MGMT
[1], formerly named "The Management" ("The Management" was occupied by another artist so the band shortened "The Management" to "MGMT"), is an American musical duo based in Brooklyn, New York, consisting of Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. Originally with Cantora records, they signed with Columbia Records/Red Ink/Sony in 2006.
On October 5, 2007, Spin.com named MGMT "Artist of the Day". [2] On November 14, 2007, Rolling Stone
pegged MGMT as a top 10 "Artist to Watch" in 2008. [3] The band was named 9th in the BBC's Sound of 2008 top 10 poll
. [4] They were also named as Last.fm's most played artist of 2008 in their Best of 2008 lists. [5]
Their first album Oracular Spectacular
debuted at number twelve on the UK album chart and number six on the Australian ARIA Charts, and hit number one on the Billboard
Top Heatseekers chart. [6] It was named the best album of 2008 by NME
. [7] MGMT also appeared prominently in Australia's Triple J Hottest 100 2008, coming in 2nd with "Electric Feel", 5th with "Kids" and 18th with "Time to Pretend." [8]
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History
Formation
Goldwasser and VanWyngarden formed the band while attending
Wesleyan University during their freshman year.
[9]
"We weren't trying to start a band," remarked Goldwasser. "We were just hanging out, showing each other music that we liked." They experimented with
noise rock and
electronica before settling on what David Marchese of
Spin
calls "their current brand of shape-shifting psychedelic pop."
[10]
They graduated in 2005 and toured extensively in support of the
Time to Pretend EP
, opening for indie rock band
Of Montreal.
[11]
Oracular Spectacular (2007 - 2008)
In the autumn of 2006 Maureen Kenny signed the band to Columbia Records.
[1] [13] The duo recorded with
Flaming Lips/
Sleater-Kinney music producer Dave Fridmann in 2007 for their major label debut,
Oracular Spectacular
.
[14] MGMT opened for
of Montreal on tour in autumn 2007 as a five piece touring band including Matthew Asti (bass), James Richardson (drums), and Hank Sullivant (guitar).
[15] In November 2007 they performed for the first time in Europe supporting
Asobi Seksu and
The Courteeners at
Koko in London.
[16] After March 2008, the lineup changed with Will Berman on drums.
Touring
MGMT performed at both the 2008
SXSW Music Festival and
Austin City Limits festivals in Austin, the first day of
Bonnaroo 2008,
Coachella Music Festival, performed twice at
Glastonbury 2008, and also played
Roskilde Festival,
Reading Festival, partnering
Leeds Festival,
T in the Park and the Irish
Oxegen Festival (where fans and spectators scaled the tent's internal rigging towers causing the gig to be temporarily stopped for 20 minutes).
Lollapalooza and the
Osheaga (Canada) festival as well as
Summersonic (Japan), Oeiras Alive! (Portugal) and
Rock Werchter (Belgium) in 2008. August 2008 saw the band play the Hungary
Sziget Festival, UK
Reading and Leeds Festival, & at
Lowlands in Holland, where they played their album integrally live. They also played at the Toronto Virgin Festival in 2008.
The band supported
Radiohead on the
Manchester date of their world tour
[17] and went on a headline tour of the UK during November 2008, playing at venues such as
Manchester Academy and
Shepherd's Bush Empire.
MGMT opened for
M.I.A. on the
Vassar College date of
her 2008 tour,
[18] and also played several shows with
Beck while he toured in 2008. They also toured Australia with a headlining spot on the
Meredith Music Festival line-up. They played a show at the Virgin Vestival on Toronto Island on September 6, 2008, playing nine songs off their
Oracular Spectacular
album. They also played the 2008 Street Scene festival in San Diego, California. On February 27, 2009 MGMT performed alongside Spectrum at "The Dome" in Finsbury Park. MGMT has confirmed a new tour date in Australia at the Splendour in the Grass festival. MGMT is somewhat headlining this music festival with other well known bands, Bloc Party, The Flaming Lips, The Happy Mondays and Janes Addiction.
MGMT played their first show of the year on June 9, 2009 in Little Rock, AR. The show included songs by the band
Chairlift.
On June 11, 2009, MGMT played at Minglewood Hall in VanWyngarden's hometown of Memphis, TN, where the band played three songs from their forthcoming album, including the title track, "Congratulations." Later in the week, the band played a late-night gig at
Bonnaroo, where they were once again joined by members of Chairlift.
