LCD Soundsystem

LCD Soundsystem

The band performing onstage

LCD Soundsystem performing at Roskilde Festival 2010 in Denmark.
Background information
Origin New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres
Years active 2001–2011
Labels
Associated acts
Website lcdsoundsystem.com
Past members James Murphy
Nancy Whang
Tyler Pope
Pat Mahoney
Gavin Russom
Al Doyle
David Scott Stone
Matt Thornley

LCD Soundsystem was an American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records. The group released three critically acclaimed albums: their eponymous debut (2005), Sound of Silver (2007) and This Is Happening (2010); the last brought them commercial success, charting in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. The band is a three-time Grammy Award nominee.

On February 5, 2011, a statement was posted on the band's website that announced its disbandment following a farewell concert, which took place on April 2, 2011, at Madison Square Garden.[1] The farewell concert is chronicled in the documentary film Shut Up and Play the Hits. Their last televised performance was on February 14, 2011, on The Colbert Report.[2]

History

Early singles and self-titled album (2002–2005)

LCD Soundsystem gained attention with its first single, "Losing My Edge". Described as "an eight-minute, laugh-out-loud funny dissection of cool over a dirty electronic beat";[3] the single became an underground dance favorite. This was followed by other well received singles "Give It Up" and "Yeah".

LCD Soundsystem released a double disc set simply titled LCD Soundsystem in February 2005 to critical acclaim. The first disc contains the album and the second contains re-releases of previous singles. The opening track "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" quickly gained popularity and entered the UK Top 40 in March 2005. The band toured with M.I.A.[4]

In June 2005, the band covered a Siouxsie and the Banshees song, "Slowdive" for the B-side of "Disco Infiltrator".[5]

On December 8, 2005, the group received nominations for two Grammy awards in the Electronica category for their self-titled album and in the Dance category for "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House."[6] This album was also chosen as No. 94 of Amazon.com's "Top 100 Editor's Picks" of 2005.[7]

45:33 and Sound of Silver (2006–2008)

In October 2006, James Murphy released a track entitled "45:33" as part of a promotion with Nike for download from iTunes.[8] Despite its name, the track is 45 minutes and 58 seconds long—the number of seconds a reference to John Cage's 4'33[8]—and was claimed to "reward and push at good intervals of a run".[9] However, it was later revealed that this was not the case, but that Murphy merely wanted the opportunity to create a long piece of music, akin to E2-E4 by Manuel Göttsching.[10]

LCD Soundsystem's second album, Sound of Silver, was released on March 20, 2007, to near universal critical acclaim.[11] Praise included Mixmag awarding it the title Album of the Month, a 9.2 score from Pitchfork Media[12] and a 5-star review from The Guardian.[13] The album release was preceded by the single "North American Scum".

LCD Soundsystem's subsequent single "All My Friends" included covers of the song by both Franz Ferdinand and former Velvet Underground member John Cale.[14] The digital download "All My Friends" EP also includes a cover of the early Joy Division song "No Love Lost". In September 2007, the "A Bunch of Stuff" EP was released[15] and the band went on tour with Arcade Fire.[16] Late in 2007, the band released "Someone Great" as the third single from Sound of Silver and re-released 45:33 on CD and vinyl through DFA Records.[17] In December 2007, there was a release of a 12-inch record containing b-sides from European singles for the North American market entitled "Confuse the Marketplace".[18]

Also in December 2007, the band received a nomination for the Grammy for Best Electronic/Dance Album.[19] The album was also named the best album of 2007 by publications such as The Guardian,[20] Uncut[21] and Drowned in Sound.[22]

Time magazine named "All My Friends" one of The 10 Best Songs of 2007, ranking it at No. 4. Writer Josh Tyrangiel praised the "magic" in the song, saying that the song's "straightforward repetition of the same guitar, keyboard and bass lines, combined with lyrics about life without regret, and life with all kinds of regrets pays off with a punch about what we lose as we get older."[23][24] The track was later named the second best song of the 2000s by Pitchfork Media.[25] The album was also nominated for the 2007 Shortlist Prize, where it lost out to The Reminder by Feist.[26]

After finishing touring for Sound of Silver the band recorded and released a song entitled "Big Ideas" on the soundtrack of the film 21.[27] This song was ranked number 63 on Rolling Stone‍ '​s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.[28]

This Is Happening (2009–2011)

