Issue #31 - Spring 2010 - Joanna NewsomLCD Soundsystem
This is Happening
DFA/Virgin
May 24, 2010 Issue #31 - Spring 2010 - Joanna Newsom
After making Sound of Silver, one of those extraordinarily rare recordings in which the first listen thrills and the hundredth and two hundredth reveal new pleasures, James Murphy absolutely crushes the follow up, placing him on the shortlist of artists that truly matter.
As finely assembled and charming as Sound of Silver, This is Happening also creates the same level of anticipation with each track; whatever’s around the corner is almost infinitely more interesting than what’s already transpired. Somehow Murphy not only lives up to this self-imposed pressure, he revels in it. Each dip and twirl and change of pace clears the way for something even more exciting. It’s roller coaster music.
“Drunk Girls” opens as an ‘80s call-and-response space jam, seemingly painting itself into a corner with its repetitiveness (a Murphy specialty), before breaking loose, all in less than four tidy minutes. Elsewhere he gives himself more room—all the better to build tension with—such as the glorious nine-minute “Dance Yourself Clean,” which begins with some quiet vocals, “It happens all the time” and then goes nuclear, in the most danceable way possible.
“Change” features a deceptively simple chorus and melody, but Murphy spices things up as time moves along, adding slight changes and small splashes of sound. Murphy’s ability to bend pop music to his will enables him to get away with lyrics that would make a lesser musician wilt. “Change,” being a relatively simple love song (and featuring some of Murphy’s most luscious singing, it should be noted) has more than its fair share of such lines, many of them featuring Murphy’s carpe diem fascination, “And love is a murderer/But if she calls you tonight/Everything is alright.”
Rumor has it Murphy will put the LCD Soundsystem name to bed after this record, which will be sad if it’s the case, but far from tragic. A phenomenal trilogy of albums lies in its wake, and Murphy will shine no matter what name’s slapped on the label. (www.lcdsoundsystem.com)
Author rating: 9/10
Average reader rating: 9/10
Most Recent
- 10 Best Songs of the Week: Bartees Strange, Miki Berenyi Trio, The Weather Station, and More (News) —
- The Conduit of Dreams: R.I.P. Visionary Filmmaker David Lynch (News) —
- Premiere: Eric Cannata Shares New Single “Fruit” (News) —
- The Trump Era and the Biden/Harris Tragedy: Viral Politics in the Age of Fuckery Part VII (News) —
- The Horrors Release New Single “More Than Life” (News) —
Comments
Submit your comment
May 28th 2010
3:41am
I think this is the first 9 that Under the Radar has given out that I’ve ever seen…....This might just persuade me to head out and buy the album….
April 16th 2012
3:29am
Great write-up. Good suggestions embraced. Really like your web-site. go here to order dissertation All the best.
January 13th 2013
7:47am
hello there and thank you for your info – I’ve certainly pciked up anything new from right here. I did however expertise some technical points using this site, as I experienced to reload the site lots of times previous to I could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your web hosting is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will sometimes affect your placement in google and can damage your high-quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I am adding this RSS to my email and can look out for much more of your respective interesting content. Ensure that you update this again very soon..
January 13th 2013
7:48am
I just wanted to thank you yet again for this amaznig web-site you have produced here. It’s full of ideas for those who are truly interested in this kind of subject, especially this very post. You really are all amaznigly sweet and also thoughtful of others plus reading the blog posts is a wonderful delight with me. And what a generous surprise! Ben and I will certainly have fun making use of your suggestions in what we have to do in a month’s time. Our record is a kilometer long and simply put tips will definitely be put to very good use.
January 13th 2013
7:49am
I wanted to thank you yet again for the amaizng web site you have created here. It truly is full of ideas for those who are really interested in that subject, particularly this very post. You really are all so sweet along with thoughtful of others and also reading the blog posts is a great delight if you ask me. And what a generous reward! Ben and I usually have fun making use of your tips in what we have to do in the near future. Our checklist is a mile long which means your tips is going to be put to very good use.