On their 2008 debut, this Oxford, England, quintet recorded with TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek and came up with an album of frenetic, glitched-out Brit pop. Two records later they're still expanding and ironing out that sound. Yannis Philippakis sounds like the Anglo-cized version of My Morning Jacket's Jim James as he sets his echo-laden yelp over burbling Talking Heads grooves and plasticine art-rock textures. "I can't get enough space," Philippakis sings over the lupine guitar howl of "Inhaler." But space isn't the problem; it's finding other songs as good as the tight-twisted kiss-off "My Number." Otherwise Holy Fire is a collection of well-manicured tracks zoning out to a dazzling middle distance.

“Time to Pretend”

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”