Much of MGMT’s success has been due to their megahit singles such as the Grammy-nominated “Kids” and the spectacular “Electric Feel,” but the band made it clear long before the follow-up was released that they weren’t going for the same level of pop this time around. They weren’t planning on making “Kids pt. 2,” and they said that if listeners go in expecting that, they will only be disappointed.

Instead, “Congratulations’ skips the pop and marches straight into Wonderland, and the result is an album full of insane 70′s spy movie grooves, 12-minute freakout epics and songs called “‘Brian Eno” and “Lady DaDa’s Nightmare.”

On opener “It’s Working,” Andrew VanWyngarden’s deeply reverbed voice floats above an upbeat, energetic guitar and drum groove that at times feels straight from a James Bond chase scene. “Love, it’s only in your mind,” he sings over the obligatory backup choir. “Not your heart.” First-released “Flash Delirium” doesn’t even have a chorus, but the thick synth bass lines, explosive drumming and seemingly random flute solo stay stuck in your head long after the song’s over. 12-minute centerpiece “Siberian Breaks” goes from retro folk to indie rock to outer space electronica and back again without missing a beat.

The style takes more clues from “Oracular”‘s B-list banger “Of Birds, Moons and Monsters” than their more famous songs, and where “Oracular” was stylistically all over the place, “Congratulations” has a much more consistent sound throughout. This could be seen as a positive or negative thing, depending on how you listen to music. These songs won’t be taken nearly as well out of context, but a listen to the whole album revels a great piece of music that will demand repeated listens to fully comprehend.

There’s no doubt that this is a polarizing record, but it’s a great way for the band to say that they’re not interested in playing the pop music game. They focused on the amazing singles on their first album, and the rest of the album lagged in comparison. While there might not be any songs on “Congratulations” that are as good as ‘Electric Feel,” the overall level of quality makes the album much more enjoyable to listen to.

It will be interesting to see if “Congratulations” will have a big impact on the music scene in the same way as their first album did. It doesn’t seem like it, but maybe just their name on it will encourage the less musically adventurous types to give some experimentalism a shot. Who knows, maybe they like freak-out space rock!

Mashup maestro Girl Talk brought his laptop symphony of chopped up top 40 to University of Puget Sound Sunday. Photos by Angelo Carosio

Three 6 Mafia invaded Seattle last weekend, and The Spectator got an exclusive look at the Oscar-award winning hip-hop duo.

Photos by Angelo Carosio

Seattle hip-hop fans had a lot to be happy about last night with a free show at Neumos featuring two of the local scene’s favorites, rapper Macklemore and the constantly partying goofballs of Mad Rad. The event filled to capacity by 9:00, and the sweaty masses of people couldn’t get enough, screaming for more after the set lists of both bands were finished. Portland duo Breakfast Mountain opened.

Macklemore also donated all of his merchandise proceeds from the show to the Haiti relief effort.

Flaming Lips' frontman Wayne Coyne is known for his crazy stage antics.

Lips fans, rejoice! The incredible stoner-psyc-alt-rock band just added a string of U.S. amphitheater dates to their upcoming tour, and it includes a stop at Redmond’s scenic Marymoor Park.

Frontman Wayne Coyne and the rest of his “fearless freaks” will be stopping by on Aug. 21, and the show is certain to be a spectacle. The Lips are known for their crazy stage antics, including but not limited to: gigantic plastic balls with Coyne inside, confetti cannons and ridiculous amounts of balloons.

The band also recently announced the title of their upcoming follow-up to 2005′s “At War With The Mystics”: “Embryonic,” supposedly a double album. Coyne has been talking about the new release and is giving fans a chance to preview the songs before the album comes out.
“We want to go in so many strange directions and sometimes we’re unfocused and sometimes we’re just so wishy washy,” Coyne said. ”Some of it sounds like John Lennon, But if he got together with Miles Davis and they went back in time, but there was a supercomputer that they could figure out how to work.”

The fun doesn’t end there, however. To promote the new album’s release, the band is giving their concert attendees’ a special present: fans who purchase their tickets on Ticketmaster will receive a digital EP with three songs off of “Embryonic” as well as three unreleased b-sides from the Lips’ back catalog. After the show, attendees will also be able to download a “bootleg” recording of their whole show. Finally, bands are at least attempting to give fans something to justify the over-the-top Ticketmaster fees. Is $12 in fees worth it for the bonus music? You decide.

I’m awaiting my link to download the new album tracks, check back for them soon.