The 500 - #494 - MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan. 

• 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 494

Album Title: Oracular Spectacular
Artist: MGMT
Released: October, 2007
My age at release: 42
How familiar am I with it: I know it well - many listens 
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Kids
Great Lyric:
"Saw her in the Amazon
With voltage running through her skin
Standing there with nothing on
She's going to teach me how to swim." 
(Electric Feel)

This is the first record on the list that I know well. I didn't need to listen to it twice - but I did. I also listened to The 500 Podcast to hear that take.

Josh and his guest Gareth Reynolds make a good point. Each half of the record is a different style. The first half is an electronic-pop album with an ironic sensibility. The second half is psychedelic experimentation. It was as if the band said: "Here are 5 songs that you market...and here is what we are really in to."

In the winter of 2007, I traveled to Treasure Beach, Jamaica with my wife and my friend Bill (who went there annually).  Treasure Beach is a bit of an anomaly.  Located in the St. Elizabeth Parish on the south side of the island, it boasts fishing & agriculture as its two major industries. Tourism is almost an afterthought. Consequently, if you visit, there are no resorts and you coexist among the locals. In the 1600's, a fishing boat full of Scots sank just offshore. The men swam in and never left. You can still see their impact in the locals, many of whom have red or blonde hair and vibrant green or blue eyes. They are nicknamed the "brownins" or "red men". More information can be found here.

Our journey from Detroit to Treasure Beach was fraught with misadventure. 

• An unexpected overnight layover in Springfield, Pennsylvania because of mismanagement by U.S. Airways.
• Lost luggage delayed us in Montego Bay. (Again US Airways!)
• A harrowing drive over the Blue Mountains - narrow, switchback roads of gravel and unforgiving marl winding their way through remote villages and tropical forests. 

Two days later, all was forgotten. The stress had melted away in the Caribbean sun. I had brought a small, portable speaker and my first MP3 player. It could hold about 200 songs. The two newest additions to the roster were MGMT's Oracular Spectacular and Wilco's Sky Blue Sky (Coincidentally, a Wilco record is next on this list).

We rented a floor of a home at the top of a hill overlooking the small town and the ocean. This was one of two homes affectionately called "The Sisters" because they looked similar & were owned by two sisters. The home had a large, open deck with comfortable chairs. It was one afternoon, while my wife napped, that I listened through both the MGMT & Wilco albums for the first time. Consequently, both of these records remind me of warm ocean breezes and a deep sense of tranquility. There may have been rum involved.

Oracular Spectacular begins with an undeniably catchy keyboard riff leading into the band's most recognizable song Time to Pretend. However, it was the second track, Weekend Wars that made me take notice. It reminded me of Peter Gabriel era Genesis - like a missing track from Nursery Cryme or Foxtrot.

Oracular Spectacular is the kind of record that gets a listen from me annually. However, after listening to the podcast, I realize that I only tend to listen to the first 5 songs. The space-rock-psychedelic jams on Side 2 are fine...but I like the pop stuff much more. I picked Kids for my Spotify mix - I'm not sure why - probably because it is such an ear-worm.