LCD Soundsystem
Wire magazine put LCD Soundystem front-man
(err, only-man) James Murphy on their year-end cover. Impressive for an artist who released only a few singles in 2004. Were they predicting the upcoming year of the LCD? After enduring the hype for 2 months as we awaited the U.S. release, I gave in.
Quite simply, it rocks. A mixture of punk-ish energy, strangely addicting vocals, and subtly detailed production. The opening funk-punk workout, “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House,” made me giddy from start to finish. The tune goes on for a little longer than it should - 5:16 - but it’s hard to call something this groovy, boring. There’s a full-on hardcore assault in one track, a Beatles-esque guitar ballad, a Brian Eno synth ballad, and several Talking Heads rhythm tunes. Sure, one could criticize this CD for borrowing too heavily from its influences, but it executes them too well to be so easily dismissed.
All of this misses the highlights of the package - the bonus CD of previously-released singles. For as much as the new stuff is solidly groovy, the singles are consistently better. “Beat Connection” is an 8 minute rhythm jam constantly calling out for renewed attention. Closer “Yeah” is a 13-minute percussion and production epic that may fit squarely in the dance genre, but which can be listened to on headphones as a constantly evolving piece of groovetronica. Yes, there is groove. Much groove.
James Murphy is one-half of the DFA (death from above) production team which ushered in the dance-punk movement with The Rapture’s 2003 release Echoes. They’re worshipped around the world by the hipsters and indie kids. James is a drummer and a consummate music geek. And those 2 traits are stamped everywhere on LCD Soundsystem. The infamous “Losing My Edge,” a single about an aging hipster, may be his calling card for many. But it’s hard to be aging when you’re defining hipness.