A few weeks ago we saw Beck at the fabulous Uptown in KC. You'll likely remember Beck as THIS but I think of him as THIS. Anyhow, Beck is not the point of my post. While Beck was backstage (sitting on the couch I got to sit on once) MGMT crooned and played their guts out.
Watching MGMT play live was a lot of fun. I had only heard them a few times before, so most of their music was a pleasant surprise. Since the concert I've been listening to them a bit more. I found www.whoismgmt.com, where I read the most entertaining BIO I've ever stumbled upon. I also found their video for the song, TIME TO PRETEND which happens to be my favorite song by them.
Time to Pretend makes me feel nostalgic and futuristic, super hopefully and yet super ill-fated at the same time. I had no idea what the lyrics were when I saw them play it, but I did catch the words "heroin", "[f*bomb]", "playground", "worms", "fated to pretend", "miss my mother and my father", etc. Turns out, the song glamorizes the Gatsby/rockstar/fast life, tells the horrible truth of it all, and then tells how life ultimately goes on.
If you can't get past the psychedelic technicolor video, check out this slowed down version of the song and home video. Shot at XANADU, it is silver-screen-FABULOUS and probably a more realistic depiction of the reality behind their music. (MGMT calls the song Time to Pretend their mission statement.)
Much of MGMT's music sounds like life does sometimes, both musically and lyrically---a fact that could easily be damning for some, reality for others, and yet confirming to others. Whatever you think of their statement, their music, MGMT is pretty clear about their philosophy...which is more than can be said of most people, most bands.
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