MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (Columbia, 2008)

Could this be the first great release of 2008? How about one of the best releases of the new millennium? No stranger to hyperbole, I am inclined to answer both of these questions with an emphatic "Yes".
Having garnered plenty of attention amongst the indie cognescenti in recent months, MGMT have released their debut on the very non-indie label Columbia; which I can only attribute to an Oracular Spectacular decision on the part of their A&R department. Who says major labels don't know their ears from their arses?
While it seems Brooklyn can do no wrong at the moment - see bands such as Yeasayer and The Dirty Projectors - it seems that MGMT are destined to take their sound to a world audience. Immediately captivating, MGMT defy simple genre-categorization, as they incorporate influences as disparate as Bowie, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd and Daft Punk.
The album's lead off track, Time To Pretend, is a ridiculously catchy, psych-pop fantasy of the rock'n'roll lifestyle: complete with models, shooting heroin in Paris, and, inevitably, choking on one's own vomit. Kids, which is the album's centerpiece, is an electronic track with a beat that you can't help but dance to; it should be the dance anthem of 2008.
MGMT jump between styles throughout the album, from guitar rock, to dance-floor filling electronica, to acoustic balladry; and they pull it all of with a finesse that belies the fact that this is their debut album.
Having recently seen the band live and being suitably blown away, I can attest that in 2008, MGMT is the shape of rock to come.

Check Out: www.myspace.com/mgmt

Sounds A Bit Like: An early contender for album of 2008.