LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem

As reviewer scoundrel says, this album does work well with the stringent "electronic purveyors" that are open enough to accept commercial music into their collections. LCD Soundsystem is a well mixed album, decently-layered disco album. Some of the songs are boring and don't offer variate enough. Some samples are nostaligic, some unoriginal, but most loops are well-textured. The music feels a lot "less borrowed" (ie original) than Daft Punk, so it gets my preference. This is an album I put on when I've listened to all my other recent downloads, but for as far as cocaine disco parties go, I'll stick with Morgan Geist, Giorgio Moroder and Kerrier District.

LCD Soundsystem and their label DFA blew up quite nicely in 2005. Their self-titled debut managed to inject the energy of rock music with dance music’s funk grooves and disco beats in a way that could please both the indie kids and the electronic purveyors. “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House” is a stroke of brilliance -- much better than what Daft Punk themselves have been doing recently. “Tribulations” has a peppery beat that makes the schadenfreude lyrics pleasant. The rock and electronic elements are generally well-balanced, though if they lean one way or another, it’s usually towards the rock side (“Movement”), though on the post-sex aubade “Never as Tired As When I’m Waking Up,” you don’t mind. “On Repeat” is almost a reprise of “Daft Punk…” until it goes crazy towards the end. “Disco Infiltrator” is deliriously funky -- a definite highpoint of the album. “Great Release” closes the first disc on a slow-build stadium anthem. On the second disc, “Losing My Edge” is a cri de coeur from an aging hipster -- strictly tongue-in-cheek, while “Beat Connection” is much more straightforward about its intentions. “Tired” is as close to pure rock as you’ll find anywhere on this album, while the two version of “Yeah” sound like a jam band fiddling with electronics. “Yr City’s a Sucker” closes out the second disc with some angular guitar stabs and a chorus that’ll hit the heart of everyone who’s ever lived someplace they don’t like. Which, I guess, would be pretty much everyone.

This is a superb album! Each track has its own identity, message, and attitude. However, they sound like they're from different formats or a different artist. The last track is a nice flashback blow of a kiss to Brian Eno's "Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy). Brilliant!

LCD Soundsystem established itself as a reference name with the release of intelligent yet smashing hits like "Losing My Edge", "Yeah" or even "Give It Up". This made up crazy expectations in prevision of their debut album, which is now finally there­. And it's brilliant.

First off, like with any decent LCD Soundsystem release, you feel abused and lost. It's so horribly bad, incredibly lame. But it sticks in your head. You can't get rid of these melodies. With the second listening, they make sense more easily. But the key-listening is the third one. It's as if all the latent genius contained in these songs springs out and finally gain visibility. Amongst the most mysterious songs on this album, "Great Release", which at first seems like it have no place in LCD's discography, but in the end becomes a Beatles-worthy drug-induced ballad, as well as does Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up, which have all the retro charm James Murphy is able of.

Other surprise, Tribulations, which felt like a Fischerspooner rip-off. But in the end, all those real instruments chopped, re-organized, re-conducted along with the clicky noises that surround the beats makes it so much better than Fischerspooner that it's almost as if Murphy understood more than them what they were trying to do. Other highlights are Thrills, which is just absolutely wicked, On Repeat, the lyrics alone could justify it, and Disco Infiltrator, a song that will be a bottom-bouncing shot for every DJ ("YOU GOTTA SHAKE YOUR WAIST !").

Predictable shots were : Daft Punk Is Playing At My House (because we've been hearing it since the live takes of it were wandering over the internet), Too Much Love (because it picks up exactly where Losing My Edge left) and Movement (because... well because we've already heard it !). But even these song that we saw coming from a mile off are sharp, clever, greatly produced and funky as hell. Get ready to dance !