Benjamin Lozovsky/BFAnyc.com

​MGMT
Guggenheim Museum
Thursday, November 10

Better than: A rock show without a reclining Pope sculpture looming above.

During the afterparty for the Guggenheim Museum's annual International Gala Thursday night, held in honor of Maurizio Cattelan and his triumphant retrospective "All," MGMT summoned a drony, hypnotic, and reference-filled examination of the visual artist's career thus far. Walking up the Guggenheim's spiraling ramp and being endlessly taunted by Cattelan's cavorting monstrosities as the band performed new and non-vetted material conjured up a slow-growing feeling of unease that never quite culminated in shock.

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The Foo Fighters' seventh album Wasting Light became the band's first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its release in April, following a mountain of pre-release hype that included some of the best reviews of the band's career, a documentary about the making of the album, and the inevitable publicity surrounding Dave Grohl collaborating again with Nirvana-era pals Butch Vig, Pat Smear and Krist Novoselic. But there is one respect in which 2011 may not represent the apex of the Foo Fighters' career: "Rope," the first single from Light, couldn't quite beat the record for most weeks at the top of the Alternative Songs chart, which is still held by the band's own "The Pretender." That track, from 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, topped the chart for 18 weeks.

Last week "Rope" was dethroned after 13 weeks at the top spot by an unlikely newcomer, Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks." If the Foo Fighters represent '90s alt-rock survivors, Foster The People are decidedly new school: the L.A. band has turned its debut single into a chart-topper less than two years after playing its first show. Even the sound of "Pumped Up Kicks" is like a quick tour through 21st-century indie-crossover success, with Muppety vocals reminiscent of MGMT (on a chorus that prominently features the word "kids," no less) and a whistling hook that recalls both the Black Keys' recent Alternative No. 1 "Tighten Up" and Peter, Bjorn & John's "Young Folks."

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​If MGMT's stupendously bizarre new Congratulations was designed to alienate everyone, it failed miserably -- the boys just wrapped up a two-night stand at Radio City, with Tuesday's opening night documented in full by NYC Taper.

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Directed by an accomplished Frenchman named So Me, here we have a four-minute metaphor for the intricate, bewildering, mildly titillating, ultimately nefarious pop-star myth-making machine, with cameos by the other dudes in the band (nice sombrero) and generally way way less forced wackiness than their last go at this. They are calming down (slightly), and this can only be a good thing.

​This week's album chart has in its first two positions the two biggest stories in pop music last week. Once again, the pole position was assumed by Canadian teenager Justin Bieber, whose first full-length, My World 2.0, sold 92,000 copies--only the second time this year that the No. 1 album had sales under 100,000. Bieber's cumulative sales are now at 768,000 over four weeks. It seems like so much more, doesn't it?) Meanwhile, the much-discussed Congratulations, by Brooklyn avant-pop outfit MGMT, came in at No. 2, selling 66,000 copies during its first week of retail availability.

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​Friend-of-SOTC Ryan Dombal has an excellent chat with everyone's favorite deranged psych-rock provocateurs. The record actually makes a lot more sense (alright, a little more sense) when they talk about it:

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​Per whoismgmt.com: "Hey everybody, the album leaked, and we wanted you to be able to hear it from us. We wanted to offer it as a free download but that didn't make sense to anyone but us." It's pretty buffer-happy, but still, here's your chance to finally hear if "Lady Dada's Nightmare" is as bonkers as the title (and, yes, that album cover) would make it appear.

Fresh from Sunday night's Mercury Lounge invasion comes this brief shot of wacky whimsy, ostensibly to hype next month's Congratulations, which from the cover to the first available track looks to be a rampantly schizo affair pretty much guaranteed to not leave you bored. (Note: If you're appalled, you're not bored.) Brace yourselves for some "the hipsters have gone berserk" backlash.

Great fake band name. In the event you weren't lucky enough to squeeze into the Merc, here's a goodly portion of their set, confirming their abiding love for dim lighting but offering rough sketches of jams from their imminent new record, Congratulations, out next month. (Still time to change the cover, guys!) Adding this evidence to "Flash Delirium," the one officially leaked track so far, it looks like every song on this thing is gonna have, like, 50 different parts. Should be a hoot.

​As per Brooklyn Vegan. Not the first time they've done this--the band played a secret show at the venue on 4th of July last year to Thurston Moore and a mix of other savvy hipsters. But this looks like one for people who are big fans of the website whereismgmt.com. Personally we don't care and this promo push seems for some reason way more irritating than other promo pushes, but hey, first come first serve, so you've still got a chance to ride around Brooklyn in the MGMTmobile if you want one. (See?) whosismgmt.com. whereismgmt.com. How about whyismgmt.com?