american dream

Putting it simply, I just hated this album. Putting it not so simply... This album sounded like the results of a music comp teacher telling their class to create a song that is dance music that you are unable to dance to. It sounds like what Norwegians think peak dance music is. I don't know who this appeals to. It was too atmospheric to groove to. It was too shrill and discordant to chill to. There were a couple parts of a couple songs that I actually liked, but the songs are soooooo long, it was like going to a theme park when it's too busy and you stand in line for 2 hours for a 30 second ride. As the final 12 minute song wore on, all I could think about was how much I wanted it to end, like it was the last 5 minutes of a lecture and I really have to pee. Does this album belong on the list of 1001 albums you need to listen to before you die? No, I guess? It was released in 2017, a time in which there is practically infinite music. It's better than the stuff I hear when I put Bandcamp on shuffle, but that's about all I can say about it. Listen to something else. My personal enjoyment: 0.5/5 Does it belong on this list: 1/5

Why not offer "Sound of Silver" here instead of "american dream"? This comeback record feels wary, restrained, earnest, even (omg) unironic. Karaoke with your boss instead of drunk with your friends. SoS was brilliant, snarky, fun and genuine. I hope/wish that it will show up on this list instead. But then you wonder if the energy and snark of SoS would be sustainable - if LCD should even bother making any other records and just quit and get jobs as accountants (pointing at you Emma Anderson). I can appreciate the joy of creation and artistic development, but there is also the stuffiness of playing one encore too many. My rating here is relative to SoS, not that ad was so bad, just that SoS was so great.

Over an hour of unflappably midtempo disco rock - occasionally stimulating, other times embarrassing - over which James Murphy grouses that 'I've got nothing to say', 'I can't get out of bed', 'Keep your thoughts to yourself' and 'I've been misunderstood', his bland voice pushed forward just enough that it doesn't get lost in the dirge-thump. There are smarter lyrics in here than the ones I've quoted, but these represent the main case statement: that the band intends to make a virtue out of having nothing much to say.

Pussy bustin' fun. That's the real American dream. Just getting paid and getting laid.

The title track was when I lost all faith. It uses the keyboard melody from Circus of Death, the B-side to the Human League's first single, and a macabre Ballardian bit of gloomsynth. It's pretty much my fave Human League track, even if it sounds faintly silly sausage. And its inclusion here would be the worst instance of record-collection rock possessing an allusion instead of a soul, were it not for the very same song ending with the same drum pattern as Joy Division's New Dawn Fades. Musicianshipwise, it's hard to chastise the album. Philosophically, you should lace up your Doc Martens and aim for the face. This is an album that not only draws inspiration from post-punk, it draws music from post-punk. On my first listen, to my recollection, I spotted Suicide, Talking Heads, the Pop Group, Gang of Four, Kraftwerk, the forementioned Human League, Joy Division numerous times, New Order duh, and worst of all, in leader James Murphy's vocal stylings, Bono. I can feel some querying why I didn't spot This Heat or the Slits. This isn't a homage to post-punk, it's a betrayal. Post-punk didn't bow towards the Easter Island statues of the past, it asserted the shock of the new. It embraced contemporary trends, from dub to disco, and distorted them through its cracked prism. By offering an album crammed with nickings from post-punk bands, all LCD Soundsystem provide is a yawn of the obvious. Why should I listen to american dream when I can just listen to Metal Box? Indeed, the title american dream reveals the truism that America doesn't really get the challenge and exploration of post-punk, but just sees it as a trendy style with which to impress girls. And aptly, by such an argument, I outhipster LCD Soundsystem. (I didn't derive the next point by myself, but got it partially from a Washington Post article, yet it's too perfect to ignore; plagiarism seems fitting for an LCD Soundystem review). For all James Murphy's quoting of Ian Curtis and Brian Eno, there's one figure he most resembles. The appeal of James Murphy as a tastemaker is based on his middle-aged uncoolness, which was exactly the pitch of Huey Lewis. Going further, both make a selling point of their awareness and self-mockery of their wackness, and both market towards groups they would claim to disavow, yuppies and hipsters (members of both groups would disavow membership of those groups, uncoincidentally). Both act as if the present isn't happening, and that musical perfection was attained at least a decade prior. And that would be fine for both artists, but it leaves LCD Soundsystem open to this (and let's face it, I'm required to do this now): "You like LCD Soundsystem? Their early work was a little too techno for my taste. But when Sound of Silver came out in '07, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Daft Punk, but I think James Murphy has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor. In '17, James released this: american dream, their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed masterpiece is "tonite". A song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the demands of conformity and the mutability of trends. It's also a personal statement about the band itself..."

