MGMT by MGMT

Firstly I just want to start off by saying that I’ve always admired MGMT and their musical directions. “Oracular Spectacular” first burst on to the scene in 2007 and it was a huge success thanks to the singles “Time To Pretend” and “Kids”. MGMT then followed up with 2010’s “Congratulations” and this album got rather mixed reviews from the critics. The reason it was mainly criticized was because it didn't contain any radio friendly songs such as “Kids” and “Time To Pretend”. “Congratulations” was bold, ambitious and it wasn’t afraid to push the boundaries of music. The album even contained a 12 minute prog rock song and an instrumental too. But this is why I really admire MGMT: they didn't want to make another radio friendly album; they wanted to explore different kind’s music and experiment with their sound. They didn't care if the album didn't sell, they just wanted to do their own thing and you've got to admire a band as ballsy as that.

The year is now 2013 and we've got MGMT’s self titled third album (let’s just call it “MGMT 3”). “MGMT 3” is basically the same sort of concept as “Congratulations” so if you only liked “Oracular spectacular” then don’t bother reading this review or listening to the album. The album is essentially a very psychedelic sounding album like “Congratulations” but it’s far more experimental in terms of its tonality and production. There are loads of noisy synthesizers and hazy sounding effects just going on everywhere. Think of a more modern, more synthier version of “Magical Mystery Tour” by The Beatles and you’re pretty much there. The production and instruments sound bizarre though and the song writing gets a little lost because there is so much going on in the background.

The first half of the album is pretty good but then it just gets pretty messy except for a few exceptions. The first single “Your Life Is A Lie” really grows on you, when you first listen to it you think “Is this the best thing MGMT can come with: a measly two minute noise pop song?” however the melody is actually really infectious and you will find yourself humming along to those 5 or 6 notes. The album’s opener “Alien Days” is also a rather fascinating track. It starts off with a random little boy harmonizing with lead singer Andrew VanWyngarden and this creates a cool eerie sounding psychedelic pop song. “Cool Song no 2” is a driving acoustic piano song with deep pitched sounding bongos. The track then builds up with many strange synths appearing in the background. It’s one of the more stripped back songs on the album. “Mystery Disease” has a really catchy beat, crazy synths and blurry sounding vocals. “Introspection” is a brilliant cover of a 60’s classic and it’s the least synthy song on the album. All of these songs described are great because they actually contain a nice clear melody hook somewhere.

However the second half of the album just makes you get annoyed because there is so much going in terms of instruments. You can barely hear the vocals because there are so many noisy synthesizers going on. “A Good Sadness” is a good example of this and so is “An Orphan of Fortune”. There should actually be a 100 pound reward to whoever can make out the lyrics in these songs because it’s pretty much impossible to make them out clearly. “I Love You Too, Death” is also another good example of this; however it manages to redeem itself with some interesting sounding piped instruments. “Plenty of Girls in the Sea” sounds like a Beach Boys inspired psychedelic pop song but it just sounds dull. The main hook on it is nowhere near catchy enough to match the Beach Boys inspired sound they were going for. “Astro- Mancy” is really the only good song on the second half of the album. Its how this album should sound in terms of production: synthesizers that are more light sounding with less noise, whilst also keeping the hazy sounding effects. Also the vocals aren't entirely drowned out by the instrumentation.

This album really could've been something special if the production was a little better and the song writing was more polished in places. “Congratulations” was brilliant because it was experimental and it was also accessible too. “MGMT 3” is a difficult listen and it’s not one that I would recommend unfortunately. Go back to the production sound you had on “Congratulations” MGMT and get rid of the pretentious noisy rubbish. Overall “MGMT 3” is a lost cause.

        

OVERALL: 5/10

BEST TRACKS: Introspection, Astro-Mancy, Cool Song no 2.  

WORST TRACKS: Plently of Girls in the Sea, A Good Sadness, An Orphan of Fortune.

