Comes on Opaque Pink vinyl LP.
Loss of Life is the fifth studio album by the American rock band MGMT. It was released on February, 2024
Singles such as ‘Mother Nature’, ‘Bubblegum Dog’, and ‘Nothing to Declare’ revealed that MGMT were free of the neuroses that were more apparent in their previous albums, particularly Little Dark Age. Don’t get me wrong, the band’s music has always had neurotic moments: my favourite album of theirs Congratulations, has plenty of them (songs such as ‘A Song for Dan Treacy’ and the aforementioned ‘Flash Delirium’). But Little Dark Age’s neuroses came from a place of frustration: VanWyngarden and Goldwasser in an interview expressed how that LP was made partly as a reaction to Donald Trump’s US presidential reign.
The singles from Loss of Life suggest the music has more of an accepting, innocent air to it – an innocence that’s comparable to their excellent debut Oracular Spectacular. In an ABC interview, the band members even said that they wanted listeners to “feel comforted” with their latest release, and that the creative process was more akin to their process when producing their debut: just a couple of guys making music together with no pressure to produce a full-length project. I’d say it’s as enjoyable as Oracular Spectacular too.
The album has a fluidity that’s akin to albums such as Radiohead’s In Rainbows (an album that had the band take a similarly relaxed approach to producing the album’s music). There’s no lag in the tracklist. I will say that the weakest songs are the first and last songs of the LP (ironically the titular songs for the album) and on any ordinary project that would be bad, very bad. But 1) the middle eight songs are consistently great, and 2) the bookended tracks don’t carry the intention to be earth-shattering: the opener is literally a middle Welsh poem, and the closer is a song that knows it’s landing the plane from the glorious flight of the previous eight tracks.
The music still carries shades of sixties psychedelia and pop that you come to expect from MGMT, but there is a nineties alt-rock edge to their sound now. ‘Bubblegum Dog’ is the most obvious example: the single’s video is literally littered with nineties alt-rock references that would make any nostalgic millennial or Gen Xer cream himself (I dare say the opening acoustic guitar riff reminds me
of Radiohead’s ‘Just’). It has a real hypnotic melody that is wonderfully complemented by the razor-sharp guitar lines. ‘People in the Streets’ is such an unadulterated rock song that it sounds like it was made during the late nineties: the intense drum fills by the end of the track are really satisfying.
Of course, there are songs that are sixties inspired which would please the hardcore fan of the band. ‘Mother Nature’ radiates from the tracklist: its hooks carry so much colour akin to hooks and melodies that characterised sunshine pop acts such as The Association or Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. ‘Phradie’s Song’ is like MGMT’s ‘Sunday Morning’ (by The Velvet Underground). VanWyngarden’s vocals suit this lullaby to the ground, it roots the track in its frosty sweetness that ironically will leave you feeling a little warmer inside. ‘I Wish I Was Joking’ is very Beatles-esque, but late Beatles (circa White Album), the cooler version of the band. The effortlessly proficient melodicism over a song with such a simple sentiment reminds me of tracks such as ‘I’m So Tired’ or ‘Sexy Sadie’.
There are great lines throughout the LP too. For instance, the line on ‘Dancing In Babylon’ “Maybe I mistook pure distraction/ For a flash of love” is wonderfully honest. I’ve yet to come across such a succinct description of a loss of innocence in a pop song than in ‘People in the Streets’ where VanWyngarden sings “Life keeps on going/ Showing you things that you can’t unsee”. Overall, the album lyrically is more clear than in previous efforts, which makes its appeal more universal.
Loss of Life is a great LP from the stalwarts of neo-psychedelia. MGMT really produced a fine album, and I would probably put it as my second favourite of theirs behind Congratulations for now: I have a feeling as I mature, this LP can easily grab top spot. The band is real masters of pop rock at this point, and a Loss of Life just serves to confirm that fact (source is www.indiependent.co.uk)
