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Good morning! I can’t believe I haven’t featured this nostalgic, midlife masterpiece already. In 2007, LCD Soundsystem released a song about one’s life slipping by. James Murphy was 37 on the song’s release (he’s a year older than me which makes all the difference obvs). He wondered where all his friends were that night… probably not just avoiding the dissonance of some midweek krautrock. I look forward to catching up with many of my friends this weekend.
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Good morning. Before founding LCD Soundsystem, James Murphy was a Brooklyn-based DJ who had been making a name for himself by dropping hip tracks by the likes of Can, Modern Lovers and David Axelrod. In 2002, he mocked his own snobbery and “silliness” in the band’s first release ‘Losing My Edge’. But there was nothing to worry about for Murphy, as the amusing display of insecurity would simply make him cooler. The song would go on to feature on their well received self-titled debut album in 2005. Have a great week.
YouTube – Spotify – iTunes – Discogs
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“New York, I Love You…” is the final song off LCD Soundsystem’s 2007 album Sound Of Silver. The song is a masterful end to a truly great long player. It’s dripping in nostalgia or more probably anemoia. I really like the guitar lick that closes out the track… Mick Ronson would have been proud of this one. Have a great weekend.
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From one welcome return to another… LCD Soundsystem played its goodbye show in 2011. In 2017, at the dying request of David Bowie, they reformed, released a cracking new album, American Dream, and embarked on a world tour. The third single off the album is its opening track ‘Oh Baby’. David Bowie and frontman James Murphy were friends, collaborators and kindred spirits. Murphy had worked with Bowie remixing his song ‘Love Is Lost’, performing percussion on his LP Blackstar and producing Arcade Fire’s ‘Reflektor’ to which Bowie lent his vocals.
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On their 2010 album This Is Happening, LCD Soundsystem feature the slice of pure early-80s synthpop that is ‘I Can Change’. Think Soft Cell or Depeche Mode as you listen to the songwriters (band member Pat Mahoney and band frontman James Murphy) looking to save a relationship by becoming a completely different person. “I can change, I can change, I can change, if it helps you fall in love.” No trouble there then.
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LCD Soundsystem have returned in the last week with ‘Call the Police’, a seven-minute ode to the sounds of David Bowie and U2. This is a welcome step off the dancefloor from my perspective. However, Mr James Murphy is evidently upset about something: “Well, there’s a full-blown rebellion but you’re easy to confuse/ By triggered kids and fakers and some questionable views,” he sings. The song is the lead single from the band’s upcoming new album – date and name TBC. Have a great week.
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While Múm were soothing us with sound, the mash-up movement was doing anything but. It had gained a momentum beyond the dance floor by 2002, with the release of the 2 Many DJs album the year before. People were looking to odd music bedfellows. The Rapture’s ‘House of Jealous Lovers’ is a prime example of how something that shouldn’t work, can actually do so when blessed with careful execution. Oodles of cowbell, an incessant bassline, screeching guitars, disco handclaps, wirey vocals and James Murphy on the knob-twiddling = dance-punk. This one will wake you up.
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Following the theme of tributes this week, on their/his third and final album This Is Happening, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy features the Bowie love-in ‘All I Want’. With the familiar sounds of a motorik beat and sliding guitars, Murphy intentionally references Bowie’s Berlin years, which had themselves seen producer Brian Eno develop themes from his own meisterwerk Here Come The Warm Jets. Heroes are not “just for one day”.
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Dave and Nick, this is Arcade Fire. Bringing things right up to date, Arcade Fire are letting people (that care) really know that they are about to release the album that is Reflektor . An interactive music video, surprise gigs, coded artwork and rumours that David Bowie will feature on the LP. Well, it’s all true; at around the 5 minute mark, you can hear Bowie add: “Thought you would bring me to the resurrector”. Produced by Bowie aficionado James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), the title track is a bongo-laden disco number. That’s right, it’s out of nowhere and it’s rather good. And half way through, it gets very good.
Samuelsounds 