A Muppet, MGMT & the Trippy Desert

The genius of duo MGMT strike again with the video for "Congratulations," the title track of their April 2010 album. MGMT are known for making tunes that unite hipsters and frat brothers on the dance floor. With Congratulations they succeed in showing a slower side that remains full of whirling melody brought forth by the instrumentation. This song demonstrates that Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser (the duo of MGMT) have a keen sense of melody and the ability to layer sounds to develop rich music with or without a grooving dance beat in the background. This is a welcome step in the bands growth and is a sign of bright times ahead. If you are not on the MGMT train, its time to get on board.
This video is striking because the imagery brings out meaning in the song more than the average pop video. Congratulations is a lament on the band's growth and success. The band reflects on their contradicting emotions of loneliness on the road and the popularity that follows them there. The band is seen wandering through the desert joined by a star-wars style Muppet that looks like an anorexic dinosaur/bird/camel hybrid. The creature slowly deteriorates throughout the song, while the duo try to care for it and nurse it along in their travels. MGMT in the end produces a beautiful video where the song and imagery are both captivating. The lyrics of Congratulations are brought to life and given new meaning as the Muppet struggles to make the sand dune journey. Perhaps the greatest part of this video/song combination is that I find myself leaving the viewing experience with a desire to create something. See if the tune does the same for you-