The Bones of What You Believe by Chvrches

Chvrches (yes that’s churches spelt with a “v” rather than a “u”) are a synth pop trio from Glasgow, Scotland and a lot of people have tipped this act to be huge in the future. One of their accolades includes coming fifth in BBC’s “sound of 2013 list for the most promising music talent”. So how does their debut album “The Bones of What You Believe” sound? Does Chvrches music live up to the critic’s hype? All of these questions will be answered right here in this very blog. So let’s go!

A lot of the songs on this album are what you would expect synth pop to sound like: lots of synthesizers, catchy vocal hooks and simple melodies that you can sing along to as well. “The Bones of What You Believe” defiantly ticks all of these boxes and also offers a lot more too. Firstly, the album is fantastically produced and whoever did the work on all of those knobs and buttons on the soundboard deserves a medal or something. The synthesizers sound massive, the vocal samples pan from left ear to right ear perfectly and the bass and drums make the songs sound way more danceable. Secondly, lead singer Lauren Mayberry’s voice is amazing. It’s unique and truly sounds like a breath of fresh air. Plus the obvious Scottish accent is really interesting to listen to as well.

Lead singles “The Mother We Share”, “Recover” and “Gun” do everything electro pop singles should do yet all of them offer something different to each other. “Gun’s” song structure builds up brilliantly, each section of the song sounds catchier than the last. The pre chorus could even be a catchy chorus for another song it’s that good, and if you thought the pre chorus was good, oh baby wait until you hear the main chorus. The synth chord stabs blend so well with Lauren Mayberry’s vocals that it’s an absolute treat on the ears. “The Mother We Share” sounds so anthemic in terms of its instrumentation. The steady bass line and synth chords from the verse suddenly turn into this really big chorus filled to the brim with synthesizers. The vocal melody is also catchy enough to match the instrumentation. “The Mother We Share” would probably sound absolutely incredible live if everyone sung along to it. “Recover” sounds slightly sadder than the other lead singles but it’s not depressing and slow. Weirdly it still sounds like something you could dance to even though the lyrics are clearly about needing comfort in bad times. Perhaps Chvrches were going for an optimistic kind of tone. 

There seems to be two kinds of songs on this album: slightly slower, more quieter songs that build up to a huge climax towards the end and those that follow a more traditional song structure. Examples of the songs that build up would be “Tether”, “Under the Tide” and the album closer “You Caught the Light”. These songs spend ages building up to climaxes but they are rather underwhelming when you get there. It takes about 2 and half minutes, and by the time you get to that point you end up becoming quite bored of the song. “Tether” is the only one that builds up decently but it’s still just an ok track, nothing truly spectacular but it’s enjoyable enough.

However, the songs that follow a more traditional structure are brilliant. “Night Sky” is a pulsating beast of a song that will surely get people dancing at parties. “Lungs” has the sort of catchy melody that commercial girl bands would die for, but it has a unique instrumental tonality that stops it from becoming too corny. “Lies” kind of has an Egyptian type vibe and if the slaves that built the pyramids were listening to this song whilst they were working, then they would've got it done twice as quick because of the songs energy. “We sink” is a good, catchy synth pop tune that could be a potential future single. Also “By the Throat” has a lovely airy chorus that sounds absolutely delightful, its quite a contrast to the name of the song title. 

Apart from a few underwhelming moments, “The Bones of What You Believe” does everything a synth pop album should do and more. It has its own distinct modern take on a genre that was quite popular in the 80’s. So in answer to the questions from earlier: “The Bones of What You believe” sounds great and Chvrches do indeed live up to the critic’s hype. Top album.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10

BEST TRACKS: Gun, The Mother We Share, Night Sky.
WORST TRACK: Under The Tide.   

