THE BAND TALKS UP THEIR NEW
ALBUM CONGRATULATIONS

When I told a friend that I had an advance copy of MGMT’s new album she almost peed herself, and then exploded with uncontrollable glee. Rock stars have a tendency to do that to women. Guys like me can only wish. Consisting of Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden, the New York-based band MGMT has been making fans giddy since releasing their previous album Oracular Spectacular. Rolling Stone named it the 18th best album of the decade. The NME proclaimed it the best of 2008. Now they’re back with a follow-up. Congratulations is a nine-track trip into the psychedelic pop-rockers’ imaginations. I spoke with Andrew VanWyngarden about the journey.

Tell me a bit about the album cover?
Originally it was going to look more like a lottery ticket with a scratch-off cover. It’s sort of a metaphor for how Ben and I are feeling about fame.

Are you experiencing post-lottery-win blues?
We’re just overwhelmed and uncomfortable with the idea of success – what it means and what it can do to people. That’s what this album cover represents and what this record is about.

On the track “Siberian Breaks” you say, “I hope I die before I get sold.” Can you expand?
It’s a lyrical reference to “I hope I die before I get old” from The Who’s My Generation album. It sums up the mindset that we had going into this album.

Of not wanting to sell out?
Well, we could have tried to capitalize on our success by making the poppiest music to sell the most records. Instead we decided to stay true to who we are. We made music that we would want to hear and that reflects our influences.

What’s the sound like?
It’s a mixture of a lot of psychedelic and sunshine pop from the ’60s combined with obscure sounds from the ’80s. A weird combo of everything from The Electric Prunes and The Mamas & The Papas to Felt, Queen and The Television Personalities.

What’s your biggest musical influence?
Brian Wilson is pretty huge. Mostly the album Surf’s Up and some of the early ’70s Beach Boys stuff. Joe Meek and his production is also a really big influence.

What effect do you want the music to have on people?
We want people to go into a different world when they hear this album. People need to zone out and drift off sometimes. If you let your mind actually go places, you might realize that just because something is comfortable and nice doesn’t mean that it’s good.

Are you listening to a lot of current music?
Not really. I know that there is a lot of great stuff going on but we’re a bit out of touch. I tend to listen to music from the ’60s to the early ’90s.

So if you could only listen to one classic album for eternity, which one would it be?
It would probably be… Bach or something. Music that’s so complex that I could constantly discover new things in it.

You guys sued Nicolas Sarkozy. Why did you decide to take on the president of France? 
That whole situation came about because of blatant hypocrisy. They were using one of our songs without our permission while trying to pass pretty strict anti-piracy legislation. We weren’t trying to make a big point of it, but we had to do something. We couldn’t just sit back and let it happen.

So what’s your take on the whole copyright thing?
I’ve been downloading music illegally since I was like 18. I don’t mind people downloading our album. But if they do like it, then maybe one day they can buy it.

Where do you see yourselves down the road?
Eventually, I would like us to be more of a studio band. We love recording and making weird sounds and new songs as opposed to constantly touring. 

Written by: FILIP TERLECKI
April 28th, 2010

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