MGMT Congratulations - It's OK to scratch off the cover!

EVERYONE! RELAX! IT'S OK!

The new MGMT album, "Congratulations," which drops tomorrow, April 13, comes with a limited-edition scratch-off cover, and while you may be nervous about scratching it, it's OK to! I was nervous about ruining the cover, but I compare this to eating something the way a chef intends it to be eaten. The album has a scratch cover, which means it should be scratched. Note: My album had a sticker on the plastic wrap saying that it was a special scratch-off cover. If yours doesn't say that, I would maybe try scratching it with my fingernail to make sure it is a scratch-off cover.

Here's the hilarious preview video for the limited-edition scratch-off cover: MGMT Congratulations Scratch Off Cover Preview.

Spoiler alert: If you want to be surprised on what the cover looks like underneath the psychedelic purple-and-magenta checker print, DO NOT SCROLL DOWN. I'm posting a photo of the end results. However, if you need to see what it looks like to decide whether or not to scratch, scroll down! It's cool, I promise!


First, some of the scratch-off editions come with a really cool coin to use for your scratching. It has tiny numbers and a fork on one side and crazy cat/creatures on the back that match the front cover.

If you're lucky enough to have one of these coins, start scratching. If not, I'll give you a minute to find a penny or something.


Tip: The scratch-off part is only the purple and magenta. I read in the preview video comments that someone screwed up their cover. I think they might have tried to scratch the cat wave/surfer picture on the side too hard.

Once you're done, congratulations! You now have a cool, kind of avant-garde cover with the crazy animation surrounded by a black-and-white landscape of band members, a picnic, one guy looking through a telescope, etc. while both outdoors and inside a room:


"Congratulations" is pretty great, by the way. It's classic MGMT with their psychedelic dance pop, but it feels a bit deeper and more mature, maybe even more creative than their 2007 debut, "Oracular Spectacular." I'm not sure which style I like better, but I do know that I'm totally feeling "Congratulations" right now. I've been listening to it stream online for a few weeks now, so I'm glad to have a hard copy of the CD, especially because of this cool coin/scratch-cover promo.

She & Him Volume Two - Just in time for Spring!

Thanks to Twitter and @Redscroll Records, I found out yesterday that She & Him's Volume 2 is streaming over at NPR right now here: First Listen: She And Him, 'Volume Two'. It's definitely worth a listen. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's first She & Him album - Volume One - was really something unique with Deschanel's crooning voice and kind of old-fashioned but very classic and timeless sound. It was the kind of album you bob your head to in the car or secretly dance to when you're wearing a dress or skirt that spins - kind of like the dancing Deschanel does in the new video for "In the Sun," which I've embedded above.

You can do that even more with Volume Two. The songs are extremely refreshing, with their sunny pop style. I really like "In The Sun," but I think "Home" is my favorite song on this album. It's beautiful. Spring is in bloom here in Connecticut, and listening to Volume Two goes perfectly with that feeling. I agree with Stephen Thompson in his article on the NPR First Listen: "It's more confection than confessional, but it's a kind-natured one; the audio equivalent of a spring breeze that wafts in at a perfect time."

The album comes out March 23, just in time for Spring. I'm definitely looking forward to listening to it in the car on a sunny day with the windows down and that spring breeze.

Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy (CD Review)

This album is absolutely beautiful throughout, and the thought behind it is even more beautiful. Mark Mulcahy's wife Melissa died unexpectedly about a year ago, leaving him to raise two 3-year-old twin daughters on his own. As a songwriter and member of New Haven-based Miracle Legion in the 1980s, then Polaris, the house band for the Nickelodeon show "The Adventures of Pete and Pete" and later as a solo artist, Mulcahy inspired many artists. After hearing about his loss, 21 of those artists recorded covers of Mark Mulcahy songs for this tribute album, with proceeds going to Mulcahy so he can support his daughters and keep making music.


