Who can accurately describe a band like LCD Soundsystem? They have been an emotionally riveting band throughout the early 2000’s all the way to 2010 where they released This is Happening, an album that includes fan favorites such as “I Can Change”, “You Wanted a Hit”, “Dance Yrself Clean”, and “Drunk Girls”. Each album has contained musical masterpieces, especially their first debut studio album that was released in 2005, which obtained a Grammy nomination for the best dance album. This included tracks such as “Daft Punk is Playing at My House”, “Losing my Edge”, and “Yeah”. Each album has touched the souls of many different types of “music listeners”, from kids who enjoy the synth piano in combination with electronic beats, to the ones who enjoy rock from the later 90’s and James Murphy’s melodic, rugged voice. The band’s music connects with multiple generations, and that’s what makes their music so special.
My first encounter with LCD Soundsystem came during my Freshman year of high school, where dreams of living in New York City flourished as I listened to James Murphy cry of the trials and tribulations of living in a city like New York, in “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down”. The album Sound of Silver features a number of thought provoking songs such as “Someone Great”, which remains to be my favorite song of LCD Soundsystem, and one that I was fortunate to see performed live last week at Bonnaroo Music Festival.
James Murphy sings, “I wish that we could talk about it. But there, that’s the problem. With someone new I couldn’t start it. Too late, for beginnings. The little things that made me nervous, are gone, in a moment. I miss the way we used to argue, locked, in your basement”. He continued to sing that with an intensely passionate voice, and he almost looked like he was crying during the performance. (That also could have been the heat, which made every lead musician drip of non-stop sweat during the festival).
This was one of my favorite bands to see live at Bonnaroo music festival, because not only was the music incredibly poetic and beautiful, but the amount of intensity and passion that Murphy put into his performance was extremely emotional. When he performed songs such as “Someone Great”, “I Can Change”, and the emotional track such as “All My Friends”, it became a show not just for dancing, but for remembering lost loved ones, lost friendships, and the hardships of growing older. It was as if LCD Soundsystem created a cathartic experience for music lovers and avid concert goers. LCD’s last song was “All My Friends”, a song about friends and how they grow apart with time. The audience sang along with every word, knowing that the lyrics were a sad and grim expression on the limits of time and the separation of friends.
The band’s most recent release was “Christmas Will Break Your Heart” released in December, and fortunately, they are planning a new album release for this year. They will be performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago, and at FYF Fest in L.A. this Summer, as well as many other festivals and venues. They are really amazing live!
Sydney Fishman