The album that revived MGMT

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2 жыл бұрын

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Most people will recognize MGMT for three singles: “Time to Pretend”, “Electric Feel” and “Kids”. These trifecta of festival anthems were Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser’s attempt at writing the poppiest songs possible with the goal of selling out. And much to their surprise, it worked! But those three tracks were made to mock modern-day pop music; they weren’t a great representation of what the band wanted to be known for, despite how much success it would garner the group. Victims of their own irony, what initially began as a joke would go on to overshadow the majority of their subsequent work.
Following their debut, the pair would vow to never make another radio-friendly hit -- instead veering into neo-psychedelic experimentation. Five years and two critically-panned releases later, fairweather fans would jump off the bandwagon. Congratulations was a prog-rock jab at mainstream music and their self-titled release was an even more dense acid-rock affair. But their latest offering seems to have ended their Little Dark Age. Their fourth record would be the band’s reset button and a welcomed return to what MGMT does best -- having fun with their music again.
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#Middle8 #MGMT #LittleDarkAge
This video is sponsored by CuriosityStream
Written, voiced and edited by Frank Furtado
Additional Music by Joywalk - / @joywalk

Пікірлер: 446

@KaosMasterX 2 жыл бұрын

THEY PLANNED THAT SONG/BEAT OF WHEN YOU DIE IN 2008 BY LOOKING AT A ROLLERCOASTER??? AAAAAH FUCKING GOLDEN

@DJ_POOP_IT_OUT_FEAT_LIL_WiiWii 6 ай бұрын

his shoulder went viral

@Infaziation 2 жыл бұрын

Little Dark Age is such a great album

@RandomRabbit007 2 жыл бұрын

Nah, first 2 albums were the best

@ImNotFine44 2 жыл бұрын

Nope

@bugass81 2 жыл бұрын

yeah i love Me and Michael and When You Die. great album

@DavidSmith-zd2rp 2 жыл бұрын

I've completely come around to it. Could care less whether it's as good as O.S. or not. Just like it for what it is

@ordotectonicus8585 2 жыл бұрын

And the song

@MobbareKurtz 2 жыл бұрын

The funniest thing about MGMT is that when making Time To Pretend, they we're trying to think of the poppiest song ever and thought "Ah, Dancing Queen". So they made Time To Pretend the same bpm as Dancing Queen and what's more, at the end of the song, if you listen closely you can even hear the classic Dancing Queen ascending piano fill. I never recognized it until I heard them talk about it in the Song Exploder podcast

@momon4266 2 жыл бұрын

"When you die" is such a master piece, it sounds like the Beatles

@MessiRonaldo-ex4pl Жыл бұрын

thats what i thought at first lol. sounds like st sgt peppers

@MessiRonaldo-ex4pl Жыл бұрын

the album in general not the song

@MessiRonaldo-ex4pl Жыл бұрын

one last thing left to try is also a master piece

@DJ_POOP_IT_OUT_FEAT_LIL_WiiWii 6 ай бұрын

When i ferst heard it i had a semi

@mrpandabites 2 жыл бұрын

Congratulations convinced me MGMT weren't just a flash in the pan. It is easily their best album.

@Helaw0lf 2 жыл бұрын

Same here! They broke the sophomore effect other bands/artists struggle to conquer.

@moonlander9012 2 жыл бұрын

Agreed, Congratulations is severely underrated though.

@Kay-vr4ft Жыл бұрын

congratulations is better imo

@Chinaski629 Жыл бұрын

Black star lyric

@animalvoices2249 Жыл бұрын

Congratulations is my favourite album of all time.

@timeladyana9872 2 жыл бұрын

i was actually surprised when i saw little dark age going viral on tiktok, i had accepted this nice album had went over the radar of pop music but im glas it's getting the light it deserves, i really like it a lot.

@divyanshsingh9369 Жыл бұрын

It went viral on KZfaq as well

@DJ_POOP_IT_OUT_FEAT_LIL_WiiWii 6 ай бұрын

My favorite is Double Half Moon Insertion

@cringetrender 2 жыл бұрын

Feels so good to see a sequel to the video that got me into you, and even had me as a Patron for a while! Thanks Middle 8 💖

@user-qt6ud3sp6w 2 жыл бұрын

Same! It was the first video I saw on this channel and it had me hooked

@pabloamgarcia28 2 жыл бұрын

These guys still fuel the psychedelic desires of modern society.

