MGMT "Oracular Spectacular" [2007]

So if your "depth" as a recording artist consists immediately of nothing deeper than the trappings of rock star fortune and fame, you're already walking on very thin ice. That any of us bought in should ensure we're swimming for our lives in the cold darkness of the modern music business. But it's hard to blame MGMT (short for "Management," which is short for "industry hacks") -- these kids literally don't have anything else to sing about; thanks, American education system! What the boys from MGMT did manage to learn is that imitating 60s sounds with modern sampling equipment is a good way to be considered "psychedelic," and is thus a good way to streamline yourself into the good graces of Rolling Stone, if anyone still reads that rag. Better than actually hustling for gigs and building up your name the honest way; MGMT was signed to a major before any of them needed to shave. To that end, when they sing "the youth is starting to change," they indeed mean it as a threat but are apparently clueless about what they intend to have the youth inflict upon society, unless it is an endless scroll of boring pop wallpaper. Watching clips of the Thin White Duke on YouTube and wrapping your imitation in reverb does not give you soul, as MGMT proves here, but like it or not this is the overall sound you're going to find most of your new music from (via TV commercials, of course) for the foreseeable future. God help us all.