MGMT’s recent album ‘Congratulations’ is a “grower”, according to one of the duo’s dad.

MGMT's recent album 'Congratulations' is a "grower",

MGMT’s recent album ‘Congratulations’ is a “grower”, according to one of the duo’s dad. The pair’s second album has had mixed reviews, but Bruce VanWyngarden, father of frontman Andrew, has urged fans to stick with it. VanWyngarden senior is the editor of newspaper Memphis Flyer, and has given readers his verdict on the album. “‘Congratulations’, MGMTs second album, is dense, lush, textured, difficult in places, absolutely euphoria-inducing in others. It is, as they say in the music business, a ‘grower’ — that is, repeated listens reveal more depth and complexity,” he wrote on his Memphis Flyer blog. “The lyrics blossom and begin to live in your head. The songs become earworms. It was the second-best selling album in the US last week. So yeah, I’m proud of my son.” He added: “This has been a completely biased report on a Memphis kid who’s doing pretty well in the music business.” Bruce VanWyngarden also admitted that his relationship to the band had made it difficult for his paper’s journalists to cover MGMT. “The growing notoriety of my son Andrew’s band, MGMT, has long been something of a dicey issue for the Flyer’s music writers,” he wrote. “I feel their pain. It’s a lose-lose proposition for them. If they are critical, they risk pissing off or at least irritating their boss. If they praise the band, it looks like they’re sucking up. No matter that MGMT has been praised and dissed and profiled by every major music publication and music blog around the globe, it’s still a ticklish deal for our guys.”

MGMT writing in Malibu, scaring ‘Kids’ in video

Now that “Oracular Spectacular” rolls off everyone’s tongue as if it were part of our music vocabulary all along, MGMT will slowly be rolling out new material in live appearances this summer — possibly some songs they wrote while holed up recently in Malibu. Ben Goldwasser said in an interview with Australian radio that he and songwriting partner Andrew VanWyngarden have worked on new songs in two sessions, the first in the Catskills in upstate New York and then in sunnier West Coast climes. “Some of the songs are definitely a little more introspective and then there’s definitely some more surfy, beachy stuff going on,” Goldwasser told Triple J in a phone interview to promote the band’s July appearance at Splendour in the Grass festival. Meanwhile, the band just released the video for the first song they ever wrote — “Kids.” And the video is … well, just plain weird, three ideas tied awkwardly together. On the band’s website, they explain the song has become “some kind of monster,” but at least it’s not a monstrosity. After the jump, their explanation of the video, and the piece itself: MGMT is pleased to announce (finally), from an undisclosed tropical paradise, the bona fide release of the O-fficial video for the authoritative song known succinctly as: “Kids.” This is the first song we ever wrote, on a cold day in February way back in 2003. Yes, “Kids” is an Aquarius, but shows many traits of an Aries. The idea for the video was born about a year ago, at a mock-Italian cafe on Ninth Avenue in bustling Manhattan. We are both animated and stoked to reveal at this time that we once again worked with director Ray Tintori, someone who’s known this song since it’s inception. “Kids” has proven to be some kind of monster with a life of its own, both an albatross and a plate of mac and cheese with fake bacon (Annie’s), and the process of creating this video was nearly as convoluted and veiny as the general style of this here letter of introduction. As Jerry Garcia once rudely remarked about the eventual and unavoidable filling in (with sand) of the historic United States Grand Canyon, “What a long strange rip it’s been.” Without further ado, we give you:
“KIDS” – MGMT

Flaming Lips, Jane’s Addiction, MGMT set for Splendour in the Grass

Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT are headlining this winter’s Splendour in the Grass. ELECTRO-POP sensations MGMT, rockers Jane’s Addiction and UK outfit Bloc Party will headline winter music festival Splendour In The Grass this year. In the first line-up announcement for the festival, which will be held on July 25 and 26 at Byron Bay’s Belongil Fields, The Flaming Lips, Grinspoon, Sarah Blasko, Augie March and Midnight Juggernauts have also been added to the bill.

Other acts include Hilltop Hoods, Josh Pyke, Little Birdy, Kram, Birds of Tokyo and Manchester Orchestra.

Tickets go on sale at 9am (AEST) on May 14 through www.qjump.com.au.