@ummok5316 2 жыл бұрын

for sure

@nifty8327 2 жыл бұрын

Honestly MGMT’s self titled is very underrated. It has some amazing music in it and some of their best lyrics

@OfficialKip 2 жыл бұрын

For me its mostly just too much in one song. But some of the songs on it are peak MGMT. Alien Days, AOOF.

@gabrielsaladbar3547 2 жыл бұрын

I probably like 6/10 songs but those 6 songs are some of my fave MGMT songs. And it’s by far their most psychedelic album. “ORPHAN OF FORTUNE” might be a top 3 song from them imo

@xneon3428 2 жыл бұрын

Mystery disease you noobs

@nifty8327 2 жыл бұрын

@@xneon3428 plenty of girls in the sea is amazing tho

@bobmarvin7341 2 жыл бұрын

@@gabrielsaladbar3547 Agreed. Mystery disease bops hard too

@cloudboi4357 2 жыл бұрын

I know it seems slightly irrelevant when discussing MGMT's increase in confidence as a band, but I still believe it's worth noting the fact that Little Dark Age also recieved a bit more mainstream acclaim than their last album due to the track 'Little Dark Age' becoming a popular TikTok audio. While it didn't completely launch the band into the spotlight again, it still gave the band just enough popularity for a bit that I feel like it should be at least addressed.

@comradeelmo8923 2 жыл бұрын

Good Point

@zappin4596 2 жыл бұрын

i agree brother, Tiktok is slowly becoming a vessel of unintentional marketing for a lot of musicians nowadays i've noticed. One example is Surf Curse with their track Freaks, released half a decade ago and only now reaching somewhat of critical acclaim, solely because more and more people are being exposed to it from one of the largest mediums of contemporary entertainment

@ewww21 2 жыл бұрын

It didn't really take the song off tho, it got big on tik tok like 2 years after

@jeremyc9593 Жыл бұрын

@@zappin4596 Absolutely. I'm glad that Surf Curse song didn't get suspended in obscurity forever, and if it takes something like Tik Tok (which isn't my thing) to rescue good music, then I'm all for it.

@phrogthejam2998 Жыл бұрын

Little dark age came before tiktok. If anything is contributing to their new fans, they are probably the young people who listened to kids, time to pretend, and electric feel. But of course, that is how most of us became mgmt fans anyway. There's just a big indie pop scene going on rn

@me-nah3343 2 жыл бұрын

"Congratulations" is so good! "Siberian Breaks" 👌.

@KoenRH2803 2 жыл бұрын

Congratulations isn’t badly received, is it? It’s my all-time favorite album and I’m definitely not the only one. Admittedly I’m much more into the psychedelic side of their catalog than any of their pop tracks.

@deekoei 2 жыл бұрын

My favourite OAT too!

@TheRealBlueSwan 2 жыл бұрын

Yup. 100% their best.

@HotStrange 2 жыл бұрын

S/T is my favorite but Congratulations is very very close.

@KoenRH2803 2 жыл бұрын

@@HotStrange S/T is my close second favorite too! :)

@coreyedwards159 2 жыл бұрын

it was upon release, saying that it's polarizing now would be like saying something like fight club is polarizing, like tons of people like it now in retrospect lol

@johnpaulcross424 2 жыл бұрын

Guess they burned the page on their Little Dark Age

@Tamingmyimpala361 2 жыл бұрын

Hand It Over could be a double entendre. The song is about MGMT’s record label, taking “what’s rightfully theirs” but it’s also about accepting your own mortality, hence, “handing it over,” adding to the recurring themes of death in the album

@realoliver9912 2 жыл бұрын

A lot of it is actually about the presidency, but I agree with you, there's definitely elements of that within the song

@paulj6138 2 жыл бұрын

Little Dark Age is about 4 years old Is there a new LP from MGMT label??? During pandemic they should have streamed a performance like many artists have already done. I still remember the Amazing live gig from Letterman Ed Sullivan Theater 😜💙❤️👍👍

@dragon-id5uj 2 жыл бұрын

yeah what the heck? feels clickbaity

@marcosposse3750 2 жыл бұрын

I dont think hes saying they're coming back now. Although w little darkage blowing up on tik tok at one point, it did give them a small comeback in 2021. But I think hes just talking about how they came back when little dark age came out. Just my impression of the vid.

