Photo credit: Todd Fixler
The year was 2002. It may have been 2003. I was in college and trading CD-R’s filled with MP3’s of every genre imaginable with a girl from a university in Pennsylvania who spent one night a week behind the DJ booth in the university’s radio station.
The first mix she sent me kicked off with a little ditty called “Losing My Edge” credited to James Murphy. I laughed, I made note of every group named, I bobbed my head and tapped my feet along to the now infamous beat. I then lost track of Mr. Murphy until 2005 when I recognized his voice in a song about Daft Punk playing a show in the basement of his house.
Thus began a love affair with one of the best bands of the new millennium whose career will come to an end this Saturday at Madison Square Garden where Murphy & co., a.k.a. LCD Soundsystem, will play their last show ever.
In memoriam, I present to you my favorite LCDS songs:
“Beat Connection”
The only people who don’t/won’t dance to this track are dead. That’s not to say that I had them taken out but that it’s impossible to NOT get down to this one. This was the B-side to the “Losing My Edge” 12″.
WARNING: The intro lasts nearly four and-a-half minutes which is half the song itself and features some glorious drum work at the 3:40 mark.
“Yeah”
This one starts off hot and progressively gets crazier as it goes on thanks to some incredible synth work. The 12″ was released in early 2004.
“Disco Infiltrator”
“Disco” was the second single off the band’s self-titled debut album and the first track I listened to repeatedly.
“Tribulations”
This was the last single off their debut and became the anthem of my mid-20’s. Oh…I just aged myself…
Anyway, the music video must have been a test of everyone’s patience as you’ll see below.
“Never As Tired As When I’m Waking Up”
My friends and I popped this one on during many a hangover. It always fit the mood.
“Time To Get Away”
This was the last single for the group’s second album, Sound of Silver. There’s a strong Talking Heads vibe throughout. Below is a live version taped at KCRW Studios in Santa Monica.
“Watch The Tapes”
I love the lyrics in this song. “I never remember to carry my books when I get on the bus.” Been there!
“Dance Yrself Clean”
This fan-made video features Kermit The Frog, Cookie Monster, Animal and Miss Piggy “performing” the opening track from the band’s final album, This Is Happening, on a rooftop in Brighton. Random yet amazing.
“You Wanted A Hit”
This one’s a nine minute masterpiece about the band’s inability to craft a hit song. And yet….
It contains every element that defines LCD’s style: the waves of acid-washed synths, the rubberband-like bass lines, the sarcastic barbs in rhyme that make up the lyrics…it’s all here!
Let’s top this one off with an insightful interview with James for NME where he details the story behind each song on This Is Happening.
Afroxander (aka Iván Fernández) 