MGMT: ‘We Finally Sound Like MGMT’

The self-titled third offering from MGMT takes the fascination for psychedelia that was clearly spelt out on 2010's Congratulations and mixes it up into a more playful electronic context. As we move across the album from the freaked-out funk of Aliens Days to the drifting, spaced-out vibes of An Orphan Of The Future, the New York duo offer listeners the kind of trip that even Lucy in the sky might enjoy with some diamonds. It's reassuring to see that major artists can still stand their artistic ground and deliver delightfully idiosyncratic daydreams for our ears.

The idea of releasing an eponymously titled album actually started as a joke. “We always used to laugh about releasing a self-titled album but in the end it became appropriate,” Andrew VanWyngarden enlightens. “It needed to be self-titled because I think this album is truly representative of our sound. A lot of the album was recorded like the music we made when we were 19 or 20 and recording the first album. We had no idea what we were doing and were just making sounds for the sake making a noise,” says VanWyngarden.

As Mystery Disease swirls with synthesisers, the duo start to sound a little like The Black Angels plugged into synths. “It took me a long time to hear a soul or spirit in electronic music,” says VanWyngarden. “I think I have evolved a better appreciation of electronic music. Ben [Goldwasser] has probably become more interested in synths than myself. I guess I am still exploring the possibilities that electronic music offers. I like these little bubbles of atmospheres you can create on a synthesiser that can take you to a whole other world.”