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It's always been cool to arrive at the party late, so it should come as no surprise that NYC's premiere detached scenester of 2002, James Murphy, should finally bring out his debut LCD Soundsystem album three years late. Which is in some ways a shame, because if we'd got this back when Converse was compulsory and short hair a sin then it would have been, like, the best thing ever, man. But now that rock is being reclaimed by the geeks, and Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand are the hipster's choice, we get the opportunity to listen to 'LCD Soundsystem' objectively. And even taken out of its proper time and place, what a belter it is.
Effortlessly mixing the supposedly deceased genre of dance and cool-as-fuck indie, it's like the nights out at Trash you always read about (but never actually went to) brought to life in two handy compact discs. Disc One is the debut album proper, nine tracks of beats, fuzzed bass, manic yelping and, yes, those cowbells that made House Of Jealous Lovers the official floor-filler for indie discos everywhere. The brilliant rock-kid baiting 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House' is the perfect start, with a rhythm that would get arthritic octogenarians dancing madly, and although 'Too Much Love' is a little too formulaic to really get the pulse racing, everything else here follows on in a manner purpose-built to give you the best rave you can ever have on your own. 'Movement' switches from staccato drum machines to full-on punk-funk freak out, 'Tribulations' is a bass monster coated with sugar-sweet synth, and 'Disco Infiltrator' manages to be so brilliant it can get away with having the phrase 'fo' sho' in the lyrics (that's 'fore sure', for those not up to date with your cod-MCisms), although this being James Murphy it's probably ironic. It all ends on the serene bliss-out of 'Great Release', one of the most dreamy dance tracks ever committed to CD.
Disc Two will be more familiar to most people, as it's a compilation of all the singles that made LCD Soundsystem a 'name' in the first place. The brilliantly witty 'Losing My Edge' is here, as is 'Beat Connection' and both mixes of 'Yeah', but unless you've had your head under a pillow since the end of 2001, no description is necessary here. Some magazines have described Murphy as the man who will save dance. If he does, this isn't the album that will. But it will bring members of the lager generation who haven't got over the superclub explosion yet and the indie kids who still haven't got over The Strokes yet together, and maybe even give them a sense of purpose again. And for that James, we thank you.
Effortlessly mixing the supposedly deceased genre of dance and cool-as-fuck indie, it's like the nights out at Trash you always read about (but never actually went to) brought to life in two handy compact discs. Disc One is the debut album proper, nine tracks of beats, fuzzed bass, manic yelping and, yes, those cowbells that made House Of Jealous Lovers the official floor-filler for indie discos everywhere. The brilliant rock-kid baiting 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House' is the perfect start, with a rhythm that would get arthritic octogenarians dancing madly, and although 'Too Much Love' is a little too formulaic to really get the pulse racing, everything else here follows on in a manner purpose-built to give you the best rave you can ever have on your own. 'Movement' switches from staccato drum machines to full-on punk-funk freak out, 'Tribulations' is a bass monster coated with sugar-sweet synth, and 'Disco Infiltrator' manages to be so brilliant it can get away with having the phrase 'fo' sho' in the lyrics (that's 'fore sure', for those not up to date with your cod-MCisms), although this being James Murphy it's probably ironic. It all ends on the serene bliss-out of 'Great Release', one of the most dreamy dance tracks ever committed to CD.
Disc Two will be more familiar to most people, as it's a compilation of all the singles that made LCD Soundsystem a 'name' in the first place. The brilliantly witty 'Losing My Edge' is here, as is 'Beat Connection' and both mixes of 'Yeah', but unless you've had your head under a pillow since the end of 2001, no description is necessary here. Some magazines have described Murphy as the man who will save dance. If he does, this isn't the album that will. But it will bring members of the lager generation who haven't got over the superclub explosion yet and the indie kids who still haven't got over The Strokes yet together, and maybe even give them a sense of purpose again. And for that James, we thank you.
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