LCD Soundsystem is the project of James Murphy,
a member of New York's production duo DFA (Death From Above) with Tim Goldsworthy, who entered the
disco-punk fray with the
double-CD LCD Soundsystem (Capitol, 2005), an album that also includes
all their early singles.
The core of the album is represented by the dancefloor fun of
Yeah (nine minutes of primal Giorgio Moroder-ian attack and funk-jazz riffs that escalates to a manic degree of frenzy),
Daft Punk Is Playing At My House (the rhythmic propulsion of the Talking Heads fronted without David Byrne's neurotic twitching),
Disco Infiltrator (a tapping hip-hop with doo-wop vocals),
Losing My Edge (pure funk energy with zero melodic development),
On Repeat (a lengthy dub-jazz sarabande with atonal guitar),
Give It Up (intricate bass-heavy funk-punk),
Yr City's A Sucker (minimalist iteration ad libitum of an elementary
rhythmic pattern).
There are certainly rather tedious repetition of beats, melodies and arrangements that have been around for decades (Tribulations.
On the other hand,
Murphy is not restricted to the fashionable electroclash style. He unleashes
the vibrant power-pop of Movement and croons the moronic ballad
Never As Tired As When I Wake Up.
Neither is too entertaining, but they set the stage for future stylistic
expansions.
Furthermore, some tracks are at least partially original and innovative, and
not merely a revival of the late 1970s
(the sleazy African rap of Thrills, the surreal vocal harmonies with
apocalyptic crescendo of Great Release, the
more subliminal shuffle of Too Much Love, the surprisingly visceral
punk-jazz explosion of Tired).
Ultimately, the album asserts the primacy of the producer over the group:
Murphy alone can do more and better than most of the entire electroclash crowd
combined.
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(Tradotto da Gabriella Gentile, gabestardust@libero.it)
LCD Soundsystem è il progetto di James Murphy, un membro del duo Newyorkese DFA (Death From Above), che ha abbracciato il mix disco-punk nel CD doppio LCD Soundsystem (Capitol, 2005), che include tra l’altro, tutti i loro primi singles.
Il corpo dell’album è rappresentato dall’allegria ballabile di Yeah (un attacco originale di nove minuti alla maniera di Giorgio Moroder e un’escalation di riff funk-jazz fino ad un livello maniacale di frenesia), Daft Punk Is Playing At My House ( la propulsione ritmica dei Talking Heads condotta senza gli strappi nevrotici di David Byrne), Disco Infiltrator (un hip-hop incisivo con vocalizzi doo-wop), Losing My Edge (pura energia funk senza alcuno sviluppo melodico), On Repeat (una lunga sarabanda dub-jazz con chitarre atone), Give It Up (un funk-punk intricato con un basso pesante), Yr City’s A Sucker (iterazione minimalista ad libitum di uno schema ritmico elementare).
Di certo ci sono tediose ripetizioni di ritmi, melodie e arrangiamenti che hanno circolato per decenni (Tribulation. D’altra parte Murphy non si limita allo stile electroclash alla moda, sguinzaglia il power-pop vibrante di Movement e canticchia la ballata demente di Never As Tired As When I Wake Up. Nessuna è del tutto piacevole ma preparano il terreno per espansioni stilistiche future. Inoltre alcune tracce sono almeno in parte, originali e innovative e non meri revival degli ultimi anni ’70 (il sordido rap africano di Thrills,le surreali armonie vocali con crescendo apocalittici di Great Release, l’ancor più subliminale confusione di Too Much Love, la sorprendente esplosione viscerale punk-jazz di Tired).
L’album fondamentalmente afferma il primato del produttore sul gruppo: Murphy da solo può fare di più e di meglio della gran parte dell’intera folla electroclash messa insieme.
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The 45-minute 45:33, ostensibly a soundtrack for jogging, is an
encyclopedia of electronic dance music, from Eurodisco to disco-punk
to chill-out house music, as well as one of his artistic peaks.
This colossal piece was later included in 45:33 (2007).
A minimalist iteration of simple figures on out-of-tune piano and
archaic electronics constitutes the launching pad for an old-fashioned
funk beat with vocals. When this fades out, its remnant is a piano figure
that leads to a lengthy sequence in which that figure is transposed to
xylophone and synthesizer. The beat becomes a sleek, pounding polyrhythm.
A trombone duets with frenzied electronic keyboards. The speed doubles and
duets with
distorted Kraftwerk-ian vocals.
The sixth movement wipes out everything that the previous movements have
created with a delicate electronic texture, halfway between
falling snowflakes and a Bach fugue.
Sound of Silver (DFA, 2007) marks an improvement in terms of both
musicianship and concept. The songs are longer and more complex while at the
same time being more cohesive and organic.
James Murphy is one of the few musicians after Brian Eno who can make the masses both dance and rock. This album does so
over such a broad range of repertory formats that eventually represents
a fresco of musical graffiti.
The propulsive Get Innocuous is the most derivatives of the British 1980s.
The sensual funk of Time to Get Away harks back to the 1970s and to Prince.
The futuristic vignette Someone Great
(a short portion of 45:33)
boasts a pop melody worthy of vintage Brian Eno and Todd Rundgren.
However, soon the retro' project gets as serious as a post-modernist novel.
The mildly anthemic North American Scum and Watch the Tapes
borrow the driving progression
from the Velvet Underground
like so many of the
new-wave acts did, and the psychotic vocals from new-wave bands such as the
Talking Heads and the
Modern Lovers,
with the latter song approaching the shamanic emphasis of Suicide.
And Us vs Them (another highlight) is pure Talking Heads-ian techno-funk mayhem, augmented with ethnic percussion and a sunny pop aria.
All My Friends is perhaps the most original of these revisitations
of the masters, and the album's standout.
Over a pounding piano pattern that could come from a minimalist piece by Steve
Reich, the half-sung recitation exhudes the urban neurosis of
Lou Reed without the decadent overtones
and the existential angst of the Cure without
the apocalyptic overtones.
This seems to be like James Murphy's ultimate manifesto.
The last two tracks sound out of context.
Sound of Silver is an electronic percussive jam, a robotic ballet.
Aware of the impressive amount of music packed in the album,
Murphy takes the liberty of ending it with a grand
waltzing ballad in the style of Broadway show-tunes, New York I Love You.
Despite continuously reinventing itself, the album never feels eccentric or
challenging. It radiates the majestic calm of a classic.
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Giuseppe Leone)
45:33 (45 minuti), teoreticamente una colonna Sonora per il jogging, è un’enciclopedia di musica dance elettronica, dall’Eurodisco al disco-punk fino alla musica house chill-out.
Sound of Silver (DFA, 2007) segna un miglioramento sia in termini di abilità musicale e di concetto. I brani sono più lunghi e complessi e allo stesso tempo più coesi e organici. James Murphy è uno dei pochi musicisti dopo Brian Eno che rende le masse sia dance che rock. Su quest’album in un’ampia varietà di formati (la dilatata Sound of Silver, l’acrobatica All My Friends, la propulsiva Get Innocuous, la banale North American Scum, l’intellettuale Watch the Tapes). Nonostante si reinventi continuamente, l’album non sembra mai eccentrico o impegnativo. Esso emana la maestosa calma di un classico.
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