MTV Buzzworthy Blog › MGMT

(Credit: Samir Hussein/Getty Images)

MGMT were always straddling their pop tendencies and their psychedelic meanderings (I mean "meanderings" in the best possible way). The combination of indelible melody and strangeness is what made songs like "Kids" and "Electric Feel," so great.

But with their most recent album, Congratulations, and the singles and videos that album has spawned ("Flash Delirium" and "It's Working") the band can be heard (and seen) hopping off the fence and fully embracing their weird side.

The duo may have reached the peak of Mount Strange with their new video for "Congratulations." The song is a totally pleasant, sun-baked folk-pop track that takes its time getting where it's going. But the video is a different animal altogether.

And I mean different animal. In the clip MGMT managers, Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden, wander through the desert with a beast of unknown origin. The Internet (which is always on the money with this kind of thing) has dubbed the animal a, "Duck-dog-o-saurus."

I don't know what it is about alt bands and their fascination with bizarre creatures in their videos, but this is the second clip in as many weeks to feature a freak of nature, as Yeasayer's "Madder Red" clip saw Kristen Bell mourning her "sentient pet meatwad." Kids today, I tell ya.

Check out MGMT's "Congratulations" video. Congratulations is out now.

Tags MGMT, video

It looks like Beyoncé is having a really nice, really chill summer. Here she is, spotted last night at the one-year anniversary party for Club Avenue in New York City. I don't really know why nightclubs need anniversary parties, but whatever excuse is needed to have Beyoncé come out, looking like she just spent the last three months in Williamsburg listening to MGMT on repeat, is a worthy occasion.

Through all her videos for I Am ... Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé has presented herself as an icon; the amazonian firestarter of "Single Ladies," the robot of "Diva," the desperate housewife of "Why Don't You Love Me." Even in "Halo," she looked otherworldly.

But here, on a random Wednesday night out, she just looks like a normal New York City gal! Ripped jean shorts, "Flashdance"-style T-shirt, curly hair. All hail Hipster Beyoncé! And all hail her awesome videos for "Single Ladies," "Diva" and "Halo," below.

Tags Beyonce, MGMT, Star Spotting

When we last left MGMT, the group had just released its second album, Congratulations, the follow-up to the wildly successful Oracular Spectacular. If MGMT's debut album imbued pop songs with a bit of experimentation, Congratulations is mostly experimentation with some pop song cameos.

The band has gone a similarly avant-garde route with the videos off of Congratulations as well, with its "Flash Delirium" clip standing out as one of the year's most bizarre.

Things are slightly less weird, though still inscrutable, in MGMT's new SO ME-directed "It's Working" video. The clip finds the duo -- rocking much more traditional threads than their usual psychedelic/Vision Quest uniforms -- posed with the task of putting something together.

As anyone who's ever gotten into a screaming match with a significant other over a piece of IKEA furniture knows, this can be a difficult task. That being said, I don't believe IKEA sells anything that contains the magic and wonder of the contraption put together by MGMT -- though I could be wrong!

Check out MGMT's vid for "It's Working" as well as the clip for "Flash Delirium," both below. Congratulations is out now.

Tags MGMT, video

So many awesome bands, so little time.

No need to feel totally humiliated because you don't know the difference between The Big Pink and "The Color Purple." If you happen to find yourself at a loss for a knowing retort when your friends start name-dropping bands you've never heard of, DO NOT PANIC. Instead, close your eyes, take a breath and feel free to spitball any of the following insider tidbits on the following "it" bands that give you instant cred. You're so very welcome.

1.) The National: Over the past 10 years, The National has won over hipsters with its Americana-inspired indie-rock and good Samaritans with its pension for political action and philanthropy. Your key talking point: "I was into 'Cherry Tree' way before 'High Violet.' " Watch the video for "Apartment Story" below.

2.) Broken Bells: This supergroup features James Mercer (from The Shins) and Danger Mouse (from Gnarls Barkley). Somewhere, Cee-Lo is pouting in a corner, wearing a dashiki, because he's not in on this innovative indie-pop. Your key talking point: "If 'Garden State' was made today, the song 'The High Road' would totally be on the soundtrack." Watch the video for "The Ghost Inside" below.

