Fresh tracks

These two CDs come from new acts, relatively unknown here in Manila. While Diana Vickers did rise via the reality show route  England’s X Factor (a Simon Cowell production), her debut CD is a real winner! MGMT is a critic’s favorite, with music that dangerously skirts between orchestral mayhem and idiosyncratic rock.

Diana Vickers — Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree (Sony BMG). A semi-final finish in the UK’s X Factor TV show two years ago hasn’t hurt the chances of Diana Vickers to keep her place in the proverbial spotlight. Thanks to a husky, smoky voice that would seem, at first, best suited for jazzy speakeasys and nightclubs; there’s something fresh and unique happening here. It’s exuberant pop confections with a smattering of electronica and synthesizers on the faster tracks, while the slower tunes make up the B list of the tracks. As in most debut albums, there’s a little bit of inconsistency, with some real forgettable numbers. The tunes are self-penned or collaborations; and my favorites are The Boy Who Murdered Love, Once and The Hip — a new artist with a lot of promise!

MGMT — Congratulations (Sony BMG). A darling of the critics with their first CD Oracular Spectacular, the sophomore effort sees the boys of MGMT expanding their range adventurously. Trippy, eccentric, even egotistical, the music here may not be to everyone’s taste, but you can’t deny their derring-do. Think orchestral like Pink Floyd or Moody Blues, throw in riffs reminiscent of the B-52’s and Devo, and liberally “borrow” from most musical trends of the last 50 years, and you’ll have an idea of what the Surf Pop music of MGMT is all about. It’s Working and Something Missing are the best two tracks to first listen to, and I loved how they incorporated Oriental/waterfall-type melodies and effects to kick off the title track. Ambitious with a capital A, that’s MGMT on this new album.