Released Sept. 29, the album features a picture of Melissa on the cover, and the track list is as follows:

1. Thom Yorke - "All For The Best"
2. The National - "Ashamed Of The Story I Told"
3. Michael Stipe - "Everything's Coming Undone"
4. David Berkeley - "Loves The Only Thing That Shuts Me Up"
5. Dinosaur Jr. - "The Backyard"
6. Chris Harford & Mr Ray Neal - "Micon The Icon"
7. Frank Black - "Bill Jocko"
8. Vic Chesnutt - "Little Man"
9. Unbelievable Truth - "Ciao My Shining Star"
10. Butterflies Of Love - "I Have Patience"
11. Chris Collingwood (Fountains Of Wayne) - "Cookie Jar"
12. Frank Turner - "The Quiet One"
13. Rocket From The Tombs - "In Pursuit Of Your Happiness"
14. Ben Kweller - "Wake Up Whispering"
15. Josh Rouse - "I Woke Up In The Mayflower"
16. Autumn Defense - "Paradise"
17. Hayden - "Happy Birthday Yesterday"
18. Juliana Hatfield - "We're Not In Charleston Anymore"
19. Mercury Rev - "Sailors And Animals"
20. Elvis Perkins - "She Watches Over Me"
21. Sean Watkins - "A World Away From This One"

These songs just flow through the album, and while they're performed by different artists, they have a distinct Mark Mulcahy sound. There's raw emotion in Frank Black's "Bill Jocko" that starts with shouts of "Why do I have to stay? Why does she get to go?" and in Thom Yorke's "All For The Best" with the lyrics, "You're so beautiful it sings." These love songs alone feel like a tribute to Mulcahy and his wife. These artists, using Mulcahy's own songs, really did him justice and gave the album a spirit of hope.

I interviewed Mulcahy two years ago for an article for the Record-Journal before he performed at the Meriden Daffodil Festival. I was told by the event promoter that Mulcahy received a shout-out from Thom Yorke at a Radiohead concert, and I asked him about it. He said he was surprised, and he didn't know how Thom Yorke even knew he was there. Now this tribute album comes out with some big-name artists like Thom Yorke and Michael Stipe jumping on to help him. I read in other articles that he was also surprised, and really touched, by this tribute album. I think that's the best part about him. He's made great music, and he's inspired many people, and yet, he's still surprised by it.

"Where the Wild Things Are" Soundtrack

Karen O's "Where the Wild Things Are" Soundtrack dropped yesterday, and I cannot stop listening to it. It's SO GOOD! It's happy, funky, a little grungey, hip, and most importantly, it takes me back to the best parts of childhood and captures the vision of the "Where the Wild Things Are" story.

As my friends already know, Karen O is my favorite. I was totally stoked when I found out she was doing the soundtrack for this movie that I was already excited about. I love the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, which she fronts, and when I saw them at APW this year, I put it in my all-time top three concerts. I think she's absolutely incredible, and even though she already has a following, I think even more people will see that when they see "Where the Wild Things Are" and listen to her music. The soundtrack lists "Karen O and The Kids" as the artist for each song, and members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Deerhunter and the Raconteurs, among other bands, are featured. You can listen to it here on Spin.

The songs have sick drum beats, shouting in the background provided by Karen O and a children's choir, clapping (like in "Capsize"), and it's all just fun. Even "Animal," which has a darker, more tribal feel to it as Karen O screams in the background, is adventurous, and if I asked the 6-year-old version of me what I thought of it, I would say it was "cooool." I guess not much has changed.

"All is Love" is definitely my favorite song with a cheerful guitar riff and kids shouting in the background. At the end, Karen O keeps saying "is love, is love, is love," with the kids' choir coming in and ending with just the kids. It's brilliant.

The best part is that listening to this soundtrack feels like a real adventure, like the best pretend adventures you had as a kid. I'm sure the movie will have this effect, too, and I cannot wait for Oct. 16 when it's released. This soundtrack is a great way to tide us over. Perfect, actually.