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MGMT at Celebrate Brooklyn
The indie rock band brings its infectious melodies to Prospect Park
MGMT at the 2008 iTunes Festival in Berlin (Photo: Linh Vu/Flickr)
This Golden Age of New York City pop we are currently living through is delivering solid bands to the world at a breakneck pace. It is hard to recall an era when so many compelling new acts arrived in such a flurry, a vast majority of which are coming out of Brooklyn. In fact the list of critically lauded Brooklyn bands resembles a premium festival lineup, including the likes of T.V. On The Radio, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, The Hold Steady, Parts and Labor, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Les Savy Fav, The National, Yeasayer, Vivian Girls, We Are Scientists!, and MGMT. And that is only the abbreviated list, people! There are plenty more loading vans with equipment as we speak.
But on July 1st in the Prospect Park band shell, MGMT will have the spotlight all to themselves. A month before their high profile appearance at the upcoming All Points West festival in Liberty State Park, MGMT will kick off July’s Celebrate Brooklyn shows. While their slot on the Coldplay under card at APW is certainly good exposure for them, a headlining gig amidst the fireflies in Park Slope is a lot better for us. As opposed to the tens of thousands of concertgoers to wade through at “Coachella East,” the Celebrate Brooklyn experience delivers an intimate yet theatrical setting for a band that could also be described as such.
With psych and glam pop influences, à la early Pink Floyd, solo Mick Ronson, or disco era Stones, for example, MGMT are more than just a soundtrack to an ironic party. They create infectious melodies, with lush production flourishes and a battery of hooks that embrace the epic potential of pop, disco, funk and acoustic Psychedelia. Their nuanced rock music has weight to it, but doesn’t bare its teeth as much as it wields a velvet hammer with a wry sense of humor. Yes, they cover a lot of ground for a couple of youngsters but they do it with a natural panache. It’s the thinking man’s party music. I for one am eager to see how that eclectic brew will translate in a live setting.
Their music is infused with vibrant tempo changes and devilishly tasty hooks. The fact that they had their debut album Oracular Spectacular produced by Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips) might lead you to believe that these guys lean towards the peculiar. And in fact they do. But their tunes are rooted more in the 70s glam rock school than the wacky, acid-drenched world of the early Flaming Lips. The contrast of acoustic guitar slathered with cosmic production flourishes is potent but breezy. The British magazine NME named Oracular Spectacular the top album of 2008 and they also had the honor of having their song “Kids” co-opted by French President Nicholas Sarkozy for his campaign sans permission. How’s that for cachet?
MGMT’s show has been sold out for longer than you’ve known about it and Brooklyn will surely display its affection for this innovative duo. Though you might only be able to eat your sound bites from the other side of the fence with the fireflies, you will find them more than worthy to add to your list of bands to track. Viva les Brooklyn!