LCD Soundsystem - American Dream - 9/1/17

x-post: Yeah, their lyrics can be pretty bad and unwindy.

But LCD? A band so linked to electronics and sequencing and arrangements, it's unlikely the set will or even can differ

I saw LCD three times and they were playing live as far as I could tell, able to vary on cues from Murphy, or adapt to additional non-touring players coming onstage for odd songs at a festival

It'd be pretty wasteful to have a 7-10 piece of distinct multi-instrumentalists on the road but be playing to tracks

I don't begrudge them, if you can book 10 nights at a 1,800 cap venue more power to you, it's just confusing.

Shows in 18,000 capacity venues suck total ballbag, shows in 1800-cap rooms are a great experience if you actually like live music

I've seen LCD maybe ... 7? 8 times? More? Enough times that I've lost count. In small clubs and in big places. They've always been pretty good to great, but strictly live/real time or no - and I have no reason to believe they're not playing "live" - I've never heard them do any particular song two different ways, or at least not with any significant differences. I'm sure there is sequencing/ triggering and stuff going on - there has to be, at least to keep the tempos consistent or the patches queued up or whatever. But, for point of comparison, I've never seen them as loose as I've seen, say, New Order, which ultimately doesn't say much, save that New Order can be pretty sloppy. And even on that front nu-New Order is pretty much as locked down as LCD is.

It's not a problem with LCD, I should stress. They're pretty good at what they do, and it's not like the aforementioned National or Arcade Fire go off script live much, either. But they do seem to have a tad more latitude/flexibility when it comes to shaking up 10 night stands, imo. Every time I've seen LCD Soundsystem live they've been, like I said, good to great, but always the same, more or less.

both sic and jic otm, LCD is a very "live" band but outside of a funkier version of "Daft Punk" and a hyperextended "Yeah" they really don't sound a whole lot different than they do in the studio - the band is often better live, even if Murphy's vocals are usually worse. I think having a 4th album of material to draw from will serve them well.

there's a notable degree of projection happening itt

9 shows, sure. but ten shows? really? fuck you.

I found the new album underwhelming, but the songs were much more enjoyable live.

Maybe because the new stuff feels like a proper group effort, and not songs written by James Murphy as performed by 10 James Murphys.

9 James Murphys, sure

irl giggle

hang on isn't the reason they're doing 10 shows, simply so they can play to the number of people who want to go without having to do an arena show? i mean i'm not sure quite where the raging and swearing about this is coming from. popular NY band does 10 NY shows shocker. they could probably easily done the same 10 years or more ago or near as dammit.

xpost They're clearly massively popular, or at least on par with Arcade Fire, the National, a few others. LCD irks me the most (well, Arcade Fire is pretty bad) about doing Big Popular Band things while at the same time complaining about having to do Big Popular Band things. "Oh, sad us, we wish we didn't have to play MSG, or all these festivals, but that's just the way it is, and we're barely breaking even once you take out our expenses of burning massive piles of money." "We had no idea we'd sell out this modest club in our hip hometown, but it's OK, we'll just play 10 shows, because that way everyone will get to see us, because there's no way we'll ever sell out 10 nights at a tiny venue." Etc.

― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 5 December 2017 21:22 (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this post is really weird esp since they don't seem very complaining as a band, at all. i guess some people can never win, what exactly do you want them to do?

We've talked about it already, but there have been plenty of James Murphy Agonistes articles and interviews. Personally, I'm fine with LCD, but I'm still going to make fun of them and complain, which has come easier to me since the "reunion."

Tur He Can

not that i had much hope, but i gave this a shot tonight. terrible record. couldn't finish.

x-post: Yeah, their lyrics can be pretty bad and unwindy.

― Frederik B, Tuesday, 5 December 2017 21:26 (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

far from being bad or unwindy [sic]/not (sic)

they are actually searing on Tonite. I don't think I've read pop lyrics this clever for a long time

tonite

LCD Soundsystem

Everybody's singing the same song
It goes "tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight"
I never realized these artists thought so much about dying
But truth be told we all have the same end
Could make you cry, cry, cry, cry, cry
But I'm telling you
This is the best news you're getting all week

Oh sure it's ruling the airwaves
What remains of the airwaves
And we're frankly thankful for the market psychology you're hipping us to

And all the hits are saying the same thing
There's only tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight
Then life is finite
But shit, it feels like forever
It feels like forever

Oh is everybody feeling the same stuff?
We're all wild
Except for you
And you know who you are
This is a love song

And you're getting older
I promise you this; you're getting older
And there's improvements unless
You're such a winner
That the future's a nightmare
And there's nothing I can do
Nothing anyone can do about this

And oh, I'm offering you a chance to get even
But oh, you know very well the dialect of negation
Sure enemies haunt you with spit and derision
But friends are the ones who can put you in an exile
But that's not right

And you're too sharp to be used
Or you're too shocked from being used
By these bullying children of the fabulous
Raffling off limited edition shoes

And what's it you do again?
Oh I'm a reminder
The hobbled veteran of the disk shop inquisition
Set to parry the cocksure of men's sick filth
With my own late era middle-aged ramblings

Every lover favors the same things
It's all "touch me, touch me, touch me, touch me tonight"
We maybe realize what it is we need before we die

And luck is always better than skill at things
We're flying blind
Oh good gracious
I sound like my mom

But out of the little rooms and onto the streets
You've lost your internet and we've lost our memory
We had a paper trail that led to our secrets
But embarrassing pictures have now all been deleted
By versions of selves that we thought were the best ones
'Till versions of versions of others repeating
Come laughing at everything we thought was important
While still making mistakes that you thought you had learned from
And reasonable people know better than you
That cost in the long run but they don't know the short game
And terrible people know better than you
They're used and abused of the once so dear listener
So you will be badgered and taunted until death
You're missing a party that you'll never get over
You hate the idea that you're wasting your youth
That you stood in the background oh until you got older
But that's all lies
That's all lies
It's gonna have to be good enough, I can't do this anymore, my brain won't work

But out of the little rooms and onto the streets
You've lost your internet and we've lost our memory
We had a paper trail that led to our secrets
But embarrassing pictures have now all been deleted
By versions of selves that we thought were the best ones
'Till versions of versions of others repeating
Come laughing at everything we thought was important
While still making mistakes that you thought you had learned from

yeah those are shockingly great actually

maybe that’s why the later stuff hasn’t hit for me, I like my depressed introspection buried under a layer of yeahs

the lyrics might be good! the delivery is....not.

i think that

Oh I'm a reminder
The hobbled veteran of the disk shop inquisition
Set to parry the cocksure of men's sick filth
With my own late era middle-aged ramblings"

is a lift from

Just like I told ya
Prefers karaoka
Cheap shit half-dollar man
The sky calendar
Bar, home
Speculates

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBOmAnhh6xk

or maybe another part. whut.

quite drink

The Rian Johnson directed video for "oh baby"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gIhrPGyu6U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pWaLlrhdgM

they sound completely out of ideas

Starts like a bad Le Tigre song

It looks like James Murphy is going to appear for the Q&A at tonight's NYFF premiere of White Noise.

I guess it's possible whatever he made for the film will work well within the context of the film. I always thought Dylan's score for Pat Garrett was actually good but close to useless as standalone listening (with "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" being a lone exception).

starts like a B52s song.