@dn4339 2 жыл бұрын

They’ve posted on instagram about new music soon

@ryanlikeshiking 2 жыл бұрын

Funny enough, I met Andrew about 2 weeks ago and he said they were going into the studio the following week

@epicstudio7185 2 жыл бұрын

But here is the thing. The video about Oracular Septacular was about 2 years ago or so. But the album was released in 2007 so I don't see an issue in this video, because release date was only 4 years ago not that big of deal

@indiesoku 2 жыл бұрын

This band will always have a place in my heart for introducing me to my favorite type of music, and for showing me that some art deserves a second chance to be fully appreciated with congratulations(my favorite album of theirs) MGMT forever❤️

@BobbyGeneric145 Жыл бұрын

Dude, the opening audio with the Time to Pretend riff as a ghostly echo... BRILLIANT! I already knew what the theme of the narrative was going to be just by that.

@EzioAuditore1500 2 жыл бұрын

4:20 ok this was so amazing to watch and see he kept this idea alive

@dms5341 2 жыл бұрын

Congratulations is one of the greatest albums of all time.

@pthomasgarcia 2 жыл бұрын

Is it?

@milanklaui5158 2 жыл бұрын

With Congratulations being my all time favourite, I'm a bit biased, but it's incredibly unique, creative and intriguing

@KoenRH2803 2 жыл бұрын

Hell yeah it is

@Blarg 2 жыл бұрын

*MGMT and Gorillaz are a huge inspiration to me!*

@StrikerTheSlacker 2 жыл бұрын

Hello

@jesseculp9452 2 жыл бұрын

@@StrikerTheSlacker sup

@iDayVids 2 жыл бұрын

Love the gorillaz. Been listening to this artist from Perth named Razegod who reminds me a lot of the gorillaz in certain instances. Makes a really wide variety of music, similar to how xxxtentacion had a very wide range of sounds. She is, dont run and Snake are all great songs

@fuckdott7308 5 ай бұрын

@@iDayVids check out Particle Kid

@godofthunderwastaken 2 жыл бұрын

This is why I still grieve in stereo

@reed6445 2 жыл бұрын

This is an amazing sequel to the video you made a couple years ago. Just amazing!

@DocterMaxis115 2 жыл бұрын

So glad to see a follow up to your first MGMT video! It was my first video from yours I saw and MGMT is my favorite band so this is a good day!

@Kittick_Art 2 жыл бұрын

I remember your video on them three years ago was what got me listening to their songs again, and it was such a delight to see this come up in my recommended! Really great video :)

@TheRaphaelxau 2 жыл бұрын

Love those guys, they marked my teenage years. A lot of my memories have MGMT songs playing at the background like a soundtrack. I'm here for MGMT as long as they are crafting music

@abel3736 2 жыл бұрын

omg my favorite band, i’m really stoked to see another video essay on them

@mitchlmitten5874 2 жыл бұрын

Been waiting for this one. Fantastic job!

@loversspit 2 жыл бұрын

You're seriously one of my favourite channels. I adore everything you put into a video, the craft is impeccable. Thank you once more! I adored this video

@carmentaborda971 2 жыл бұрын

Oracular Spectacular is a great album, one of the albums of my life...

@raymundoo2879 2 жыл бұрын

I agree! Congrats is their best but oracle spectacular is a masterpiece. Of moond birds and monster gives me goosebumps every single time I hear ir

@Kiriafycso 2 жыл бұрын

your first video got me into mgmt’s music. loved them ever since

@andrewthepancake 2 жыл бұрын

So happy we got a sequel to this. You really did the band justice.

@ummok5316 2 жыл бұрын

Congratulations and mgmt are beautiful albums, they have amazing sounds all throughout especially listening from beginning to end.

