"Flash Delirium" is a song released by the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
band
MGMT
MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...
on their second album ''
Congratulations
Congratulations may refer to:
Film and television
*'' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'', 2005 television programme to commemorate its fiftieth anniversary
Music Albums
* ''Congratulations'' (album), an album by ...
''. It was the first single to be released from the album and was originally referred to as a "taster" before the band abandoned their original plan to not release any singles from ''Congratulations'' in order to solidify its existence as a singular body of work. A free digital download of the song was given away on the band's official website.
"Flash Delirium" was made available as a
digital download from
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
on March 24, 2010.
On this song Andrew Vanwyngarden expresses his feelings towards social networking and directly references to a popular site with the line "stab your
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
." He expands on this in an interview with online magazin
Coup De Mainstating his disgust at the distraction it causes from real life. "It's just this weird little world which is fueled by vanity and looking at pictures of yourself."
Reception
Many critics praised "Flash Delirium" for its adventurism and distinct clash of styles. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine said it "ultimately keeps building until it explodes into a rapturous harmony, breaking into full-out thrash in its waning seconds."
''Pitchfork'' said the song "features flutes, horns, and about seven different sections that reference
doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...
, old school
rock'n'roll,
electro balladry,
Ariel Pink
Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi music, lo-fi aesthetic and home ...
-style
lo-fi
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
,
wall-of-Spector pop, and
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
at their most high. All in four minutes and sixteen seconds!"
"Flash Delirium" was also described as a "psychedelic trip."
Music video
The video for "Flash Delirium," directed by
Andreas Nilsson,
"lends a visual clue into the maelstrom and chaos of modern times." It premiered on MGMT's website on Tuesday, March 30, 2010. It shows the two lead members of the band (Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser) at a welcome-home party. Ben touches a bandage at his neck a few times, with Andrew pulling his arm away from it each time. However, at the party, Ben removes the bandage to reveal a hole in his throat. Out of this hole is pulled an eel, which is then shoved into a machine and presumably destroyed, though the eel is shown wiggling in the hole in a few brief shots. The house trembles and the guests of the party dance as the machine emits lights, violently shaking. The video ends with a picture from outside the house showing something exploding inside and a guttural sound as the camera moves. In the very beginning of the music video, there is a banner outside the car that reads, "Sue the spider" and "Sink the Welsh," a reference to the lyrics at the end of the song.
Awards
Personnel
*
Andrew VanWyngarden
Andrew Wells VanWyngarden (born February 1, 1983) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitar player and songwriter for the band MGMT, praised for (according to ''Interview Magazine'') "an uncanny knack for producing pop music that s ...
–
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
,
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
,
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
,
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
, synth flute
*
Ben Goldwasser
Benjamin Nicholas Hunter Goldwasser (born December 17, 1982) is an American songwriter and musician in the psychedelic rock band MGMT, for which he primarily plays keyboards and sings. In 2009, his song "Electric Feel" (co-written with bandmate ...
–
synth and samples,
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
,
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
, additional vocals
*Matt Asti –
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
,
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
*Will Berman – drums, guitar, bass
*Jennifer Herrema – additional vocals
Charts
References
{{authority control
2010 singles
MGMT songs
2010 songs
Songs written by Andrew VanWyngarden
Columbia Records singles
Songs written by Benjamin Goldwasser
Music videos directed by Andreas Nilsson