AM by Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys certainly have evolved a lot these past seven years or so. They've gone from awkward teenagers to these indie rock gods that could fill up a stadium or seven. This latest album entitled “AM” sees Arctic Monkeys going back to Rancho De La Luna in the Californian desert, where they recorded their third album “Humbug”. The fact that the album has been recorded in the desert seems to have had an effect on the music. A lot of the songs on “AM” have a lot more of a bluesy, more American feel to them. There is even some hip hop and rap influences at times.  However some of the songs also have British influences so overall you've got a very diverse album here.

The first third of the album kicks off superbly. “Do I Wanna Know?” is a great track that revolves heavily around a bluesy guitar riff and stomping drums. It’s the sort of song that you would listen to whilst riding around on your Harley Davidson on route 66. We then get “R U Mine?” which again revolves around a guitar riff, but this guitar riff sounds a lot more like Black Sabbath rather than something bluesy. The song has a cool swagger about it and it’s not surprising that it was the first single to be released from the album. The duo of “One for the Road” and “Arabella” are pretty similar to each other. They both have hip hop style drum beats and front man Alex Turner sings about the general rock and roll lifestyle. You know: girls, drugs, alcohol and all that. Another thing that these two songs have in common is that they are two of the most interesting tracks on the album lyrically and vocally. The line “a helter skelter 'round her little finger and I ride it endlessly” from “Arabella” creates some fantastic imagery for the listener. Alex Turner spits out these lyrics in his distinct northern singing style that we are all familiar with. Drummer Matt Helders also provides some falsetto backing vocals to give the songs more of an edge. Overall these two songs pretty much sum up the vibe of this album.

However there are some moments on this album where Arctic Monkeys try and do something a little different and it falls completely flat. For example “I Want It All” is clearly a homage to British glam rock bands such as T Rex and it just doesn't work. Alex Turner’s rising falsetto vocals just sound awkward and slightly off. The repetitive guitar riff is also quite corny as it sounds like Arctic Monkeys have tried to create this air guitar riff that drunken uncles will dance along to at weddings. It just sounds wrong. “No 1 Party Anthem” is another homage to British artists from the past and this time it’s John Lennon who’s the influence here. The song is a tongue in cheek piano ballad but unfortunately it doesn't really go anywhere. There isn't really a memorable hook on this track, which is a shame as it could have been one of the most interesting tracks on the album. It’s a lot like another track on the album entitled “fireside”, which is quite a clever track rhythmically, however, it doesn't really produce any exciting melodies that blow your mind.

Other highlights on the album include “Mad Sounds” which is a track that wouldn't sound out of place on The Beatles “White Album”. It’s just got beatle-esque dripping from every pore and the chord changes sound really sweet on the ear. Then to top it all off you get a really infectious “Ooo la la la” backing vocal towards the end of the track which is just the icing on the cake. “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High” is a dark, moody hip hop influenced track. It’s the sort of thing that would soundtrack the streets of Los Angeles at night when all the drug gangs come out. However Arctic Monkeys still manage to stick to their well known guitar sound at the same time and this is probably what makes it the strongest out of the three singles that have been released so far (the other two are “R U Mine?” and “Do I Wanna Know?” in case you didn’t know). “Knee socks” is quite a funky track that weirdly, has a Destiny’s Child type bridge section and it sounds absolutely brilliant. It’s one of the most pleasant surprises on the album. “I Wanna Be Yours” is a down beat song that closes the album well.

Overall this album is a British indie rock band taking a lot of influences from the past 50 years of American music and making it into something genuinely fresh and interesting. However it is a little over ambitious, maybe slightly cocky at times and this where the album has its faults. But still, this is a fantastic record that deserves to be listened to if you want something that constantly keeps you on your toes with all the changing styles. Has this album lived up to the huge hype that has surrounded it? Well no, but that’s OK because Alex Turner says that you “Shouldn't believe the hype” anyway.   

OVERALL RATING: 7/10

BEST SONGS: Arabella, Mad Sounds, Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High.
WORST SONG: I want it all.