As half of the NYC underground-legend production team DFA, James Murphy was responsible for countless crafty retoolings of late-1970s/early-'80s sounds of the electroclash/post-punk-revival variety. Wearing his "artist" hat under the LCD Soundsystem moniker, Murphy concocted his own minimal-synth club hits, full of both hipster irony ("Losing My Edge") and catchy electro-hooks ("Yeah").
Finally unleashed for the length of a full album, Murphy's muse still offers up plenty of John-Foxx-will-rise-again retro synth sounds, but he expands his palette as well. The irresistibly catchy "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" is a funky, riff-driven party-starter that compares favorably to vintage Beck, and "On Repeat" indicates a fascination with the lyrical cadences of the Fall's Mark E. Smith. Moving further back in time to the art-rock era, "Never as Tired as When I'm Waking Up" is a dreamy tune that could have slipped unnoticed off Pink Floyd's MEDDLE, and "Great Release" is an unabashed, slow-building Eno homage. To keep the club kids happy, a bonus disc featuring LCD's previous singles (including the aforementioned faves) is tacked on to an already-attractive package.
2cds. 1st Album Fr.Dfa Label Mastermind,James Murphy.
Recording information: Longview Farms Studios, MA; Plaintain Recording House, New York, NY.
LCD Soundsystem: James Murphy (various instruments); Tim Goldsworthy, Pat Mahoney , Tyler Pope, Eric Broucek, Nancy Whang.
Audio Mixer: Andy Wallace.
Rolling Stone (No. 968, pp.70-2) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[M]urphy has followed [the single 'Losing My Edge'] with an album that's just as good....[these tracks] either push the extremes of Murphy's dance-rock fusion...or fall unexpectedly far outside it..." Spin (p.64) - Ranked #5 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005" - "[W]ith his trippy, studio-pop mimicry of Lennon and Eno, the man who taught the indie kids to dance now tricks techno tots into humming along." Spin (pp.89-91) - "[A] set documenting, like the best, most heartfelt mix tapes, a sweet time that can't be fully recaptured." - Grade: B+ Entertainment Weekly (No. 808, p.100) - "[F]abulous dance music....unites the club and indie-rock crowds in ways few have attempted since the '80s..." - Grade: A- Uncut (p.74) - 5 stars out of 5 - "[H]ere the will to change, improve, transcend and question positively thumps out in a liquid crystal display." Alternative Press (p.128) - 5 out of 5 - "[A]n album that will survive the fleeting tastes of cosmopolitan hipsters..." Magnet (p.115) - "This is a one-man walking jukebox with a lifetime's worth of records in his head..." Magnet (p.104) - "You can dance to almost anything here, but between breaths, you'll marvel at his control and the way each sound pops like a primary color." The Wire (p.44) - Included in The Wire's "2005 Rewind: 50 Records Of The Year." The Wire (p.46) - "Self-reference, satire, retro, all of these are abundant on LCD SOUNDSYSTEM....For the anxious and disoriented who need to know where it's at, well, here's one place to start." Mojo (Publisher) (p.62) - Ranked #1 in Mojo's "2005 Dance/Electronic Albums Of The Year" Mojo (Publisher) (p.101) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[C]louds of Beatle melody mushroom through 'Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up' while the euphoric chant of 'Great Release' is almost ecclesiastical. More proof that cool is what Murphy makes it." Clash (magazine) (p.75) - "Murphy produced a glorious dance record that poked fun at the cliquey, self-conscious scene it moved on from while still being an homage to the New York movements -- punk, disco, new wave -- that actually meant something."
Pretty boring Was forced to listen to this on a road trip & was very bored. Very forgettable album with no surprises or innovation. If you like skinny repetitive keyboard melodies, this might be your thing. Submitted by Mark (Knoxville, TN) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
savage brilliant album. was really needed i.e. good timing. Really glad to hear something like this emerge, hope they keep it up. Submitted by Emer (Leixlip, Ireland.) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
music for yuppies nothing edgy or trippy about this. this is only edgy or trippy music for yuppies and office workers. LCD Soundsystem are leaders in the new "indie-yuppie" scene, the phrase coined by the head of Vice Records. Submitted by Edgar (London, UK) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
lcd fearlessly lays down their vision of cool Listen to disc 2 of this LP before disc 1, trust me. disc 2 is where lcd came from and disc 1 is where they're going. Murphy is fearless in transferring his life changing punk past, his nearly forgotten dance past, and his vision for what a band should be. Quoted as saying "the bass guitar is the most beautiful instrument," it's very heavy on great basslines, trippy movements, uptempo dance beats, and punk guitar riffs coupled with keyboards. Don't buy what everyone including the record labels want you to buy, make an independent purchase and fight the system with lcd soundsystem... Submitted by Jimmy Jams (St. Louis, MO, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
B-O-M-B !! This one is a powerful,extremely BRILLIANT "bomb" of an album ! Submitted by Enrico (BARI,Italy) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Pretty boring
savage
music for yuppies
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