@paulsmallmusic 2 жыл бұрын

I subscribed to you after seeing the MGMT video and it's so cool to see this follow-up!

@ordotectonicus8585 2 жыл бұрын

I love how the little dark age song has experienced a boost in popularity because of history memes (tributes would be more appropriate). It's how i discovered mgmt

@TommCC 2 жыл бұрын

So glad that you made another video about MGMT!

@davemckay6511 2 жыл бұрын

It sounds like their journey into experimentation has made them even better song writers. Sort of like how Pink Floyd went from very experimental to deeply personal songs that resonated with people.

@Rkitt8 2 жыл бұрын

Congratulations is in my top 10 of all time. I think the general consensus is that it’s a brilliant album. I was traveling through the Baltic states on a deployment when it came out and it was my soundtrack going through the Polish, German, Finnish, and Estonian countrysides and cities. Every time I put the album on it takes me back there.

@sophiar5847 2 жыл бұрын

ive been waiting so patiently for this video!!

@tbhreviews6611 2 жыл бұрын

Always loved them and I always get excited when they release something

@kennedyreynolds8567 2 жыл бұрын

Love this video - LDA is one of my favorite albums of all time! That bit about the origin of When You Die blew my mind!!

@jessenorman91 2 жыл бұрын

a middle8 video about Frank Ocean would make my life

@christopherrusch 2 жыл бұрын

thank you so much for this episode, loved it! i feel you could do a great one on Alt-J

@chadsatomicdustbin9516 Жыл бұрын

This fan never dropped off. Love all the albums and ‘In the Afternoon’, Stellar!🤩

@ducki1970 2 жыл бұрын

The vibe I get from the song little dark age is like no other I love that song

@augustocesarmusic1661 2 жыл бұрын

Yes

@ypbd6943 2 жыл бұрын

dude you animation skills are amazing now Great video !

@salamandertommy666 Жыл бұрын

In The Afternoon is such a good single

@Justinmeatybonds 2 жыл бұрын

Love this band. Every time I bring them up the response is, "they're still making music?"

@sinisklemmo567 2 жыл бұрын

Sorry but I find ,Congratulations' was what MGMT could do the best. This is their peak album for me

@Askalott 2 жыл бұрын

It's genius. Love the surf-y sound.

@christopherrusch 2 жыл бұрын

it’s an incredible record

@markolijus 2 жыл бұрын

What an amazing album!

@isaiahsimmons5776 2 жыл бұрын

i dont hear any surfy sound. the album cover does that, and album cover is great.

@fenomozo9108 2 жыл бұрын

@@isaiahsimmons5776 Bro, It´s Working, Song for Dean Tracy and Brian Enno sound really surfie with a psychedelich touch. Heck, even I Found a Whistle and some parts of Siberian Breaks.

@aleksmyrene7029 2 жыл бұрын

love the vids!!

@nerdrocker89 2 жыл бұрын

MGMT never went anywhere for me, I love all of it.

@paranoid97 2 жыл бұрын

Little Dark Age & Congratulations are my top fav albums of them, classic stuff filled with psychedelic, emotive synths and playful tunes ❤️

@dababy7400 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for an update from your old mgmt video

@TheCyanSqueegee 2 жыл бұрын

I really haven't seen much to suggest that Congratulations was poorly received. In fact, Oracular Spectacular was actually not that well received if we are going by critics because I think a lot of them were expecting more like the singles only to find the rest of the album was completely different and disjointed in style. What I remember for critical reactions to Congratulations was that they were surprised by the sudden shift in style, but many still found the album to be musically engaging and complex. If we are talking about fan reactions (not counting people who just listened to the singles from Oracular as fans, not to be snobby or anything but just that they weren't really there for the band itself, just for the rave music), then Congratulations is probably the most widely beloved and has the greatest following. They may have lost in sheer number of listeners, but the fans who stayed had much more positive reactions. Now self-titled on the other hand, completely different story. Very very polarizing from what I have seen (I personally don't really enjoy listening to it). For this reason, I think it's weird to call the Congratulations and S/T era their "little dark age" because for many Congratulations was their peak. I personally always believed the "Little Dark Age" was supposed to just refer to Donald Trump's presidency. Also, In the Afternoon is such a banger and so underrated and underappreciated. As You Move Through The World is also a great proggy trip-out soundtrack.