I’d love to sit in a pub with James Murphy and just talk about obscure music but I know if I ever got the chance I’d instantly find myself massively out of my musical depth and feel deeply ashamed for having only the most superficial knowledge about anything. I love LCD Soundsystem. Was gutted when they split up but was really pleased to see them come back and then bring out this cracking album. I probably prefer their first album to this one but I think that’s only because it just sounded so different and exciting when I first heard it. You could make a strong case for this being objectively a better album than their first album but as we don’t have to rank them I guess I’ll just stop agonising over it, give it four stars and move on with my life.

Heard that the reason why LCD Soundsystem hasn't released a new album in so long is that somebody showed James Murphy a song that's under 8 minutes and his brain started leaking out of his head.

I think it's interesting because I'm deep enough in this album thing that I feel like I have heard the albums that actually influenced this. Sound system is Striving for a New Order, Siouxsie and the Banshees, synth vibe that it just tottally misses the mark. Shit the instrumentals sound like video game soundtracks from the 90s at times. I want to like, but I think i hate it tbh.

Can, Suicide, Captain Beefheart, Daft Punk, CBGB, Paradise Garage, Larry Levan, The Peech Boys, Modern Lovers, Niagara, Detroit techno, Yaz, and ends with "But have you seen my records?" and a list of the following: This Heat, Pere Ubu, Outsiders, Nation of Ulysses, Mars, Trojans, Black Dice (referred to as 'The Black Dice'), Todd Terry, the Germs, Section 25, Althea & Donna, Sexual Harassment, a-ha, Dorothy Ashby, PIL, The Fania All-Stars, The Bar-Kays, The Human League, The Normal, Lou Reed, Scott Walker, Monks, Niagara, Joy Division, Laurent Garnier, The Creation, Sun Ra, Scientists, Royal Trux, 10cc, Rammelzee, Eric B. and Rakim, The Index, Basic Channel, Soulsonic Force ("Just hit me!"), Juan Atkins, Manuel Göttsching, David Axelrod, Electric Prunes, Gil Scott-Heron, The Slits, Faust, Mantronix, Pharoah Sanders, The Fire Engines, Swans (referred to as 'The Swans'), Soft Cell (referred to as 'The Soft Cell') and The Sonics (repeated four times)

4.5, but honestly, cant really find any major flaws with the album. Great mixture of energetic tracks with slower ballads, with super dense instrumentation.

Despite loving their previous albums, this passed me by in 2017 (HOW?), and absolutely loved listening to this. A tiny bit of filler towards the end but the darkness it descends into is an enjoyable ride.

Not as immediate as their other releases however, if you like LCD Soundsystem then you'll love this album. A mix of new wave, post punk, dance, sarcasm and irony. Part of the brilliance is you can play spot the influence and feel just as smug as they are. Unless it's Bowie's "Heroes". That's just a given. Best Tracks: Oh Baby; Tonite; Call The Police

This is a great exmample of modern western music. Pulling out all the tricks, this album is filled to the brim with pops and clicks and spare synth noises which gives it a more classic techno sound all while blending some thin melody and a driving bass line though the whole album. The song construction though not the most innovative, does feel like a fresh callback to a style of early Brian Eno, all while bringing that sound into a post EDM world.

First track starts with a dope intro like the song is gonna drop the bass or something. It dropped some sweet fat synths reminiscent of 80s synths. The haunting male vocals come in softly and there is a nice soundscape going on with arpeggios and pads. Great track and build up was dope. 4/5 Second song, "other voices" there's a good dance track it is bumping it has a good baseline and the lyrics are kind of not important so you can dance along to it there's a little bit of variety introduced with some guitar work and synthesizers the good thing is the track is steady all the way throughout. In "I Used To" the band has another awesome dance track that you can listen to and get lost in. There are sweeping synths that jump from the background to the foreground, the tempo is perfect. Then the guitar that comes in perfectly timed gives a chance to energize the song and climax. Love the vocals and the deep deep reverbs and delays used throughout. number 4, "change yr mind" starts off with a track. Then goes into full industrial electronica, with harsh and unrelenting brasses and synths. Black screen is such a great song. I listened to the album and second time around on a better sound system and it was an improvement. 4/5 stars good solid electronic/dance album

Nothing new to see here. Others are describing this as an homage to post-punk, but it just comes across as crass plagiarism. The influences are dragged out with too heavy a hand, so it sounds like your local band fired up the drum machine and deciding to "do" Suicide, Eno-Talking Heads, The Cure, Bowie, Sparks, etc. The lyrics attempt pithy with and clever observations but fall apart with bland aa-bb rhyming and obviousness. As with the LCD debut with the Talking Heads/ Being Boiled mashup of "Losing My Edge" a dozen years earlier, it just seems that Murphy must rely on borrowing another's voice instead of finding his own. 2 stars for the fleeting entertainment of playing "who am I this time"

mom: no, we're not stopping, we have Talking Heads at home Talking Heads at home:

