[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL "The Videography of MGMT"
08.15.12
BY MIKEY MIGO
I don’t know much about MGMT. I’m fairly certain I had the “Oracular Spectacular” album in my possession for a while, but I never really gave them a shot. I was initially interested because I took to the track “Electric Feel”. I liked it enough. It was fun and bouncy. From there I just never kept up or thought twice. Today I’m going to give them another shot via their music video collection. From what I recall they had a really interesting artistic approach. Their videos have to be great, right? Let’s see…
Track: "Boogie Down”
Album: ”Time to Pretend (EP)”
Year: 2005
Director: Max Goldblatt
During their early days as “The Management” they still put out some videos. This is one of them. It’s obviously a lower budget, more experimental video. The dudes being topless and dancing around, the weird hoodies, and everything…. It’s just weird shit. The song is fun and catchy, but the video is just chaotic and weird. I appreciate what they’re going for, but it’s more unsettling and lame than it is ironic and tongue-in-cheek. This was before they “broke out” so I can’t hate on it too much for their first effort. Rating: 6.0
Track: "Destrokk”
Album: ”Time to Pretend (EP)”
Year: 2005
Director: John Miserendino
Here is another video from their days as “The Management”. This video is great! The two band members sing and dance, one in a lighter costume and the other in a joint costume. They rock out a little and before you know it, they’re beer and eventually one is a rail of blow and the other is a rolled up bill. I’m sure they could have used better equipment, but you have to assume their early career limitations. What they lacked in production they made up in style, visual, and creativity. If you’re a fan of weed and partying then this isa video you should see at least once. Rating: 6.5
Track: "The Youth”
Album: ”Oracular Spectacular”
Year: 2008
Director: Eric Wareheim
I don’t even know if this was an official single. We see four children dressed up in what looks like a cross between 80’s aerobic gear and what someone from the 60’s would have thought the future would have looks like. These children dance, look bored, and kind of rock out in their own subdued way. About a minute and a half in, shit gets real when one of the girls slap the shit out of one of the boys. From there, it’s back to the weirdness. Apparently there is a weird jealousy of one of the boys because he’s breakdancing instead of dancing with them. By the end, they’re all doing their own thing… and not. I’m not sure what the hell I just watched, but I was enthralled. Rating: 7.5
Track: "Time to Pretend”
Album: ”Oracular Spectacular”
Year: 2008
Director: Ray Tintori
This is a really cool song. There is a lot of crazy green screen stuff going on. It’s almost sloppy, but it’s got a really natural feel to it. The animation and colors make you flow with the melody. There is an on-going theme of references to the book Lord of the Flies, but only references. This video has its own thing going on. Trippy, surreal, and weird… but definitely its own thing. I can’t think of many, if any, music videos that come close to what this video is doing. For that, I’m a fan and wonder if I’m too old to roll. Rating: 8.0
Track: "Electric Feel”
Album: ”Oracular Spectacular”
Year: 2008
Director: Ray Tintori
I’m pretty sure this is where most people first heard of MGMT. I know it was my first impression of this band is a main reason I wanted to give the rest of their video collection a shot. The song is catchy as hell, but the video is really beautiful. It’s a really silly video in the tone they’re putting out, but the visuals are really good. The colors, the energy, the layers, and depth make this more art than a run of the mill music video. I don’t know the backstory to the video. It feels like a weird utopian/grown-up version of the movie “Hook”. At one point animal-tronic robots play along to the music. How are we supposed to not automatically love this video and song? Rating: 8.5
Track: "Kids”
Album: ”Oracular Spectacular”
Year: 2009
Director: Ray Tintori
Is this the band’s biggest hit now? I know it and like it regardless. The song is so happy sounding, but the video is horrible!!!! That poor little baby being tormented by horrible monsters is upsetting. Then the mother casually takes the baby out where everyone the baby sees is a zombie or monster. The baby ends up running off and getting away. Half way into this, the baby spots the band, in their finest Ziggy Stardust, and for a while the baby is calm and okay. He gets scooped back up and to his normal life of being scared of everything. The visuals and everything are cool, but I just don’t like seeing a little kid get tormented. Poor little guy! Rating: 6.0
Track: "Flash Delirium”
Album: ”Congratulations”
Year: 2010
Director: Andreas Nilsson
I have to say; so far I’ve really dug these videos. This video is no difference. The video is about the two dudes and band being at a weird dinner party. The dinner guests are weird and are of a variety. Eventually we see a ventriloquist of three harmonize, an old woman playing the flute, and then one of the dude’s sings from his own sliced neck. The guests get pissed and rip an eel from the throat-impaired dude. Things go bonkers! This video makes me want to hold my breath… in a good way. This was another really interesting and easy to get swept into video. Rating: 7.0
Track: "It's Working”
Album: ”Congratulations”
Year: 2010
Director: So Me
The two dudes find a big box with a machine in it. They use the manual and try to figure it out, but weird and zany things keep happening instead. It’s like they’re “The Boho Stooges!” It sounds weird by that description, but the direction and style makes it something interesting to watch. There is a lot going on here and it’s hard to describe it all. I really appreciate how it can be so surreal and abstract, while having this disconnected voyeur-ness. I don’t know if that last sentence is going to make sense in the morning… Rating: 7.0
Track: "Congratulations”
Album: ”Congratulations”
Year: 2010
Director: Tom Kuntz
Wow. We see the two leads of the band walking through the desert with a really awesome looking creature. I looked it up and the only way it’s described is "sad-eyed Duck-dog-o-saurus".The creature starts falling apart and the guys keep caring for and picking up the remains. It’s a nice and quaint video. The effects in it are great, but the tone and flow of everything just makes it feel so casual. Really interesting video… Rating: 7.0
Track: "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything”
Album: ”Late Night Tales: MGMT”
Year: 2011
Director: Ned Wenlock
A Bauhaus cover? Sweet! This is an animated music video by Ned Wenlock. He did an awesome job here. The animation has a great and cool flow to it. There is just so much happening that it’s hard to process. About 50 seconds in, we’re treated to the vocals and lyrics on the screen. The layers and vision here is so intricate that I can’t imagine how many hours went into it. The visuals are outstanding, but my only complaint would be a need for a more linear narrative. The visuals alone can’t carry the droney tune. It’s a good cover and the visuals are awesome, but by half way in I’m losing interest… Rating: 6.5
What is YOUR favorite video by MGMT?
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