Music Review: MGMT's 'Loss of Life' is a nostalgic return full of hope and heart
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. MGMT, an American rock band formed by singers Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser in 2002, is perhaps best known for its indie sleaze anthems like “Kids” and “Time to Pretend.” The duo's carefree lyrics and electrifying synth instrumentals fueled an era that was all about fun and freedom — and questionable fashion choices like fedoras and fur coats. Their newest work, “Loss of Life” isn't quite a return reminiscent of those times, but MGMT has gone through a few different phases since then, such as gothic fourth album “Little Dark Age.” Their fifth studio album certainly has a nostalgic feel to it, but there's also something new: a tenderness and hopefulness that listeners might not expect from a title like “Loss of Life” or a band with a history of unseriousness. And VanWyngarden and Goldwasser experiment with more than just guitar in “Loss of Life.” The track “Dancing in Babylon,” including the vocal talent of Christine and the Queens, is the first-ever feature on an MGMT album, and the first song samples a reading of an anonymous poem titled "I Am Taliesin. I Sing Perfect Metre.” Heartstring-tugging lyrics about love juxtapose themes of loss throughout the album, such as in “Phradie's Song,” which has lines like “And every time the tears begin/The morning sun is there in your hands.” Album namesake “Loss of Life” is an eerie, electronic-backed soul-searcher.
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Music Review: MGMT’s ‘Loss of Life’ is a nostalgic return full of hope and heart
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