Congratulations is an adventurous pop record for MGMT’s core duo, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. The same band that was mocking fame on their breakout hit “Time To Pretend” found themselves at the top of the indie-rock genre in 2009 when they buckled down to write their follow-up. With their keen sense of humor firmly intact, the band explores the pressures of life and their newfound success in lyrical themes all over the record. Rather than coasting off of what now seems destined to be MGMT’s most commercially successful record the band is following a different direction and making music that feels true to the moment.

On Congratulations, VanWyngarden and Goldwasser borrow more from retro-surf music and Brit-pop than the modern synths found on 2008’s largely successful Oracular Spectacular. This makes sense, as VanWyngarden did mention he had taken up surfing in his spare time last fall. It would be easy to view MGMT’s new record as some sort of a heady-psychedelic-pop middle finger to the success they found in the past two years based largely on the synth-happy dance track “Kids.” As Goldwasser explained to Spinner, Congratulations is something of a reactionary statement dismissing the rapid rise to fame that the band has experienced. Looks like they've ditched the tie-dye-and-headband accoutrements and written a weary song cycle about their disillusioning celebrity sojourn.

In the frantic opening song, “It’s Working,” VanWyngarden asks “How will I know if it’s working right?” and jokes about ticket sales and accountants in the easy-rolling, slow freak-folk closing track, “Congratulations.” A little poke at one of their very successful musical peers provides a title to the instrumental horror-scape “Lady Dada’s Nightmare,” while the outright funniest track on the record may be “Brian Eno,” in which the protagonist stumbles upon a cathedral that houses Mr. Eno while he makes his visionary sound creations. Certain tracks may not endear themselves over time, namely, “Siberian Breaks,” a multi-part ballad that sweeps up pseudo-flower power, a curious spoken word transition, and spacey keys into a convenient 12 minute package. Its kaleidoscope effect does little to offer a contrast to the rest of the record but it could very well be the straw that breaks the MGMT fan’s back; the 12 minute, oddly erratic straw.

The release of the album comes at an interesting time, considering the band recently attended the Grammy Awards this year after receiving two nominations, which has definitely gained them credibility and an even bigger audience. Richardson says the new record sticks to the main theme of the musical adventure that is MGMT. The record is hardly as unlistenable as some have made it out to seem; the album retains a continuous flow and offers a variety of different sounds within the larger umbrella of modern psychedelic rock. A variety of tracks enforce a feeling of freshness throughout the record that keeps it from feeling stagnant. Despite being haunted by the group's flip from rock-star charade to reality, Congratulationsstill brims with mischievous energy.