The next edition in the ever intriguing Late Night Tales series sees psychedelic indie rockers MGMT digging up a selection of rare post-punk, cult classics and shoegaze pop…
Over the course of its ten years existence, we’ve seen some very interesting acts helming the LNT series, such as Trentemøller’s near perfect instalment, Snow Patrol’s highly diverse mix, and Fatboy Slim’s favorite non-EDM classics amongst others. The series provide carte blanche to both respected dance producers as non-dance bands to present what they feel are timeless classics, which has resulted in nothing but surprising and very enjoyable mixes to date.
MGMT’s selection draws on a variety of genres, although each track is closely linked to the band’s indie psychedelica. The dream pop-esque compilation opener Ca't See Through It by Disco inferno immediately sets the tone as it could very well have been a track produced by MGMT themselves. Dense layers of synths, hypnotic guitars and laidback vocals make up a great composition, after which we get sucked deeper into the psychedelic vortex with extremely obscure tracks such as Suicide’s Cheree and the 60s-styled Stop & Smell The Roses by Television Personalities. The compilation itself breathes a constant laidback vibe, with each track being carefully timed with the result being an extremely trippy, neo-flower power journey that will cater to any hipster (or just basically anyone with a taste for the obscure). One of the most remarkable tracks is Charlie Feather’s Mound Of Clay, a rather odd piece of 60s-meet-country that slowly descends into the depths of the next track: MGMT’s exclusive cover version of Bauhaus’ All We Ever Wanted Was Everything. A deceivingly easy-going but factually creeping rework full of haunting synth layers, echoing drums and the band’s trademarked vocals. While in fact every track is a winner here, The Chill’s Pink Frost most definitely deserves a special mention. Awesome. It’s position in the mix is perfect, it’s sound timeless, it’s vibe both magical as desolate. Absolutely breathtaking.
Our verdict: Wow. We expected this one to be quite something, but it turned out even better than we could have wished for. Late Night Tales has always been among the best compilations available and this one simply raises the bar for the competition even more. It even tops the previous edition by Trentemóller, and that alone says a lot. Get this one as soon as it’s out.
Rating: 9.0/10 Label:Late Night Tales Release: October 3rd, 2011
Tracklist: 01. Disco Inferno: "Can't See Through It" 02. The Great Society: "Love You Girl" 03. Suicide: "Cheree" 04. Television Personalities: "Stop and Smell the Roses" 05. The Velvet Underground: "Ocean" 06. Felt: "Red Indians" 07. Julian Cope: "Laughing Boy" 08. Durutti Column: "For Belgium Friends" 09. Charlie Feathers: "Mound of Clay" 10. Mark Fry: "For Wilde" 11. MGMT: "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything" (Bauhaus Cover) 12. Cheval Sombre: "Troubled Mind" 13. Dave Bixby: "Drug Song" 14. The Jacobites: "Hearts Are Like Flowers" 15. The Chills: "Pink Frost" 16. Martin Rev: "Sparks" 17. The Wake: "Melancholy Man" 18. Spacemen 3: "Lord Can You Hear Me?" 19. Pauline Anna Strom: "Morning Splendor" 20. Paul Morley: "Lost for Words Part 2"
Indie - 
