Nathaniel Clark – A&E Editor

nucs5002@psu.edu

On November 11, one of the weirdest album releases in a while took place. This record is “11•11•11” by the indie rock icons MGMT. 

To be blunt, the history around this album is more interesting than the album itself. As the name suggests, the record was created 11 years ago on November 11, 2011. The project is a live album that was recorded in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum located in Manhattan.

The band was booked by the museum to mark the opening of a retrospective show for Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. Rather than performing a standard set of their hits, MGMT decided to pull something unique.

The band crafted and wrote a 45-minute long set that acted in response to Cattelan’s art and the Guggenheim Museum as a whole. This would be the only time MGMT would ever perform these songs, making them lost to time… until now. 

Over a decade after its performance, this 45-minute performance is now available on all streaming platforms. This archival release was crafted from the band’s 24-track soundboard used at the performance. “11•11•11”’s mixing and mastering were done by MGMT with help from Dave Fridmann known for working with acts like The Flaming Lips, Interpol, Tame Impala, and more.

It is important to note that “11•11•11” is MGMT’s first album release since departing from Columbia Records in 2019. Instead of Columbia, this project is released under the band’s newly formed independent label, MGMT Records. 

“11•11•11” consists of 11 tracks and showcases MGMT in a loose, hypnotic, and psychedelic form. This project was recorded shortly after the release of their now cult classic second album “Congratulations.” While that album did dabble in the psychedelic, this performance is coated in the musical genre. 

After some mild synths and audience clapping on the “Introduction,” MGMT moves into this experience with “Invocation.” As hypnotic synths and echoic hums fill the mix, Andrew VanWyngarden’s vocals blast into your eardrums. 

On a quick aside, I want to mention the vocals found on “11•11•11.” Due to the venue in which this performance took place, the overall vocal quality is considerably lower compared to the synths and instruments. While this difference is noticeable, I found that it did not ruin the overall musical experience. 

The project continues with “Whistling Through the Graveyard.” A collection of plucky synths mixed with low-bit piano keys and light guitar strumming to craft an unnatural and unnerving piece of music. The song blends perfectly into the next track “Forest Elf.” With an overall magical feel, I could easily envision this track being in a fantasy RPG game, likely in the item shop. 

We are then moved into “Tell It to Me Like It Is.” The longest of the performance coming in at over nine minutes, the song acts as a descent with guitars and shooting synths melding with tambourine playing. By the end of the track, the production is louder and more grand, building into something more abundant than previously. VanWyngarden’s vocals return but sound considerably better than their earlier appearance.

“I Am Not Your Home” is probably the most haunting track MGMT has ever produced. Overbearing bass fills the mix as guitars growl and VanWyngarden tells someone off. A more calming synth enters at the end and leads into “Unfriend.” 

Sadly, that was a false sense of security as this explorative cut introduces a more whimsical sound. While I like this song, it is overly long and does not sustain its welcome as much as “Tell It” did. 

“Who’s Counting” is a more normal MGMT track as the vocals feel enveloped by the rest of the instrumentals. This song is followed by two interludes, one of just audience vocals and another a return to the “Graveyard” motif. The album concludes with “Under the Porch” which starts in a foreign manner when compared to the rest of the project. The track feels like island/dad rock until it grows into its impassioned closing. The final sounds on this record are clapping and cheering from the audience. 

I feel like I cannot bring justice to this record. It feels so singular and unique in not just MGMT’s discography but music as a whole. My only desire would be for an in-studio version of this recording to exist. 

While I appreciate the album being out in the world, I feel it could excel with a better-recorded version. Nonetheless, this is a project you do not want to miss, especially if you love MGMT and “Congratulations.”