isn't pleasing, it feels out of place compared to the rest of the album.

Overall, The Wild Hunt is a definite key LP for modern folk. It's down-to-earth, gritty and just plain revealing. Kristian Matsson's spirituality is like the tallest man on earth's stature.

Overal: 8.3/10

Track Listing:

1. The Wild Hunt - 8.5 *
2. Burden of Tomorrow - 8.5
3. Troubles Will Be Gone - 8.0
4. You're Going Back - 8.0
5. You're Drying of the Lawn - 8.0
6. King of Spain - 9.5 *
7. Love Is All - 8.0
8. Thousand Ways - 7.5
9. A Lion's Heart - 8.5 *
10. Kids On the Run - 9.0 *

* - Notable Track

Sample:

"King of Spain"

LCD Soundsytem - This Is Happening (DFA)

Most great artists differentiate styles throughout their careers. Example: Radiohead started out with a traditional britpop sound that dominated through hits of "Creep" and "Karma Police", but in 2000 they shocked the world and realeased the twitchy electronic album Kid A that led Radiohead into their more glitched and electronic sound and then 2003 they combined both traditional rock with their electronic sound on Hail To the Thief.

Well enough on Radiohead, point is that most great artist swing into different stages of their style. But when it comes to LCD Soundsystem. James Murphy has stayed very consistent with the dance-punk style. 2005 marked the year LCD Soundsystem's debut album LCD Soundsystem bringing in a fun and exciting sound of electronic dance tunes. Again, James Murphy delivers with a more crafty album, Sound of Silver, which still had very addictive tunes.

Now Murphy releases the long awaited third and supposed final LP This Is Happening. "Drunk Girls", the first single from the LP, was released prior to the LP's release. "Drunk Girls" is one of those very short (for Murphy that is) singles that you can't get enough of. Behind the song's very simplistic take, are very hilarious lyrics and an even more funny music video. "Drunk girls are boringly wild," croons Murphy.

Besides the very short single of "Drunk Girls", This Is Happening offers the same fun seven minute electronic dance anthems that the first two LPs offered. From the Eric Johnson-like guitar work of "All I Want" to '70s disco inspired "I Can Change", it's all essential LCD Soundsystem that is a blast to listen to.

Love is a very popular theme of This Is Happening. Especially from "I Can Change", "Love is an open book to a verse of your bad poetry". Of course love has always been a popular theme of James Murphy, dating back to his debut.

As I mentioned before, LCD Soundsystem has kept the same style and yet still had immense popularity. Maybe it's for the best that this will be the last album from this project. But still the fun lyrics and dance hits will be missed from the master mind of James Murphy.

Overall: 8.6/10


Track Listing:


1). Dance Yrself Clean - 9.0 *
2). Drunk Girls - 8.5 *
3). One Touch - 8.5
4). All I Want - 9.5 *
5). I Can Change - 8.5
6). You Wanted a Hit - 8.5
7). Pow Pow - 9.0 *
8). Somebody's Calling Me - 8.0
9). Home - 8.5

* - Notable Track

Sample:

"Drunk Girls"

Hello!

Well, today May 22, 2010, marks the day I make my first blog on The Lavin Rant.

Let me introduce myself:

I'm Mike Lavin, I live in Wichita, Kansas and am a Sophomore at Maize South High School. I've always had a passion for music, film and other various entertainment. I've always been critic of things; especially when it came to entertainment. I'm really not afraid to speak my mind on what I think of things. Though, that can be a bad thing, but in a professional critic viewpoint; that's okay.

One form of entertainment really got me going to be a critic. Music. Indeed music sparked a passion in me to surround myself in it. I started out in music like everyone else did; I got into pop. I listened to a lot of pop music. I mean A LOT OF IT. One day I was watching an episode of South Park and I heard of a band called Radiohead. And I decided to check them out. I started out with the basic hits; "Creep", "Paranoid Android", "High & Dry", "Karma Police", etc. then I was so thrilled by the dynamics they created I bought their critically acclaimed third LP, Ok Computer. I fell in love. It wasn't just one of those one month loves, it was a lifetime love.

I eventually started coming into contact of more innovative artists like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles. All sorts of influential artists that were just amazing, but then I started to sway away from the more popular innovation. Don't get me wrong, all of those bands are fantastic at what they do. I just felt that there was something missing in my music tastes.

I joined a very unknown and obscure site called, Best Ever Albums (www.besteveralbums.com). It opened my eyes to music that I had never even imagined. Being the 21st Century and all, I'm guilty of illegally downloading music, I still do it, but I still buy albums of artists that I really enjoy, but I download about 85% or more of my music. So I checked some of these bands that other people really enjoyed; Joy Division, Television, Neutral Milk Hotel, My Blood Valentine, Miles Davis, The Velvet Underground, The Doors, LCD Soundsystem, John Coltrane, King Crimson and so many others.

I was just bombarded with awesome music. Now I that I look back to the music I was listening to back when I was like 12. It is just awful; Breaking Benjamin, Creed, Incubus, and so many other mainstream snooze fests.

Another website that I found has also guided my music tastes in an excellent direction. Pitchfork (www.pitchfork.com). Though I don't always agree with them, they are still an excellent source for finding good underground and indie acts that deserve to be recognized.

I truly owe a lot to Pitchfork and Best Ever Albums. Both excellent sites that are visited daily by me.

So, I will be posting reviews of music albums and tracks of mostly indie bands and other experimental artists that deserve recognition. I will also do movie reviews, but since my computer is a piece of crap I won't be pirating new movies. Also, I'm really poor (not my family; just me because I'm a desperate teenager who has no job) so I don't go to a lot of movies in the theaters, the last movie I saw was Avatar...

I also do the occasional event review from around the Wichita Area like a concert or festival.