MGMT Concert + She & Him

I was in London last week, and I was one of the lucky few hundred to score tickets to MGMT's concert there. They picked a very small venue called Heaven. It was great to see them up close and to be one of the first to hear their new album live. They alternated new songs with old material.

How was it? I have mixed feelings. The general consensus is that their sophomore album, Congratulations, features a new sound from them: they intentionally did not write anything like "Kids." I personally really like it: I think they're a band that genuinely tries to expand their sound and in different directions. They could have continued in the same vein as Oracular Spectacular, sold tons of records, opened for GaGa/U2/Coldplay and embraced the mainstream celebrity status. But they didn't, they took a riskier path and rejected "selling-out." No, I'm not a big fan of "Flash Delirum" (cluttered and aimless, in my opinion) but I think the album as a whole (which is streaming on their website) is strong.

However, this made for a rather awkward concert experience. The album had not been streamed or leaked online before the concert, so all we knew of their new material was "Flash Delirium" and some interviews. MGMT is not particularly charismatic live. The sound level was low. So people mostly stood around during the new songs and only became energized when something familiar was played. No one really knew what to expect. At the end, a lot of people were upset because they didn't play "Kids" at all, despite the fans chanting for it. While "Kids" isn't my favorite song by them, I do think that they should have played it, simply because the crowd obviously knew it and loved it. Deliberately leaving it out felt rather like a snub to the fans. However, I also understand that the night was supposed to be about their new album and a departure from their old sound.

Anyway, MGMT is hitting a few college concerts (Brown, Yale) so perhaps you'll see them soon. Listen to the new album and see what you think! Leave a comment and let me know.

Also, She & Him's wonderful new album, Volume Two, was released 5 days ago in the US. It's currently streaming in full here. The pairing of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward continues to be charming and endearing; fans of Volume One won't be disappointed.