When Wesleyan University students Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser founded MGMT (pronounced "management") in 2002, their original intention was never to record. Rather, the duo sought to explore new methods of musical composition, writing new songs for each of their 15-minute-long performances.
Most of the band's unconventional pop music was based on computers, turntables, guitar pedals and other electronic devices. Among the first of their fans was a group of NYU students who formed the independent label Cantora Records — where MGMT would release Time to Pretend, their first EP.
Now signed to Columbia Records, MGMT recently released their debut full-length record, Oracular Spectacular, with the help of Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann. They now incorporate traditional rock instruments including guitar, bass and synthesizer, along with their signature electronics and disjointed pop structures.
This story originally ran on March 13, 2008.
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