MGMT released their fifth studio album, “Loss of Life,” in late February, taking their sound in a few distinct, new directions.
A Middledown, Connecticut based indie duo, MGMT has been making indie and psychedelic rock with electronic elements since the early 2000s. They earned radio airplay almost immediately from their first singles, “Time to Pretend,” “Kids” and “Electric Feel,” off their debut album, “Oracular Spectacular.”
Their following two albums did not receive the same responses, however, largely due to a less pop sound. Their second album, “Congratulations,” opted for a more psychedelic and acoustic sound than their first album provided. Their third album, “MGMT,” had a more abrasive and experimental sound. While their experimental sound continued on their fourth album, “Little Dark Age,” their synth pop sound was far more radio friendly, allowing the title track to gain some traction in 2018. While it did not reach the popularity of “Oracular Spectacular,” it was a sign of a return to form for the duo.
“Loss of Life” did not keep up the momentum. While the album is not explicitly bad, I would not reach to call it good, either. The album is an odd mix of acoustic indie, reminiscent of Elliot Smith, and slow, contemporary style ballads.
Following a simple synth intro track, “Loss of Life (part 2),” the album begins properly with “Mother Nature.” The first single, I find that it’s the best song on the album. “Mother Nature” is a nice indie acoustic track that develops well into its second half. The first half is somewhat gentle, with a flute accompaniment over the acoustic track, before expanding throughout and crescendoing for the final chorus.
The third track, “Dancing in Babylon,” takes a sharp right turn, not necessarily for the better. It sounds like an 1980s piano ballad, before turning towards dance pop. “Dancing in Babylon” is the first MGMT track with a featured artist, Christine and the Queens. While her vocal melodies do not take away from the track, she isn’t given the chance to add too much from an incredibly slow five minute track that overstays its welcome by three and a half minutes.
Following that is “People In The Streets,” an incredibly slow five and a half minute track that overstays its welcome to just as extreme a degree. The verse is backed by a simple and repetitive guitar loop, while the chorus just repeats the title a few times. There is an electronic fill after one of the choruses, but it does not add too much beyond 30 seconds to the runtime. I originally had “forgettable” in my notes for this song, but I cannot unhear the awkward delivery every time he sings “people in the streets.”
“Bubblegum Dog” is a welcome change in sound on the album. The track has a more traditional indie-rock sound, with a David Bowie-esque vocal delivery. My favorite instrumental moment on the album is the solo on “Bubblegum Dog,” an incredibly grand guitar solo overtop the harpsichord melody that’s present on the instrumental throughout. It was a pleasant surprise following the two slow tracks, and beckoned in a better second half.
Opening the second half of the album is “Nothing to Declare,” a return to the sound from “Mother Nature.” Overall, it isn’t a bad track, though it isn’t doing anything particularly special or interesting, either. It’s a relatively static song that feels like it could be doing something far more interesting with the ideas it is attempting. The song builds up as if it’s waiting for a dramatic crescendo, and does not provide it. It’s so close to being a good song, but it just misses the mark.
“Nothing Changes” is six and a half minutes long, but is otherwise a pretty decent song. It actually builds on each of its influences, combining the slower ballad feel with more indie and acoustic elements. It has an interesting brass solo, and sounds distinct throughout. However, it’s still six and a half minutes. If the song were two minutes shorter, it may have been in contention for the best song on the album.
“Phradies Song” is unique on the album. While it’s still acoustic indie, it has a lullaby feel. It’s just a sweet, simple love song, and sounds unique amongst the rest of the album. It does not try to do too much, but it does not need to.
The next track returned to MGMT’s slower, ballad feel. However, “I Wish I Was Joking” does not feel straight out of the 1980s, like the earlier two. Rather, it would not feel too out of place on the album “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” by the Arctic Monkeys. The vocal delivery once again feels like imitation Bowie, and the song is otherwise repetitive and does not do anything too special.
The last song, which happens to be its title track, “Loss of Life,” is slow, but poses as a solid conclusion. It feels celebratory, and actually sounds somewhat different from the rest of the album. Unlike the crescendo on “Nothing to Declare,” the final track’s crescendo feels satisfactory.
As a complete album, “Loss of Life” is not incredible. I hesitate to call the album bad, because its low points do not detract from the overall experience. However, it suffers from an absence of anything really notable. There are not enough high points, and no songs that I feel are genuinely worth returning to if you are not already a fan of the duo or of the style. A lot of the music on the album feels like it is on the verge of doing something interesting or cool, but it just misses the mark. Out of 10, I think that MGMT’s “Loss of Life” probably sits at a solid six, though it could have been much better.