3.) Crystal Castles: Not only does singer Alice Glass have the fiercest bowl cut we've seen this side of Joey Lawrence (circa "Gimme A Break!"), but the rest of the band is pretty bitchin', too. These quirky Canadians have successfully created a whole new genre: zombie electro-pop. One listen to "Crimewave" and you'll hear what we mean. Your key talking point: "I have to admit. I was pretty impressed when Toshiba used 'Air War' in that commercial." Watch the video for "Crimewave" below.

+ More videos after the jump.
Read more...

Tags Broken Bells, Cee Lo, Coachella, Crystal Castles, Danger Mouse, Four Tet, Gnarls Barkley, Hot Chip, James Mercer, Jay-Z, justin bieber, Karen O, Liars, MGMT, The Big Pink, The National, The Shins, The XX, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yeasayer

+ The answer to the most pressing question facing our nation is no, Selena Gomez is not beefing with Miley Cyrus. At a recent event, Gomez told The Daily Mirror that "I'm not here to replace anyone. Miley is such a sweetheart. There is no feud, there's nothing going on." Whew. (I'm Not Obsessed)

+ Ke$ha revealed the artwork for her new single "Your Love Is My Drug." Nice to see she's still meeting her glitter quota. (Just Jared)

+ Wondering where T.I. is? According to The-Dream, he's "in the zone." I love that place, don't you? The Atlanta rapper, who recently was released from prison, is working on his new album, Paper Trail. (MTV News)

+ If you like watching some of your favorite musical acts performing their songs on psychedelic kids shows, then it's time you got yourself familiar with "Yo Gabba Gabba." The mind-bending children's show has played host to Weezer, The Killers, Sean Kingston and MGMT. (Idolator)

+ The Hills' Audrina Patridge and former Ashlee Simpson beau Ryan Cabrera broke up. The dozen people who actually knew they were dating are probably pretty bummed out. (LimeLife)

Tags Ashlee Simpson, Audrina Patridge, Ke$ha, MGMT, Miley Cyrus, Ryan Cabrera, Sean Kingston, Selena Gomez, T.I., The Hills, The-Dream, The-Killers, Weezer, Yo Gabba Gabba

MGMT, the makers of indelible psych-pop nuggets like "Kids" and "Electric Feel," are back with their sophomore album, Congratulations.

Unlike Oracular Spectacular, the group's breakthrough debut album, Congratulations appears to be a much denser, complex affair -- and if the album's first single, "Flash Delirium," is any indication, then we're in for a long, strange, musical trip.

The clip for "Flash Delirium," as MTV News' James Mongomery has noted, also bares a striking resemblance to the work of Beck, both in its use of zany visuals (i.e. weird costume design and senior citizen choreography) and its drugged-but-funky sound.

Check out the video for "Flash Delirium" below. Congratulations is out April 13.

Tags Beck, MGMT, video

+ Jay-Z had yet another homecoming last night, playing another typically awe-inspiring show at Madison Square Garden—the venue which hosted his Fade To Black concert film and his 9/11 benefit show. Opener Young Jeezy nearly stole the show from the headliner, though. The Atlanta rapper brought out Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne, who celebrated his lack of incarceration by performing Young Jeezy's underground hit, "I'm Goin' In." (MTV News)

+ Justin Timberlake's affair with Hollywood continues unabated. The pop star will act opposite Cameron Diaz in the upcoming film Bad Teacher. A couple of things are wrong with this: 1.) We're getting a little annoyed that Justin Timberlake keeps finding movie sets more inviting than recording studios, and 2.) Did anyone notice that Diaz is Justin Timberlake's ex-girlfriend. Jessica Biel can't be cool with this. (Just Jared)

+ The psych-pop kids in MGMT have a new full-length album, Congratulations, out April 13.  And by way of promotion, they've made a snappy infomercial, highlighting all the neat bells and whistles that come with the CD's packaging. (Flavorwire)