LCD Soundsystem's concert at Zénith de Paris

On November 18, 2008 Al Doyle seemed to suggest in an interview with 6 Music that the band would soon be discontinued.[29] However the following day both Doyle and James Murphy quashed this rumor, with Murphy indicating a new LCD Soundsystem album was on the way.[30][31] Murphy began recording in the summer of 2009 in Los Angeles. Possible song titles mentioned at that time included "Why Do You Hate Music?" and "Love in LA."[32] For the 2009 Record Store Day the band released a cover of Suicide member Alan Vega's song "Bye Bye Bayou".[33]

On February 23, 2010, the official LCD Soundsystem website announced that the album had been completed. The first single was set to be "Drunk Girls" and on March 25, a stream of the song was put on music site One Thirty BPM.[34] The title of the album and the cover were revealed on the DFA site on March 30.[35] The album, titled This Is Happening, was released in the UK on May 17, 2010 and in the US on May 18, 2010. Prior to the release Murphy promised that it will be "definitely better than the other two."[36] Murphy also stated that it was likely to be the last LCD Soundsystem album.[37]

The band performed two secret gigs in New York on April 9 and April 12, 2010, at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (Brooklyn) and Webster Hall in New York respectively. James Murphy made an impassioned plea with fans and industry attendees at the New York gig not to leak the album to the internet in advance of the May 17 release date.[38] It was reported in the NME that Murphy went down on his knees onstage and stated:

"If you got a copy of the record early and you feel like sharing it with the rest of the world, then please don't ... We spent two years making this record and we want to put it out when we want to put it out. I don't care about money – after it comes out, give it to whoever you want for free but until then, keep it to yourself."

For the 2010 edition of Record Store Day, the band released 1000 copies of a single-sided 12" single of This Is Happening track "Pow Pow."[39] When speaking to The Quietus in August, Murphy insisted that LCD Soundsystem would continue to record music, stating: "We’ll do some 12”s and things like that. I just need to get away from it being a big thing."[40]

The first single released from This Is Happening was "Drunk Girls" featuring a video co-directed by Murphy and acclaimed director Spike Jonze.[41] This was followed later in the year by "I Can Change". On November 8, 2010 the band released a "live-in-studio" album called The London Sessions, designed to invoke the spirit of Peel Sessions. In addition to this they released a vinyl single of longtime live cover "Throw" by Paperclip People on Carl Craig's Planet E label.[42]

On February 8, 2011, LCD Soundsystem announced on its website that it would be playing its last show ever on April 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. When tickets went on pre-sale and official sale, there were widespread problems with availability and online ordering, and the show became sold-out suddenly.[43] Murphy pointed the finger at scalpers, writing on his Twitter account: "i will try to figure a way out to fuck these fuckers. NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, IT IS NOT WORTH THAT KIND OF MONEY TO SEE US!" and "1500 for a single ticket? Fuck you, scalpers. You are parasites. I HATE you."[43] Following the immediate sale of all available tickets, LCD Soundsystem announced that they would be playing four warm-up shows at New York's Terminal 5. The setlists at those shows were nearly identical to the setlist of the final show at Madison Square Garden. The final song performed by LCD Soundsystem at the farewell show was "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down". The show lasted almost four hours with appearances by Arcade Fire, Reggie Watts and others. This officially marked the end of LCD Soundsystem.

Post break-up (2011–present)

On April 16, 2011 Franz Ferdinand released Covers E.P., which featured various covers of their songs by different artists. One of the tracks was "Live Alone" covered by LCD Soundsystem.

On April 12, 2011, Murphy confirmed, via LCD Soundsystem's Facebook page, the release of the final show on DVD, with a better quality than the stream offered by Pitchfork.[44][45] In addition, a documentary called Shut Up and Play the Hits, chronicling James Murphy during the 48 hours before and after the final show, screened at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and later given limited release in select theaters. On April 19, 2014, the definitive live recording of the farewell show, The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live at Madison Square Garden was released in a 5-box vinyl edition.

On March 5, 2013, LCD Soundsystem was named one of Rolling Stone’s New Immortals- "currently active (or relatively recently defunct) artists who [they] think will stand the test of time." [46]

Band members

Principal member James Murphy at Route De Rock in August 2007

Murphy played the majority of the instrumental parts on LCD Soundsystem's albums himself. However when performing live, Murphy often called upon a wide variety of musicians depending on their availability. People who played live with LCD Soundsystem include:

