The news that James Murphy will be ceasing work on LCD Soundsystem was, in my opinion, the worst music news of 2010-11.  They are playing their last show at Madison Square Garden on April 2nd.  After that, LCD Soundsystem will be no more.

Murphy has cited multiple reasons for the end of the band.  He likes his ignominy, he likes being able to go places without being recognized.  He’s a simple man who likes seasoned cubed potatoes, fighting, has a decent sense of humor, and likes sunglasses.  He also told Stephen Colbert that he was getting kind of old to be a rock star.  But what seems to be most important reason for him calling it quits is that the band has become a lot bigger and more successful than he ever expected. Murphy said, “It’s all just gotten bigger than I planned or wanted. Not that I’m against it but I don’t want to get bigger. What’s the goal now– get fucking huge? I don’t want to be a famous person. It’s fucking great where we are. I get on an airplane and nobody has any idea who I am. I just want to do other stuff. And since we know we’re not gonna do another record I feel freer to do the biggest shit I possibly can. Like, ‘Fuck it, we should play Madison Square Garden.’” The band has also forced him to forgo opportunities to produce albums by Arcade Fire and Spoon.  He is a producer at heart and it’s not surprising that he wants to return to that.  Plus, he does own a record label, you know?

He also believes that he might not have had another album in him.  He said that “If I thought there was another record, I’d be very uncomfortable and anxious about it and what it was going to do to my life. Putting an end to it frees me up to have fun; it’s like knowing your mortality. As a kid that always wanted to make music, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better place to be than where I’m at right now. I didn’t even know this place existed– to play with your friends and be really satisfied and happy. It’s not so bad.”

While Murphy’s reasoning is understandable and respectable, it doesn’t lessen the blow.  There are not many successful musicians who can stop while their in their prime and go out on top of the indie world.  It’s admirable, in a way.  I didn’t want him to become an aging rocker that’s embarrassing himself in his 60s still trying to ride on the wave of his former success but I still believe that he had a few more years in him.  Yet, even the knowledge that our memory of LCD Soundsystem will be unmarred by even one subpar album, that there will be no black spot in their discography, is very little consolation fans.

Looking back over his career it’s easy to see why it’s such a bitter day for music fans.  LCD Soundsystem came onto the music scene way back in 2002 with their single, “Losing My Edge.”  The song starts out with rough and screeching electronic noise but soon transitions into a simple, coherent, and great beat that builds and becomes great when Murphy’s smooth, slowly speaking voice comes over the speakers.  He maintains calm even as the music gets more complicated.  It was a perfect introduction to the wry Murphy and his brand of dance punk.  The year 2005 brought the self-titled debut.  Even on their debut album they were able to create some of their classic and now seminal songs.  The opener, “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House” not only perfectly encapsulates the fantasy of every indie electronic fan but has a funky beat and chorus that makes the song irresistible.  It even includes a cowbell solo that’s actually good.  This album perfectly featured Murphy’s smooth voice that can change sharply to hit the highest of notes. The heavily electronic “Tribulations” is as house as LCD Soundsystem has ever gotten and it’s often thought of as one of the highlights of the album.  And of course, you cannot talk about their debut album without mentioning “Yr City’s a Sucker.”  As a Princeton Junction native, James Murphy loves to sing about New York City.  The oft repeated refrain “Your city’s a sucker, my city’s a creep” punctuated by outrageous “ha ha ha has” is a strange, but fitting, ode to the Big Apple.  It has plenty of New Yorker-esque personality to it as much as it satirizes the whole “New York City is the best city in the world” mentality.  The release of “45:33” (which actually a bit longer than 45 minutes and 33 seconds) as part of a Nike promotion came in-between their first and second albums.  It was touted as a song to exercise to but it sounds more like a vast soundscape.  Murphy claims that he just wanted to make a really long song.  He succeeded.  While “45:33” isn’t a song that many probably find the time to listen to very often, it’s greatness is undeniable.  Also, it provided an excellent primer for Sound of Silver.

