Rarely does a band successfully transcend genres to create a genre of its own. With LCD Soundsystem’s eponymous debut album released in 2005, James Murphy, the band’s songwriter and producer, was able to do just that. Mixing
influences from 70s disco, punk and dance, he creates a style all his own.
When working on his first LP, Murphy didn’t have any lyrics prepared, he simply went into the studio and sang what he wanted. Thankfully, this was not his approach to his third – and possibly final – album, “This Is Happening.” In his first album, Murphy talked jokingly about how he was getting old and didn’t stand a chance against the new generation of cool kids. In his second album, “Sound of Silver,” Murphy shed his insecurities and put out one of the best albums of our generation. But with his latest release, Murphy seems to actually be getting old.
LCD Soundsystem’s first ever single was entitled “Losing My Edge,” and in it Murphy talks jokingly about the name dropping and knowledge of “the art-school Brooklynites/in little jackets/and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered 80s.” But now, his sharp critique of Williamsburg trends has been shed to show a soft and tender side that he hasn’t shown us before.
In “Dance Yrself Clean,” the opening track to “This Is Happening,” Murphy cries out “I miss the way the night comes/With friends who always make it feel good/This basement has a cold glow/Though it’s better than a bunch of others.” This is a far cry from his earlier songs, where he sings about playing Daft Punk at a house party.
Murphy may have gotten sentimental on us, but does the music suffer?
No. If there’s one thing Murphy has proven with his discography, it’s that he knows how to write songs. The repetitive nature of songs like “Somebody’s Calling Me” and “I Can Change” don’t make them boring in the least. They don’t get annoying like most songs with an extremely repetitive aspect, but instead, Murphy adds layers to the songs to make them continue to be intriguing to the end.
In the album’s first single “Drunk Girls,” Murphy shows his ability to write a fun dance-punk song. With a quick and catchy drum beat, and rocking guitar riff, Murphy sings about the “boringly wild” drunk girls. This song though, stands out from the rest. It’s the only song under five minutes, and the song most fitting to be a single.
The most amazing thing about this album though, is its ability to flow from a song like “Drunk Girls,” which is a punk influenced anthem full of electric guitars and live drums, into the song “One Touch,” which is full of synthesizers and awkward beats.
Just as he did with “Sound of Silver,” Murphy saves the two best tracks on the album for the fourth and fifth positions in the track listing. The one-two punch of “All I Want” and “I Can Change” is the climax of the record. “All I Want” begins with a steady beat and a melancholy guitar riff and ends with a clash of synthesizer and electric guitar with a seemingly random stream of notes, but somehow, Murphy’s genius is able to make this musical fistfight sound pleasing to the ear. “I Can Change” slows down and trades the guitar riff of the previous song for a lovely melody played on a synthesizer and the most beautiful lyrics and melody Murphy has ever written.
With his third and final LP, Murphy proves to us once again, that he knows exactly what he is doing. This album is a fitting send-off to one of the best bands of the past decade, and Murphy should be proud of the heritage he has left behind.
