MGMT's new album has moments of clarity in its confusing soundscapes. (Photo via Wikimedia)

Having carefully balanced the infectious synth grooves of hits like "Time to Pretend" and "Electric Feel" with the more glitzy, experimental sounds on tracks like "Of Moons, Birds and Monsters," the duo - comprising of members Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser - was able to run with the latter sound and expand it into a full-fledged sophomore effort, "Congratulations."

Leaving behind the straightforward pop charms of their debut was a bold move that caused much unhappiness and strife within their fan base. And 3 years later, with MGMT’s new self-titled release, it is apparent that there’s no turning back.

The album opens with "Alien Days," as a young boy’s singing gradually blends into the familiar voice of Andrew VanWyngarden. This then leads us into a breezy, acoustic track with just the appropriate twist of dreamy melancholy that fans of MGMT have come to appreciate, lent by the laid back, distant vocal style of VanWyngarden that differs little from his previous work.

This song could easily have belonged on "Congratulations," with its synth riff, steady guitar and relatively simplistic structure in comparison with what’s to come.

In "Cool Song No. 2," we are met with tribal drums, lilting piano licks and layers of gritty synth rumbles that altogether add up to a product that is interesting but lacks any standout moment to hang onto – and this is the issue that arises with many songs on the album.

All the songs feel a little overstuffed, to the point where it is hard to find steady footing through which to traverse the complex musical landscapes painted out for us by the band. The guitar-centered cover, "Introspection," is a gusty beach musing on the self that fits in well with the rest of the album and allows for a more straightforward - if slightly dull - segue into the percussive, moody commotion of tracks like "A Good Sadness" and "Astro-Mancy."

There is a fine line between exciting complexity and mind-numbing tedium, and these tracks both teeter dangerously between the two.

"I Love You Too, Death" features clever wordplay in the title that further develops into interesting lyrical phrases. However, this track suffers from a synth-driven, ambient profusion of sounds that prevents the vivid lyrical imagery slipping out of the singer’s lips from being highlighted - which is a shame.

"Your Life is a Lie" and "Plenty of Girls in the Sea" are both more steadily structured tracks, with catchy, sarcastic lyrics and more wobbly synth sounds. The latter, a lightly contemptuous look at how we seek out our romantic partners, does the job of acting as a societal commentary better than the former, with "Your Life is a Lie" being almost frustratingly simple – with its repetitive chords and lyrical statements - to the point of being annoying.

"Mystery Disease," the highlight of the album, comes on with a soaring synth opening reminiscent of Tame Impala’s "Endors Toi." With an imposing drum beat and fuzzy, glitched-up synth sounds, this track feels most like a forward progression in the right direction from the sounds of "Congratulations" – and is this writer's personal favourite.

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"An Orphan of Fortune" closes the album with a grand, lamenting sort of finish. Amidst the echoes and steady percussive beats, there is a moment wherein the music seems to back off and relax, with a sound evocative of a harmonica drifting in.

In this space of contemplation, I realized that more moments like this would really have helped balance out the album’s omnipresent, abrasive layers of synth-noise. Much of the music is like a wild, striking background absent of any focal points with which to draw the listener in.

Old fans may be willing to listen through the album a few times in order to appreciate it, but new samplers of MGMT’s music may be left overwhelmed by it all.

It’s like the band took one giant leap from "Oracular Spectacular" to "Congratulations," and then just a few small steps from there to MGMT – and while I’m definitely loving the direction, I now await MGMT’s future releases that will hopefully see them navigating through the complex, musical jungle they’ve introduced to us and finally coming fully into their own.

Read more of NT's album reviews here.

Reach Staff Reporter Sivani Hari here.