@matt-ns3nn 2 жыл бұрын

As you move through the world is crazyyy

@brenon4741 2 жыл бұрын

what you're talking about? most people hated congratulations back then, mainly popular magazines (but quite influencial at that time) and the reaction it got from people who loved the first album was underwhelming at best

@TheCyanSqueegee 2 жыл бұрын

@@brenon4741 huh maybe you're right, I was mostly going by the Wikipedia "critical reception" section because I couldn't remember the exact reviews from when Congratulations initially dropped. I think it's fair to say that maybe the reaction was mixed at the time, but it has still now achieved cult status and is widely considered their best project by a sizable portion of their fans.

@brenon4741 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheCyanSqueegee yep!

@ickybobclay26 2 жыл бұрын

You should do a video on Ratatat since they are kinda coming back with different solo acts

@TheCyanSqueegee 2 жыл бұрын

Ratatat is so great and I almost never hear anyone talking about them. Maybe I'm just not in the right circles. Weird coincidence with both MGMT and Ratatat being featured on Pursuit of Happiness. I remember finding out MGMT did the backing vocals on the chorus and freaking out because I was already a huge fan had never realized it was them. You can definitely hear Andrew's voice though.

@willm3027 2 жыл бұрын

Excited to watch this video ☺️

@markolijus 2 жыл бұрын

Had a great luck to see them live in Slovenia, Congratulations tour... Amazing band, still one of my favourites..

@greatsupper 2 жыл бұрын

Congratulations and the self titled album are so freakin good man.

@mattcurtis 2 жыл бұрын

Remember they annouced they would make a song called Corona? I thought they would mention that in this video. The last song i know that they made was in the afternoon and somewhere in the world? I think its called. What happened to Corona? Mgmt is my fave band, they inspired me cuz i waa making similar muzic when i discovered them, i didnt discover them until the Congratulations album, i waa behind ha, the 1st song i heard was flash delirium and i thought this just a bunch of noise until near the end and suddenly fell in love with the song and then the album and the next albums, their whole discography. I bought tickets to see them but covid happened. Maybe someday. My favorite album is actually the self titled album, mgmt, with cool song no.2, mysterious disease (interesting), alien days, imtrospection...i play that album over and over to this day!

@mylo9753 2 жыл бұрын

I seriously love congratulations

@basedkitty 2 жыл бұрын

“Fair weathered fans” was a nice touch, Mr. 8.

@_zoehhhhh 2 жыл бұрын

yaaayyy another mgmt vid by middle 8 yayyy

@SebastianTinajero 2 жыл бұрын

Congratulations is one of my favorite records to throw on whenever I’m painting

@EmoBoi91 2 жыл бұрын

I feel so bad cuz I just recently dove deep into mgmt and now they’re one of my favorite bands 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽 Congratulations needs more recognition

@jacksondoughty 2 жыл бұрын

Your videos are so good

@martondenes240 2 жыл бұрын

First video i watched from you was your little dark age video. Became a fan instantly and watched that video like 5 times since, so I’m happy you made a new one🤝😂

@dracoquintas9141 2 жыл бұрын

I just started listening to their music, so this video came just in time for me lol

@gabrielcandido2492 2 жыл бұрын

Every time I watch a Middle 8 video, it gives me an insane will to listen to the band they're talking about

@spilled_beans 2 жыл бұрын

I don't know if I should feel embarrassed that I really love their first album and had their artistic meaning fly over my head. 👁👄👁

@perrodetokio Жыл бұрын

Same here

@ryangilmourXT 2 жыл бұрын

Little late but good video. Liked their neo psychedelic jams but they do pop quite well. Love psychedelic pop, Kevin Barnes has been my love during the SARS. Want to see what they do independently.

@Chelseajustwatches 2 жыл бұрын

Actually started listening to MGMT because of your first video about them, and Congratulations is now one of my favorite albums

@6joe16ful 2 жыл бұрын

Weekend wars, the handshake, the youth, and future reflection has been my life lately

@yashcfc4 2 жыл бұрын

Great video as always! Can you do an analysis on Prince? Would love to gett your thoughts on his artistry.

