MGMT/Various Artists
Late Night Tales: MGMT
(Late Night Stories)

The 25^th installment of the Late Night Tales series sees indie kids MGMT compile a 20-song mix reflecting the facets of their sound. There’s a distinct bias toward the old, with classic artists such as The Velvet Underground, Julian Cope, and Spaceman 3 making prominent appearances.

On the whole, the mix is one that’s smooth and relaxed. Beats churn on quietly, not encouraging a crowd to dance through the night but instead to relax and chat. It’s enjoyably soothing, but towards the end, the tracks start to finally pick up the pace. MGMT’s own contribution to the album, “All We Ever Wanted Was Everything,” is a noisy bit of chaos that’s a diamond nestled in amongst so many other laid back songs.

After MGMT’s song, the first to really introduce some energy is the fifteenth track, “Pink Frost” by The Chills. This is followed a bit abruptly by “Sparks” by Martin Rev, some full throttle electronica to snap any listener out of the lull that the first three-fourths of the record may have induced.

The disconnect between the majority of the album and the end is a bit abrupt, but I can’t fault any of the songs. It’s a fine collection and doesn’t really need an overarching theme to belong on the record. It’s not exactly what you’d expect to hear from a DJ set on a night out, but you can hear how each tune fits neatly with MGMT’s general sound.