On July 1, 2009 MGMT returned "home" to Brooklyn to play another show at Prospect Park, which Spin magazine has touted as their greatest show to date. They played "Congratulations," "It's Working," and "Song for Dan Traecy" off of their upcoming album. Other highlights of the night including many random, funny quotes from Andrew and a tribute to Michael Jackson during "Kids" by pouring out a beer along the front of the stage. "To all the mother******* who died, rest in peace."
MGMT is now currently on tour with Sir Paul McCartney, opening for him on his Summer Live '09 tour.
Legal proceedings
MGMT settled a legal dispute with the
President of France,
Nicolas Sarkozy in May 2009, receiving a settlement payment that they plan to donate to a charity to help musicians with similar legal battles. The song "
Kids" was used on several occasions without permission (in 2008), at a party conference and in two online videos. The party paid a standard fee of €53 to the French music licensing party, but this license did not cover all uses of the song. The
UMP, Sarkozy's political party, admitted that the song had been used without permission and offered a symbolic compensation of €1. The band rejected the offer, claiming it was "insulting".
[19] The band's lawyer commented that "we are dealing with acts of counterfeiting, with infringements of intellectual property."
[20] Ironically, Nicolas Sarkozy is known as a vocal supporter of stricter intellectual property laws.
[21]
Congratulations (2010)
MGMT has been working recently on their new album,
Congratulations
, expected to be released in early 2010. The band has been in
Malibu recording the album, and have been recording with
Pete Kember, ex-
Spacemen 3. MGMT debuted three new songs titled "Congratulations", "It's Working", and "Song for Dan Treacy" at recent shows. In a Rolling Stone interview a fourth song titled "Flash Delirium" was revealed to be on the upcoming album but has yet to be played live.
They have recently collaborated with up-and-coming
alternative rapper
Kid Cudi, and will be featured on one track (Pursuit of Happiness ) from his upcoming album Man on the moon: The end of day, as well as one track on
The Flaming Lips' new double album. They were rumored to be featured on one track on
Jay-Z's upcoming
The Blueprint 3
, but it appears that they will not be credited on that album
[22].
In popular culture
The TV series
Gossip Girl
has used "Time to Pretend", "Kids", and "Electric Feel" in various episodes.
The song "Electric Feel (Justice Remix)", is on the
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
soundtrack.
Their song "Kids" is on the
FIFA 2009 soundtrack, the Taylor Steele surf film
Stranger Than Fiction
(2008), in the
Travis Rice snowboard film
That's It, That's All
(2008), and can be heard in the mountain bike film
The Uprising
(2008).
"Time to Pretend" was used in the opening credits for the 2008 film "21"
Series 2 of the Channel 4 drama Skins finished to "Time to Pretend"
On August 5th and 6th MGMT was the opening band for Paul McCartney for his new tour at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
Band name pronunciation
There has been some confusion over how to pronounce the band name. The band and their label confirmed that the correct pronunciation is to say the individual letters "M-G-M-T" [?m d?i ?m 'ti]
[23].
Discography
Albums
- Climbing to New Lows
(2005) (as The Management
)
- Oracular Spectacular
(2007)
- Congratulations
(2010) [24]
EPs
- We (Don't) Care
(2004) (as The Management
)
- Time to Pretend
(2005)
- Metanoia
(2008)
Singles
- "Time to Pretend" (2008)
- "Electric Feel" (2008)
- "Kids" (2008)
References
- MGMT once sang to annoy. Now they're winning acclaim.
- Artist of the Day: MGMT
- Artist to Watch: MGMT
- Record of the Week
- Last.fm Best of 2008
- Top Heatseekers - ''Oracular Spectacular''
- New Musical Express, December 8, 2008 edition.
- Sex on Fire tops triple j's hottest 100
- Weekly Wes Celeb: ''The magmo
- Breaking Out: MGMT
- Of Montreal Plan Late Summer Tour
- MGMT once sang to annoy. Now they're winning acclaim.
- 'Psychic Pilgrims' MGMT Make It All Look So Easy
- Dave Fridmann/Tarbox News/Notes
- Mystic Future Pop Duo MGMT Heading Out On Major North American Tour With of Montreal From October-November
- http://www.koko.uk.com/gigs.php?event=456
- Radiohead Live — LCCC, Manchester
- M.I.A.-ViCE, students prep for year's biggest concert
- MGMT to sue Sarkozy for music use 26th Feb 2009
- MGMT Grapple with the President of France
- MGMT Sues French President
- Once and for All: How Do You Pronounce MGMT?
- "Congratulations coming from MGMT"