Tuesday Bears: MGMT Set to Release Second Studio Album, Congratulations

Nearly two and half years after the initial release of 2007's Oracular Spectacular, MGMT (courtesy of Columbia Records and Sony Music) are set to release their second studio Congratulations.

Fresh of the duo's first Grammy nomination (losing Best New Artist to the Zac Brown Band), the band is likely to take part in (yet again) another string of summer festivals, after already confirming dates for the Coachella and Bamboozle music festivals.

Full Track List:

1. "It's Working"
2. "Song for Dan Treacy"
3. "Someone's Missing"
4. "Flash Delirium"
5. "I Found a Whistle"
6. "Siberian Brakes"
7. "Brian Eno"
8. "Lady Dada's Nightmare"
9. "Congradutions"

Congratulations is scheduled for release April 13 in the U.S, but you can preorder the album next week. Head on over to Spin for more details.

More Grammy Reflection

My take on the Grammy's yesterday gave a little transparency to where I sit on the subject; if it's not too clear just read for yourself.

Thanks to the Newsy Community Team, you can get a little more insight on whether or not the award show is still relevant.

Monday Bears: A Small Grammy Reflection

Last night the 52 annual Grammy Awards saw some of the biggest names in the music industry come together to reflect and perform some of the best music of the past year. Beyonce and Taylor Swift were the night's biggest winners, with Ms. Knowles taking home six awards, a record for any female recording artist. Swift, winner of four awards, took the night's highest honor, winning coveted album of the year for her sophomore release Fearless.

It's hard. It's hard being an honest and fair music critic, although I don't have an official title to say so, and take The Grammy Awards with not only a grain of salt, but just a flat out acceptance of it. As far as award shows go (and we're talking serious awards -- no Kid's (z) Choice Awards, or MTV Movie Awards or anything like that), The Grammy's must be so low on the latter of credibility that it's a comparable joke next to the Oscars and Emmy's.

Trent Reznor explained it better last night with more profound clarity:

"The Grammy's = the old guard/old media propping up their puppets trying to convince the outside world (and each other) that they're still relevant."

Much like Rolling Stone, the Grammy's always seem to try to connect with the younger demographic but inevitably falters and hands out their honors to the "old guard." Herbie Hancock winning album of the year in 2008, covering Joni Mitchell's Blue? Allison Krauss and Robert Plant beating out Radiohead for album of year in 2009? Certainly.

It's an unfortunate psycho-analytical response towards giving who what people feel they deserve. More often than not, the awards go towards those whose careers stand taller than others, regardless of whether or not their work that year was superior. And I say that year in italics because the limit of what can actually be nominated is beyond me.

So, congratulations to Swift and Knowles for their achievements, however they come to claim them. 2011 will likely spin the same results we've seen in the past several years (a'hem, decades). Here's to predictability and static constancy.