Jean Baudrillard & MGMT's "Oracular Spectacular"

In “Simulacra and Simulation,” Jean The words are all points of data which can be reorganized to create individual messages. The words are all points of data which can be reorganized to create individual messages examines whether meaning is created from information by posing three distinct theories. The first postulates that information does produce meaning with one stipulation, the information must be broken up into niches to ensure easy delivery because it is difficult to disseminate broad ideas. Also, this theory declares that information “exhausts itself in the act of staging communication,” which means that rather than producing meaning, the format and production of information takes precedence over the actual meaning (Baudrillard 80). The second theory separates information from meaning because information is simply data that is not indicative of anything, as comprehensible as a set of numbers. This theory is comparable to the organization of words in a sentence. The words are all points of data which can be reorganized to create individual messages. The third theory proposes that information affects meaning by destruction or neutralization. Meaning takes on a “catastrophic” form because the information absorbs the meaning itself or a neutral form (Baudrillard 83). Lastly, Baudrillard also examines advertising which he concludes to be neutral and hold absolutely no information, but should be analyzed in terms of the aesthetic which can produce meaning (Baudrillard 89).

In exploring the enduring popularity of MGMT’s debut album Oracular Spectacular, Baudrillard’s second theory of information and meaning is useful because the band reuses many themes and cultural references from its musical influences in its most popular songs. By deriving meaning from MGMT’s musical influences to make their own unique songs, they simultaneously created a new set of data to be made meaning out of. The new meaning and themes found in Oracular Spectacular  strike the fine balance of being similar to their influences, yet still novel enough to garner support from grunge rock fans and contemporary alternative rock fans. Baudrillard’s first theory also could apply to Oracular Spectacular’s relevance because information in the album “exhausts itself in the act of staging.” The hybrid of indigenousness and psychedelic vibe  of the album art, band members, and  music videos takes precedence and further encapsulates the actual information which is delivered though the lyrics.