might be plagued by a rare affliction of J.D. Salinger-syndrome. The duo, who burst out of the neo-psychedelic scene in 2007 with the epic mainstream smash “Oracular Spectacular,” have had a hard time rekindling that touchstone work and an even harder task avoiding the expectations of debut fame. As with the reclusive author though, MGMT almost seem to revel in the malcontent of the underachiever. The creative process is the fruit of their labor — not hit albums or fan approval.
Friday nightap show at the proved a lopsided effort as the band struggled to to come to terms with its Millennial-fevered fanbase and its own yearning for a new chapter of groovy jams. The classic songs were gorgeously lush and liberating synth-powered masterpieces; while the new material and more moodier tracks just felt like deliberate anti-pop. At times, it was hardly palatable.
See our photos below of MGMT’s 2010 stop at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Opening with “Congratulations,” “Weekend Wars” and “The Youth,” Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden showed-off their clever knack for production tricks and synth-fused folk. But then the evening regressed into the blurry drone of “I Found A Whistle” and the newly-minted “Your Life Is A Lie” off their forthcoming album “MGMT.” “Mystery Disease,” flanked by a screen of floating translucent jellyfish, got even more muddied into a tropical storm of whispery vocals and a thick membrane of untenable synth overload. As expected, “Electric Feel” recalibrated the free-fall and invigorated the hybrid throng of prep school hipsters and rave acolytes into a danceable monster mash. “Alien Days,” the best track off the new album, was solid live with its deep backbeat — but it failed to capture anything fresh or innovative. “Time To Pretend” ended the set with a momentous crescendo of spirit and swagger that placated an audience jonesing for nostalgia.
For the encore, the band debuted “Plenty Of Girls In The Sea” — which was either a grand mistake or a calculated departure. Doing its best to unravel the thrill of “Time To Pretend,” the new track was a desolate ending that sent many fans to the exits. Deconstructing a song so that it sounds less cool must be tough work.
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Kris K. Coe is a freelance writer, Denver-native and regular contributor to Reverb.