Discography

For a more comprehensive list, see LCD Soundsystem discography.
Studio albums

Award nominations

Grammys 2006

Grammys 2008

References

  1. ↑ "lcd’s last show! at madison square garden! « lcd soundsystem". Lcdsoundsystem.com. February 5, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  2. ↑ "March 29, 2012 - Peter Beinart - The Colbert Report - Full Episode Video | Comedy Central". Colbertnation.com. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
  3. ↑ "'I speak as a lifetime failure'". arts.guardian.co.uk. Guardian. January 17, 2008. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  4. ↑ M.I.A. announces Headlining Tour
  5. ↑ Snell, Herman (February 27, 2006). "LCD Soundsystem covered a Siouxsie and the Banshees song on this CD". JacksonFreePress.com. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  6. ↑ "EMI Music earns 54 Grammy nominations including honors in key categories "Album of the Year", "Record of the Year", "Song of the Year" and "Producer of the Year"". EMI Group. December 8, 2005. Archived from the original on December 8, 2005.
  7. ↑ "Message: Top 100 Editors' Picks". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "LCD Soundsystem records track for Nike". Side-line.com. September 16, 2007. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ Murphy, James (February 10, 2007). "Is this it?". The Guide. Guardian. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  11. ↑ "Metacritic – Sound of Silver". Metacritic.com. March 20, 2007. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  12. ↑ Pytlik, Mark (March 20, 2007). "Pitchfork Media Review". Pitchforkmedia.com. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  13. ↑ Lynskey, Dorian (March 9, 2007). "LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver". Arts.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  14. ↑ "LCD Soundsystem covered by Franz Ferdinand and John Cale for new single". Side-line.com. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  15. ↑ "Arcade Fire, LCD Team for Seven-Inch; Vedder, Malkmus, Tweedy Cover Dylan". SPIN.com. August 14, 2007. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  16. ↑
  17. ↑
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ "50th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominations List" for Sound of Silver
  20. ↑ "2007's Best Albums" The Guardian, December 7, 2007.
  21. ↑
  22. ↑ Diver, Mike (December 23, 2007). "DiS's albums of 2007". Drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  23. ↑ Tyrangiel, Josh; "The Best Top 10 Lists of the Year"; "The 10 Best Songs"; Time magazine; December 24, 2007; Page 39.
  24. ↑ Tyrangiel, Josh (December 9, 2007). "''Time'' magazine's Top 10 Songs of 2007". Time.com. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  25. ↑ "Staff Lists: The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 20-1". Pitchfork. August 21, 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  26. ↑ Kharas, Kev (February 5, 2008). "Feist wins Shortlist Prize 2008". Drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  27. ↑ "New LCD Soundsystem – "Big Ideas" (Stereogum Premiere) – Stereogum". Stereogum.com. February 25, 2008. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  28. ↑ "The 100 Best Songs of 2008". Rolling Stone (December 25, 2008). Retrieved 2009-01-12
  29. ↑ Rogers, Georgie (November 18, 2008). "LCD Soundsystem reach end of road". BBC News. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  30. ↑ "LCD Soundsystem not splitting – new album on the way". NME.com. November 19, 2008. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  31. ↑ "Hot Chip's Al Doyle: 'LCD Soundsystem haven't disbanded'". NME.com. November 19, 2008. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  32. ↑ "James Murphy reveals details of new LCD Soundsystem album". Factmagazine.co.uk. September 1, 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  33. ↑ "LCD Soundsystem Cover Suicide's Alan Vega on New Single". Pitchfork. October 7, 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  34. ↑ "Listen to the new LCD Soundsystem single "Drunk Girls"". One Thirty BPM. March 25, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  35. ↑ "Untitled no longer « dfa records". DfaRecords.com. March 30, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  36. ↑ "LCD Soundsystem – New Album in April". AltRockNow.com.
  37. ↑ Vineyard, Jennifer (March 3, 2010). "James Murphy Opens Up About "Crazy" May LCD Soundsystem LP". Rolling Stone.
  38. ↑ "LCD Soundsystem beg crowd not to leak album at New York show". Nme.com. April 13, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  39. ↑ "FACT MAgazine: The A-Z of Record Store Day". Factmag.com. April 12, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  40. ↑ Hewitt, Ben (August 26, 2010). "News | LCD To Record Again". The Quietus. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  41. ↑ "Video: LCD Soundsystem: "Drunk Girls"". Pitchfork. April 19, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  42. ↑ Breihan, Tom (November 4, 2010). "LCD Soundsystem Prep Live-in-Studio Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 O'Neal, Sean (February 11, 2011). "No one got tickets to LCD Soundsystem's farewell show and now everyone is pissed". AVClub.com.
  44. ↑ Photos by Max Blau (April 13, 2011). "LCD Soundsystem to Release DVD of Final Madison Square Garden Show :: News :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
  45. ↑ "oh-and quick thing...". Facebook. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
  46. ↑ Menconi, David. "Phish - The New Immortals". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2015-04-06.

External links