The New Classics #49: LCD Soundsystem, LCD Soundsystem

Title: LCD Soundsystem
Artist: LCD Soundsystem
Year: 2005
Label: DFA Records

So much of the past decade of music has been defined by the always uneasy relationship between rock and dance music. The 2000s' first big breakthrough artists, such as the Strokes and the White Stripes, were championed because critics felt that this new music was wiping away an era of prefabricated, inane drivel (the boy band/pop diva continuum). More recently, in the later half of the decade, dance-influenced music has risen again, through the work of bands like Daft Punk, Hot Chip and M.I.A., leaving the rock purists whining once more. This dynamic is nothing new and it taps into a familiar opposition: the raw, "authentic" expression of rock vs. the escapist, functional beats of dance music, which, as any good rock critic will tell you, is "entertainment, not art." Combining these two supposedly opposing forces is always asking for trouble (just ask the 1980s) and can lead to music that simply no one wants to hear.

LCD Soundsystem broke every conventional expectation about dance-rock with their debut album, a monolithic effort split into two discs. The first, containing all new material, including the pounding single "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House," is spectacular in its own right, yet it's the second CD, wrapping up LCD Soundsystem's earlier singles, that features the band's definitive story. Their debut recording, "Losing My Edge," introduced to world to James Murphy, the intensely witty, charismatic dynamo at the core of the band. With an impeccable eye towards the details, "Losing My Edge" is the frantic attempt of an aging hipster to keep the younger generation from overrunning him completely with their iPods and Interpol. As the rage and jealously increases ("I hear you have a compilation...of every good song ever done...by anybody"), Murphy is reduced to a twitching pile of name-dropped references, heralded by the manic cry "have you seen my records?!" Oh, and the beat rocks, too. In this single song, Murphy revealed his master plan for great LCD Soundsystem songs: unstoppable rhythms, relentless hooks and lyrics filled with carefully calibrated social observation.

One of the classic arguments against dance music has been its lack of lyrical depth. While that's certainly true in many, many cases, Murphy's brand of beat-driven showstoppers are just as rewarding to the young writer scouring the lyric sheet as they are to those who just wants to dance the night away. The aforementioned "Daft Punk" unfolds as a celebratory depiction of roaring house party, while the lovely "Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up" teems with yearning and sexual frustration. Musically, the band is no slouch. The songs on LCD Soundsystem lean towards raw, immediate power, even falling deep into the abyss of rock on "Movement" and the ironically named "Tired," which sounds more like the Stooges than anything else. The album's tracks sit precariously on the fence between rock and dance, while hinting all the while that the chasm separating them might not be as huge as imagined.

LCD Soundsystem are definitely one of the most important sounds of the 2000s. Even with only two albums released during the decade (with a third released today!), they've defined a whole new path for both powerful dance tracks and inordinately groovy rock. While other bands from this era tried awkwardly to shoehorn electric guitar next to drum machine beats, on LCD Soundsystem, they created a sound that always feels natural, yet effortlessly bridges that gap. They've never been a hybrid band. Murphy and his cast of capable characters have simply played their music, tapping into the exploratory spirit of post-punk and new wave to create an exciting way forward that is still going strong.

Next up on The New Classics: Relationship Of Command, At The Drive-In