LCD Soundsystem

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LCD Soundsystem

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It's fascinating: I can't remember the last album to be released that was so inexorably tied to indie-hipsterism and its fickle, ever-changing sense of what's "in." LCD Sound System are so cool that there's a critical/hipster backlash against them before they even released this, their first album. That they include a bonus disk of the early singles that got them where they are today is impressive -- it says that they are willing to let the new material stand beside the more acclaimed older stuff.

Cries of "derivative" are already being levied at LCDSS, and it's true that their taut, rhythmic pop owes a lot to their record collection: Can, Fall, Faust, Eno, Wire, etc. But why not steal from the best? The beats here are minimal, but incredibly nuanced in a way that LCDSS's forefathers never were, and above everything else, this is FUN music. Franz Ferdinand and Interpol are fine at the gloomy herky-jerky thing, but I don't think I'd ever put them on to facilitate having a good time...this is another story!

Not since the first Strokes' record has there been an album so fun and memorable that's been embraced by the smug, self-satisfied Pitchforkmedia generation. And not since the second Strokes album are you likely to see an absolutely unwarrented backlash against them.

But put aside this petty anthropology. Throw on the first disk and rejoice in the spell-binding beats, the amusingly self-efacing vocals, and the starkly propulsive vibe that surges the whole thing forward.

After hearing so much about this band and not really knowing anything that they've actually done, I checked this out at a local public library. Well, this continues that current indie trend of the dance-punk. There is quite a bit of hi-hat used in most of the songs. It's also got lots of spoken word tracks as well. I feel that with this album that there isn't a whole lot to say, but even though it won't have much length, I can tell you that if you don't really mind the length of some of these songs that you might be okay. That has always been the problem with me: the songs seem to go on longer than necessary.

There happen to be the highlights though, songs that stop the album from being just dragging. I particularly like the two versions of "Yeah" quite a bit. Something about those stand out quite a bit. Also, there's "Tribulations" on the first disc which is a standout track, complete with its synth that gives it a new-wave feel.

So, yeah, that's all I can really say. It's not really awful by any stretch of the mind, although sometimes it's rather average. But it all depends on what you're looking for. If it's the dance-punk thing is for you, LCD Soundsystem is probably that too. It's decent, so I'm not gonna stop from recommending you this.