+ The Pussycat Dolls tour bus is probably a pretty lonely place these days because the nu-burlesque girl group recently lost more members, Kimberly Wyatt and Ashley Roberts. The pair left the Nicole Scherzinger-led group while they were on tour in England. (PopEater)

+ Idolator have put together a jaw-dropping gallery of the craziest, most passionate, most ornate, most dedicated and, in some cases, most disturbing pieces of fan art they could find. The package includes renderings of Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Adam Lambert, Kanye West and many more. (Idolator)

Tags Adam Lambert, Drake, Jay-Z, Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, MGMT, Nicki Minaj, Nicole Scherzinger, Pussycat Dolls, Taylor Swift, Young Jeezy

Sampling in hip-hop is becoming somewhat of an endangered art-form. How come? Well, it's just too expensive to go around taking Aerosmith guitar riffs (Run-DMC's "Walk This Way") or Led Zeppelin drums (Beastie Boys' "So What'cha Want"). Those days are decidedly gone—or are they?

Enter Philadelphia underground rap duo Chiddy Bang and their insanely catchy new single "Opposite Of Adults." Sure, we love the cut's combination of easily-to-relate-to nostalgic lyrics, courtesy of Chiddy Bang's MC, and the giant, tumbling beat, thanks to DJ/producer Xaphoon Jones. But another reason the song's so great likely stems from an ingenious sample of MGMT's "Kids."

Cut and pasted and re-arranged, the keyboard hook from MGMT's hit sounds fantastic in this hip-hop context and, well, don't get us started on the kooky video. Ever wanted to see large superimposed heads of the Chiddy Bang members on younger, smaller bodies? We'll take that as a "yes."

Tags Aerosmith, Beastie Boys, Chiddy Bang, MGMT, Run-DMC, video

MGMT: You go for the lush, electronic-but-organic instrumentation and bouncy beats, but you stay for the insanely catchy melodies.

Jams like "Kids" and "Electric Feel" have a timeless quality to them; they're just examples of rock solid songwriting. And it's this basic, elemental quality that comes across in this version of MGMT's mega-jam, "Kids," by British band The Kooks. It reminds a lot of the version "Electric Feel" cover that Katy Perry did a while back; with voice, guitar and a little bit of keys for embellishment.

+  Listen to The Kooks' cover of MGMT's "Kids" here (as well as their covers of Peter, Bjorn and John and Gnarls Barkley), and check out the MGMT's "Kids" video, for the sake of comparison, below.

Tags Gnarls Barkely, Katy Perry, MGMT, Peter-Bjorn-and-John, Song You Need To Know, The Kooks, video

The leaves are leaving the trees and the kids are back in school. It's starting to look like Woodie weather out there, no?

MTVU's annual award show--held this year on December 4th--honors those artists who put it down on college campuses everywhere; celebrating the music the kids listen to while studying to become the future leaders of America, etc. And the best part about this show? You can vote to determine who wins!

This year features a really healthy crop of artists. Let's take a gander at some of the categories and nominees, shall we?

For the Woodie of the Year Award, for the artist who made the biggest splash on college campuses this year, we've got Asher Roth, Kings Of Leon, Drake, Silversun Pickups and MGMT.

In the category of Breaking Woodie, which honors up and coming artists who have made headway with the kids, the nominees are Grizzly Bear, Never Shout Never, Wale, La Roux, Friendly Fires and Passion Pit.

Probably my favorite category, Left Field Woodie, which features artists who defy classification, features nominees like Amanda Blank, Major Lazer, Janelle Monae and P.O.S.

You can also vote in the categories Performing Woodie, Good Woodie and College Radio Woodie, BMOC Woodie and Best Video Woodie.

Tags Amanda Blank, Asher Roth, Drake, Friendly Fires, Janelle Monae, Kings of Leon, La Roux, Major Lazer, MGMT, mtvU-Woodie-Awards, P.O.S., Passion Pit, Silversun Pickups, Wale, Woodies