Coachella Spotlight: MGMT
At the end of the month, two of Consequence of Sound’s newest staff writers, Bill and Laurie Fanelli, will be hitting up Coachella. In preparation of their coverage of the festivities, Bill will feature several of the acts currently scheduled to appear at Indio in a segment we like to call “Coachella Spotlight”….
Being the “Festival Junkie” that I am, and returning to Coachella for the second straight year, I can’t describe how thrilled I am for this year’s lineup, not to mention, from the recent addition of a little artist, formerly known as, currently known as Prince. As much as I would like to continue name-dropping and rattling off a list of artists I am excited to see, I have chosen to focus on the Brooklyn-based Psychedelic Duo, MGMT. The band, comprised of Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, who released their debut album, Oracular Spectacular, in January of 2008, is set to perform on Saturday, during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which will be taking place in Indio, California, the last weekend in April.
For me, it all started about a month ago when my increased boredom brought me to the “music videos” section of Comcast’s On-demand. Having recognized MGMT from the Coachella lineup, I decided to give them a shot, with hopes of adding another new artist to my “must see” list of bands. I clicked on “Electric Feel” and remember thinking, “this is pretty unique and interesting”. After watching “Time To Pretend”, it was clear that this band had something that would not be soon forgotten. I rushed to iTunes and purchased Oracular, which I knew instantly, was nothing short of spectacular.
If you haven’t heard this band, they are a strange combination of classic rock, electronic, disco and pop (to name just a few), that mesh together to create a sound nothing short of brilliant. Immediate comparisons to the overall sound of the Flaming Lips and vocals sometimes reminiscent of a young, nasally Mick Jagger, definitely come to mind. Don’t let their catchy melodies lead you to believe they are compensating for underwritten lyrics. I find myself in awe of their ability to write such lyrics full of depth and understanding, as if they have lived some sort of past life.
Sooner, rather than later, would be the ideal time to see this band, as my calculations tell me that MGMT could quickly become a festival fan favorite, meaning it will be that much more difficult to get a prime spot in close proximity, not to mention possible stage shade to boot. If you don’t like the idea of three days of 100+ degrees of desert heat or have an even better excuse for missing Coachella this year, fear not…you can still catch these guys at both, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza!
Check Out:
“Electric Feel”
“Evident Utensil” (MGMT Remix)
Not to burst any bubbles, but I have heard nothing but bad things about their live show… I hope I am wrong though. Be sure to give us your own view after you see them at Coachella!