@riyapatadia4166 2 жыл бұрын

This is awesome to watch after the previous video

@lottasaari8484 2 жыл бұрын

Your last video of them got me into MGMT! I clicked sooo fast haha

@Lin-wi2zm Жыл бұрын

You know a bands good when a everyone's favorite album is a different album

@visualspark6308 Жыл бұрын

Just because it’s not commercially friendly does not mean Congratulations isn't an awesome album

@dreamspot3417 2 жыл бұрын

This record had a huge impact in my life, electric feel was the first music video I ever saw sitting in my living room floor watching MTV before school. Little dark age resparked that initial love and beauty of mgmt

@neszero 2 жыл бұрын

jesus christ i’m old

@dondrapery Жыл бұрын

Love She Works Out Too Much. So clever.

@moritzmuessig Жыл бұрын

They dropped a new Album and its super experimental again :D

@cadenbenton6235 Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately its not new, its actually a live show from 2011

@survivor8518 2 жыл бұрын

I love them sm

@damndoor3570 2 жыл бұрын

Nothing about as you move through the world 😭😭

@falsegod.969 4 ай бұрын

Little Dark Age was my introduction to this band, I haven't looked back since

@cynical182 2 жыл бұрын

4:26 I KNEW THAT SOUND BYTE SOUNDED FAMILIAR. what an absolute trip yo ❤️

@jmstock03 2 жыл бұрын

You’re really good at listening to music man

@punxet 2 жыл бұрын

yes, yes and yes!

@ainaaina4505 Жыл бұрын

I absolutely LOVE their album little dark age🌼 been a part of my life since it was published ngl

@MadChatterYT 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for continuing to talk about mgmt

@connor3198 2 жыл бұрын

Congratulations and Little Dark Age are some of my favorite albums of all time. Love MGMT!

@JWSOLOMAN5000 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe 4-5 years back my hair was like Andrews VanWyngarden's (I've also been told I look like him lol). I was working at an airport, and passengers were just starting to come through the store whilst I was setting up the checkout. I could sense someone was there waiting to pay so when I turned to serve them I was met by a guy who looked and dressed exactly like Ben Goldwasser! We both looked at one another in shock for a few seconds before continuing. It was so funny. He was probably shocked by my shock or something but I genuinely thought it was Ben until I saw his passport.

@momentsmeanmore 2 жыл бұрын

Great video!! I honestly enjoy the breadth of MGMT's work. From their earlier works like Climbing to New Lows and the EPs We (don't) Care and Time to Pretend into their debut album Oracular Spectacular and Congratulations but also as their careers progressed into the self titled album and Little Dark Age. I know the self titled album catches some flak from fans but I really enjoyed it and spent a lot of time listening to it. Looking at the tracklisting I don't think there's one song that I absolutely hated in any sense. Every song was solid in it's own right. As MGMT often do, Little Dark Age took me for a loop with some of the styles of sound that they were presenting in that album. I couldn't help but feel that there was some theme of closure with Hand it Over at the end of the album. An end of an era if you will. But then the following year with the track In the Afternoon and 2020's As You Move Through The World I was happy to see them starting their own label and I like the more darkwave influence that they've conjured up. One thing that I can honestly say about Ben and Andrew, they never got cornered into just one box. They constantly keep experimenting with different styles of music and aren't afraid to brave new territory while keeping things refreshing and still dipping into familiar memories of the past.

@Jayslo1357 Жыл бұрын

Oracular spectacular was the soundrack for so many students at university in 2008 and 2009. Myself being one of them. Good Times

@neotower420 Жыл бұрын

noticed the same thing, when I hear electric feel it takes me back to that time in such a weird way, I think it's partly an acid flashback to a memory from bonnaroo back then

@john_x_two 2 жыл бұрын

I actually enjoy Litte Dark Age far more than any of their previous albums. It's so odd, fun, and catchy as hell. For as poppy as it seems, it's such a different style than what you get from someone making "pop" songs.