There’s always a fear that when you’ve been waiting for an album to appear and you’ve been buying all their output in the mean time, that when the album does finally make it to the racks you’re left with the singles plus some filler. Seeing as ‘Losing My Edge’ was released way back in 2003 I felt sure this would be one of those occasions. So hat’s off to James Murphy (aka LCD Soundsystem and one half of DFA) not only has he produced 8 spanking new tunes for his album (plus recent single ‘Movement’), it arrives with a bonus CD of the 3 singles and their b sides for those of you who missed out on ‘Losing my Edge’, Beat Connection’, ‘Give it Up’, ‘Yeah’ and the excellent b side to ‘Movement’, ‘Yr Citys a Sucker’. They’re all brilliant and have been talked about to death on this site so I won’t cover old ground.
Quite frankly there’s no need to cover old ground as the new ground is a little bit special in itself. This record has been hailed in various circles as ‘the saviour of dance music’. It’s not, it’s much better and more eclectic than a soundbite like that insinuates. And I don’t think dance music needs saving in the first place. So the super club died, so what? As soon as a dance club put a dress code on the door it just turned into the old style townie clubs anyway. Dance music will always flourish where there are people with open minds and an urge to lose themselves on a dancefloor. But I digress, LCD Soundsystem has produced an album that effortlessly flits between genres, screws up your preconceptions and will hopefully finally find the wider audience he so richly deserves.
Opener and next single ‘Daft Punk is Playing at my House’ sets things up in style. Adhering to the same basic template as ‘Beat Connection’ and ‘Losing my Edge’ (even down to the wry, knowing hipster lyrics) it starts on a sparse, funky bass line and hand claps before building and building into a beast of a beat. It’s as good as anything he’s produced before and will keep DJs happy for months to come.
There’s more of that to come but first we bring down the tempo, firstly with the more subdued ‘Too Much Love’ and then the first real twist, ‘Tribulations’. ‘Tribulations’ has a real Giorgio Moroder feel, all electronic pulses, hissing hi hats and, shock, horror, a tuneful vocal instead of the usual arch delivery. Sure, James Murphy still sounds like he has a permanent cold but he’s singing, in tune and everything. Excellent stuff.
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You’re possible familiar with recent single ‘Movement’ where Murphy indulges himself in his noisiest moment yet, a full on punk thrashout with added electronic noise. Fierce and shambolic it is the antithesis of ‘Tribulations’. And then he chucks in ‘Never as Tired as When I’m Waking Up’ which could be auditioning for a place on the White Album (I’m not making this up). Not for the narrow minded then.
‘On Repeat’ is classic LCD, clocking in at over 8 minutes it’s a sparse beat and a monotone vocal. It will creep into your brain and refuse to leave, at first slight but in reality terribly insidious and unsettling (even if it’s relatively banal lyrically). ‘Thrills’ is dark and seriously bassy and ‘Disco Infiltrator’ returns to squelchy acid sounds and sparse arrangements. The biggest surprise is left for last, ‘Great Release’ is an Eno-esque atmospheric number with piano and harmonious vocal. It is totally at odds with everything that has gone before and is absolutely beautiful.
This album is even better that long time admirers like myself could have hoped for and I think it’s fair to say the first great album of 2005. Not just for those who think that dance music needs saving but for anyone who likes their music to be challenging yet utterly appealing to their base instincts, to not give a shit about labels and genres, to listen to music made by somebody who has a better record collection than you, knows it and still take the piss out of themselves. File under life affirming.
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