LCD Soundsystem’s second album, Sound of Silver, released in 2007, was an absolutely amazing accomplishment.  The opener, “Get Innocuous,” set the tone for the rest of the album.  It starts out with a very long intro and though we saw some of that on the self-titled it definitely becomes more prevalent on Sound of Silver.  Murphy really starts to develop the slow build that he’s been using ever since.  The soft introduction of Murphy’s vocals into the blaring electronic beats is perfect and it makes for an excellent opener.  Yet Murphy still delivers on much more traditional songs like “Time To Get Away” and “North American Scum.”  “North American Scum,” the second single off the album, is full of Murphy’s signature backhanded lyrics that indicts North Americans as much as it celebrates it. Murphy has an amazing ability to poke fun at a city, a country, or a continent and not become political or take controversial stances.  His lyrics and sound keep the song fun and playful.  “All My Friends” is the standout track on Sound of Silver.  It is perfectly constructed, with a long piano build that segues seamlessly into the body of the song.  At the time, it was something new for LCD Soundsystem.  Instead of being loud, electronic, and in your face, “All My Friends” is much slower and more melodious even with the continuously sharp keyboard in the background.  It’s a simple song, but that doesn’t keep it from being anything but amazing.  A much more emotional song about balancing touring and music and one’s personal life and, more broadly, work and fun.  This song has deeper lyrics than was expected of LCD Soundsystem at that point in time.  It really marked a turning point and showed the evolution of the band.  The title track opens with much more baritone vocals singing, “Sound of silver talk to me/ Makes you want to feel like a teenager/ Until you remember the feelings of/ A real live emotional teenager/ Then you think again.”  This is a deceptively simple song that deals with older people who wish they were young when they reach 30s, middle age, or even their silver years.  Murphy must, of course, end the album with a song about New York City, “New York I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down.”  This one deals even more plainly with the fact that Murphy wished that he experienced the seedy New York, back when it wasn’t really all that safe but was, somehow, in his mind, more classic New York.  It’s a reflection on how things were better back in the day.  Nostalgia tinged?  Most definitely.  But this is still one of the only LCD Soundsystem songs that I can get my friends who have mainstream taste in music to listen to.

In 2010, LCD Soundsystem released their third and, even then, rumored to be last album, This Is Happening.  I had the pleasure of reviewing this myself when it came into the station.  Since most tracks hover around the 7 minute mark or above and there are a few profanities tossed around here and there, it’s not the MOST radio friendly album.  So I’ll be honest, trying to find enough songs to fit within our music policy without hampering our DJs was a little tough and it took a little bending but this album was too good to not to warrant it.  I have had a few arguments with former Promotions Director Alec Plasker about this album.  We both have a great respect for this band but he believed that Sound of Silver was Murphy’s best, I think that This Is Happening is superior.  Murphy’s third album features his best vocal performance, his lyrics are better, and his music is superb.  Alec believed that the intros and outros in this album were too long, and that might be a legitimate concern, but honestly, I believe it’s part of the reason why This Is Happening is so great.  No song proves my point better than the opener, “Dance Yrself Clean.”  It features a hefty 3 minute intro that features soft singing and very light keyboard and drums.  However, the intro, itself, is basically 3 solid minutes of wordplay centering around the use of the words “present,” “company,” and “excepted.”  That’s all before this 9 minute song gets off the ground.  It picks up suddenly and sharply but still maintains cohesion.  The instrumentation is frankly amazing and Murphy’s vocals are sharp, it even features a rather impressive note in the middle, which Murphy holds for about 15 seconds.  Yet, it feels like the beginning of the end with lyrics like “Everybody’s getting younger / It’s the end of an era, it’s true” and “I wanna play it ‘till the time comes / But there’s a string of divorces / You go and throw your little hands up.”  Not to mention the fact that a few weeks ago there was an unofficial video that combined two of my favorite things, LCD Soundsystem and muppets.  “Dance Yrself Clean” is my single favorite LCD Soundsystem track and that’s saying quite a bit.

Murphy follows it was with what can only be described as a fun and silly song.  “Drunk Girls” is the only “radio” song on the album. It’s a song about drunken interactions between boy and girls.  No one can find any subtext in there, I guarantee it, not in a song that says, “Drunk girls wait an hour to pee.”  It’s not a song about romance but it is a song about what passes for a romantic in that setting, and that’s believing in waking up together.  It’s a silly song, but it’s classic LCD Soundsystem.  It’s the closest link you’ll find to a song like “Daft Punk Is Playing at my House” on This Is Happening.  (P.S. the music video for this is pretty good too).  “I Can Change” is a song that is deeply connected so songs like “New York I Love You” or “All My Friends.”  It is slow, it is melodious and Murphy’s vocals are at their best.  It is incredibly emotional but not overwrought.  And it is an actual song about love. Finally, there’s the closer, “Home,” and guess what?  It’s not about New York, well not directly anyway.  This is the second best song on the album and it evokes that feeling of walking into your house again and returning.  It’s just an amazing song and it’s the perfect closer for the album and maybe even James Murphy’s career.

This brings us to the end.  After April 2nd, no longer will we get to see James Murphy passionately singing into his Vintage Sennheiser MD409 mic.  Way back in 1992, Murphy turned down a position on the writing staff of a then little known show named Seinfeld. Strangely, that was the best decision ever.  What he has done since that time has been rather impressive.  James Murphy has always been a guy who has, for me at least, represented accomplishment.  He’s kind of pudgy, has a scruffy 5 o’clock shadow look, released his debut album a little more than a week before his 35th birthday, and is one of the greatest musicians of his generation.

– Matthew Jannetti, Music Director