Oracular Spectacular
by MGMT
  • Record Label: Sony
  • Release Date: Jan 22, 2008
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Alternative Press
    90
    Oracular may be a complex effort, but the verdict is simple--it's brilliant. [Feb 2008, p.115]
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  2. Under The Radar
    80
    Though the record is slightly front-loaded, there's nary a dud to be found here. [Winter 2008, p.86]
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  3. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    For all its musical philandering, unbridled excess and shrouds of irony, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a record with more musical depth and warmth all year than this one.
  5. The Guardian
    80
    All this energy somehow comes together as one, making the whole package so radio-friendly it's practically kissing your aerial.
  6. musicOMH.com
    80
    Hugely enjoyable and wonderfully disposable pop for the listener, who will turn round and return for more, no question. An auspicious debut.
  7. Hot Press
    80
    Oracular Spectacular is an arresting introduction to the illogical world of MGMT, and is the kind of album that’s a guilty pleasure without the guilt.
  8. Observer Music Monthly
    80
    Ultimately, there is something refreshing about MGMT's lack of cynicism and the winning way in which they fuse hippy and punk ideals.
  9. Uncut
    80
    A sugary feast for the senses. [May 2008, p.98]
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  10. Q Magazine
    80
    Oracular Spectacular is a triumph of conceptual ambition, a series of fantastic voyages that avoids any of the navel-gazing such notions normally provoke. [May 2008, p.138]
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  11. AllMusic
    80
    Despite the ever-present irony, the songs never feel insincere and the record is inherently strong throughout, making it a solid start to their career.
  12. Billboard
    80
    Joining fellow hotly tipped Brooklyn bands Vampire Weekend and Yeasayer, MGMT (pronounced "management") merits just as much attention for its psychedelic experimentation as it does for its melodies and hooks.
  13. Hartford Courant
    80
    The songs on Oracular Spectacular are considered and carefully constructed, and as a result, they’re taut, hooky and highly danceable, in a hipster-dance-party kind of way.
  14. Prefix Magazine
    80
    It's a confident debut, one that features two young musicians reveling in their abilities and perhaps discovering ones they didn't know they had.
  15. Drowned In Sound
    70
    It never ultimately transports you into his head or heart. All of which doesn’t stop Oracular Spectacular from being a blissful 40 minutes of high-end stereophonic joy, but it does severely hamper the listener from imbuing their own emotions back into it.
  16. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    70
    Put the last eight years of Williamsburg micro-genres in a blender— all that electroclash, disco rock, retro glam, and psych-folk—and you’ve got a sense of the charming mess that is this Connecticut-via-Brooklyn duo’s debut.
  17. Rolling Stone
    70
    Lips producer Dave Fridmann helmed MGMT's debut disc, fluffing their glitchy daydream rock into an intergalactic odyssey.
  18. Pitchfork
    68
    On 'Electric Feel,' MGMT pull off lithe, falsetto electro-funk surprisingly well. There's not much to the song aside from a Barry Gibb vocal and limber bassline, but within the context of the rest of Spectacular, it makes perfect sense.

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Most Discussed Album of 2008
22
#22 Most Shared Album of 2008

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 266 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 247 out of 266
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 266
  3. Negative: 4 out of 266
  1. BilliW.
    Feb 1, 2008
    10
    This is the Sargeant Pepper for the New Millennium. A work of youthful genius.
  2. DolanM.
    Mar 3, 2008
    8
    Re: Sharpa That's a stretch. The only similarities those songs show are the use of synth and the tone of voice, and if we're going Re: Sharpa That's a stretch. The only similarities those songs show are the use of synth and the tone of voice, and if we're going to argue about tone of voice, then HSH stole it from Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, who got it from someone else, etc.… Full Review »
  3. DMcGinty
    Feb 25, 2008
    8
    The first five songs are amazing, the rest has its moments. Not many bands can have songs titled "The Youth" and "Kids" two tracks apart The first five songs are amazing, the rest has its moments. Not many bands can have songs titled "The Youth" and "Kids" two tracks apart without getting cocky.… Full Review »
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