Congratulations
This article is about the MGMT album. For its title track, see Congratulations (MGMT song). For other uses, see Congratulations (disambiguation).
Congratulations is the second studio album by American rock band MGMT. It was initially made available for free streaming through the band's website on March 20, 2010, prior to its official release on April 13 through Columbia Records. The album marks a departure from the synth-pop style that brought MGMT acclaim on their debut, Oracular Spectacular, released three years prior, and features a more psychedelic, progressive and guitar-driven sound.
Most of the songs were written by the band in early 2009. They eventually headed to a Malibu studio to work on Congratulations, along with former Spacemen 3 member Peter Kember, known professionally as Sonic Boom. Vocal contributions from Royal Trux singer Jennifer Herrema were also recorded for the album. Andrew VanWyngardenhas stated that the album is influenced by the band's massive rise in popularity since Oracular Spectacular's release. "It's us trying to deal with all the craziness that's been going on since our last album took off. Sometimes it just doesn't feel natural".
Congratulations debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 66,000 copies sold in its first week, marking the best sales week for the band. As of June 2013, it had sold 219,000 copies in the United States. The album debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart, selling 17,000 copies in its first week.
Background[edit]
Speaking to Spin magazine on January 12, 2010, VanWyngarden declared that the album was finished, saying, "It's mixed and mastered, and now we're just working on presenting it to the world". On January 18, MGMT stated that they would prefer not to release any singles from the album.
In an interview with NME, Goldwasser explained, "We'd rather people hear the whole album as an album and see what tracks jump out rather than the ones that get played on the radio – if anything gets played on the radio!" He also said, "There definitely isn't a 'Time to Pretend' or a 'Kids' on the album. We've been talking about ways to make sure people hear the album as an album in order and not just figure out what are the best three tracks, download those and not listen to the rest of it".
Singles[edit]
Despite the band's pledge to not release singles, the album's lead single, "Flash Delirium", was made available as a free download on their website on March 9, 2010, before being generally released on March 23.
"Siberian Breaks", the second single, was released on April 17. "It's Working" was released on June 26 as the third single. The album's title track was also released as the fourth and final single from the album on November 26.
Artwork[edit]
The cover art was done by Anthony Ausgang, known for his kitschy lowbrow art style. The artwork depicts a hedgehog-like animal on a surfboard, surfing on a wave that is anthropomorphized as a cat about to swallow the creature. Commenting on the composition of the artwork, Ausgang stated that he tried to "use bright colors and get across ideas that are slightly dark."
Release[edit]
Following an online leak, the band offered the album for free streaming on their official website on March 20, 2010, and stated that they "wanted to offer it as a free download but that didn't make sense to anyone but [them]".
Prior to its general release, a countdown appeared on the band's website on February 5, 2010, alongside a webcam image of a beach. The clock would eventually count down to 12:00 AM (EST) on April 13, when the album was officially released by Columbia Records.
The bonus track "Inbetween the Liners" consists of an instrumental outtake of a song called "Forest Elf" from the Congratulations sessions, with producer Peter Kember reading the album's liner notes out loud while the track plays backwards.
"Forest Elf" was eventually released on the live album 11•11•11, 12 years after the release of Congratulations.
Critical reception
| Congratulations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by
MGMT | ||||
| Released | March 20, 2010 (stream)
April 13, 2010 (official release) | |||
| Recorded | February 2008 - January 2010 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre |
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| Length | 43:53 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer |
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| MGMT chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Congratulations | ||||
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| Alternate cover | ||||
| Limited edition scratch-off cover | ||||
Congratulations is the second studio album by American rock band MGMT. It was initially made available for free streaming through the band's website on March 20, 2010, prior to its official release on April 13 through Columbia Records. The album marks a departure from the synth-pop style that brought MGMT acclaim on their debut, Oracular Spectacular, released three years prior, and features a more psychedelic, progressive and guitar-driven sound.
Most of the songs were written by the band in early 2009. They eventually headed to a Malibu studio to work on Congratulations, along with former Spacemen 3 member Peter Kember, known professionally as Sonic Boom. Vocal contributions from Royal Trux singer Jennifer Herrema were also recorded for the album. Andrew VanWyngardenhas stated that the album is influenced by the band's massive rise in popularity since Oracular Spectacular's release. "It's us trying to deal with all the craziness that's been going on since our last album took off. Sometimes it just doesn't feel natural".
Congratulations debuted at number two on the US Billboard