"Your time will come, but tonight is our night, so you should give us all your drugs" - "Pow Pow"
If This is Happening truly is the final album by James Murphy as LCD Soundsystem, it's a fitting end. This is Happening is an overview of the strengths and greatest hits of LCD Soundsystem's singles. "Pow Pow," an eight-minute dance anthem with observant pronouncements about party life in the 2010s, recalls 2004's "Yeah!" another single that augmented its solid groove with true-to-life and often hilarious quips about modern life. "All I Want," an album highlight, echoes Sound of Silver's "All My Friends," which also ditched the electronics of most LCD tracks and replaced them with traditional rock instrumentation. "All I Want" also shares the latter's introspective lyrics. "I Can Change," can act as a prequel to "Someone Great," with Murphy's protagonist attempting to salvage a broken relationship (which he mourns in "Someone Great"). "Drunk Girls" is the "North American Scum"-style jokey but catchy party song.
Though This is Happening steps on some familiar ground, Murphy expands his sonic and lyrical palette, emphasizing the importance of his own voice in his works and fine-tuning his witty lyrical barbs (see the quote in the header). Each track averages around six minutes in length, but Murphy never seems to run out of new musical ideas or inspired lyrics that keep the record from getting boring. Opener "Dance Yrself Clean" builds slowly to a euphoric climax, making the most of its nine minute runtime. "You Wanted a Hit," a response to industry folks and critics who wanted Murphy to break into the mainstream, teases its melody in a long intro and ends with a chant of "we won't be your babies." Closer, "Home," with its swirling, ethereal synths and popcorn percussion, unifies the records' themes and returns home to the melody of the opening track, tying a ribbon around what may be Murphy's going away present.
Standout Tracks: "Dance Yrself Clean"; "I Can Change"; "All I Want"; "Pow Pow"; "Home"
Though This is Happening steps on some familiar ground, Murphy expands his sonic and lyrical palette, emphasizing the importance of his own voice in his works and fine-tuning his witty lyrical barbs (see the quote in the header). Each track averages around six minutes in length, but Murphy never seems to run out of new musical ideas or inspired lyrics that keep the record from getting boring. Opener "Dance Yrself Clean" builds slowly to a euphoric climax, making the most of its nine minute runtime. "You Wanted a Hit," a response to industry folks and critics who wanted Murphy to break into the mainstream, teases its melody in a long intro and ends with a chant of "we won't be your babies." Closer, "Home," with its swirling, ethereal synths and popcorn percussion, unifies the records' themes and returns home to the melody of the opening track, tying a ribbon around what may be Murphy's going away present.
Standout Tracks: "Dance Yrself Clean"; "I Can Change"; "All I Want"; "Pow Pow"; "Home"
No comments:
Post a Comment