LCD SOUNDSYSTEM LCD SOUNDSYSTEM ALBUM DFA, EMI RELEASE: JANUARY 24, 2005 REVIEW: FEBRUARY 28, 2005

Pub beat, I mean big beat, adamantly refuses to crawl under the table and die. The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim keep diluting the power of their floor filler dynamic with successive carbon copies of their early albums while pub rock, I mean punk rock, musicians still seem excited by the possibilities of spicing up their sound with bleeps and beats.
LCD Soundsystem is possibly the act with the most potential treading this rocky and dry musical ground. That James Murphy is actually an American is hard to believe, but since drumming for US punk bands he has obviously hung out with enough prominent Brits (Tim Goldsworthy, formerly of Mo'Wax and David Holmes, for instance) behind the mixing desk to develop mastery of wry British self depreciation to go with his post punk drawly vocals and rock sensibility. Murphy and Goldsworthy now make up one of the most sought after production teams of today as DFA (Death From Above), while LCD Soundsystem is Murphy's little rock band laboratory. This double album compiles tracks written during the last few years, including attention rousing single "Losing My Edge" from 2002.
A party mood and thick basslines permeate the songs, which are indeed mostly funky, relaxed punk rock for the dance floor. The subject of perhaps too many of these party songs is humorous but still a bit self referential depictions of the music scene - like the music fan's wet dream of "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" or yet another music fan's boasting tirade in "Losing My Edge". I'm fonder of the slower, melodious ponderings "Tribulations" and "Never as Tired as when I'm Waking up", though they will hardly spend as much time spinning on anyone's turntables. LCD Soundsystem has plenty of attitude. Now I'd like to hear some soul.

MATTIAS HUSS