OK you can’t listen to this without a drink in your hand and your hips whipping up a full on hurricane. I’ve got a 2017 cuveé and I’m making a nassty batch of Rochester Hot Sauce for the Buffalo Bills game. Trying to see if this wine has gone bad before I dump it in the sauce. Jury is still out. How do you sleep, tonite, and call the police is a strong 3 song stretch. Woah and American dream too? Let’s see. Lcd soundsystem is like watching a movie with subtitles that are a different storyline. Sometimes you can tune into the vocals and go one direction, then you can tune into everything else and go somewhere entirely elsewhere. Can be distracting in moments but I like it overall. Woah emotional haircut drums! This is def a no-nope album. Unreal. So good. 4.5/5.

I remember hearing about this album when it came out but never took the time to really sit with it until now. I loved it! The production is gorgeous - meticulous layers of drums, synths and guitars. Every instrument and layer feels carefully placed but the music still retains a nervy edge. The music owes a lot to early 80's new wave. "Other Voices" and "Change Yr Mind" sound a lot like "Remain in Light"-era Talking Heads, which we had on this list a few months back. And on "How Do You Sleep?", "Call the Police," and "Emotional Haircut," James Murphy sings like Bono on the early U2 albums! For my money, "Tonite" is the centerpiece of the album. There are a lot of lyrics about being middle-aged on the album but I love the sense of humor on this one. The lyrics about how today's pop songs are all about fear of death and mortality cracked me up. LCD Soundsystem clearly tried to make a major statement of an album and for my money they succeeded. The album is a rich, emotional and musical experience with great grooves.

Perfect blend of dancey goodness and artsy weirdness. I saw so much buzz for this album when it came out, and honestly it lives up to the hype. I'm gonna have to check more of these guys' stuff out.

When I saw this was the daily album my immediate thought was "ooh, I love LCD Soundsystem, but why would you include the worst of their four studio albums on this list??" Having since listened to it 5 times in 24 hours, I'm prepared to revise the second half of that statement (although I do still think sound of silver is better). The albums we've had so far have taken a variety of approaches to the problem of where they put the best track - we've had starting strong, finishing strong, and hiding your killer piano riff somewhere in the middle of 30 minutes of mediocrity. The American Dream approach is to build up, slowly at first, to the absolute behemoth that is tonite. The 5 track run from change yr mind to the title track might be the best example of how to direct the energy flow throughout an album I've ever heard. My only knock on this album is that I don't feel that it sticks the landing, with emotional haircut/black screen being the weakest duo on the album (pulse wasn't on the original tracklist). If I wasn't such a massive fan of this kind of music in general and of James Murphy in particular, that might be enough to knock it out of my top records.

I remember the hype around this band when they were first active. I didn't get them at the time. It just seemed like uninteresting, privileged kid indie rock. Now here I am in 2022 and still unimpressed. Very unimpressed. At least back then they had the song about Daft Punk or whatever which was tolerable. Nothing here is. It's just both bland and annoying. I could've maybe thrown this a 2 if it wasn't so much of a slog to get through. Then when the light at the end of the tunnel appears: a 12 minute borefest to close it out. I don't deserve that, do I? I have no clue why this album would be deemed essential. I have avoided looking at the list as best I can but I assure you far more interesting or better performed albums have been snubbed for this. I have no idea why this is here. It is tofu without marinade, seasoning or what have you. To the Pit of Doom with you.

track one is strongly reminiscent of The Big Pink, who i love. track 2 is much more talking heads...who i also love. at one point, i swear heard devo in there somewhere. first track was definitely a winner, as was the last (which was amazing!), but overall i really appreciated the diversity of sound on this one.

9/10 sad, back with a vengeance, some of the best tracks they've made, some that's samey

I mean, it's good and all, but it hardly feels necessary. LCD Soundsystem's reunion has always rubbed me the wrong way. James Murphy made such a definitive final statement for the band with This Is Happening and a live film/album ironically titled The Long Goodbye. that Long Goodbye lasted all of four years. while there's definitely a few pretty great songs here, a lot of the material just feels like the band spinning their wheels. the synth work is still pretty fresh, and I enjoy that they feel more like an actual live band, but it can't make up for the fact that a bunch of these songs just feel like rehashes of the best moments from their first three LPs. "emotional haircut" feels like a lesser "Drunk Girls," "call the police" feels like a lesser "All My Friends," and on and on. that's not even mentioning the lyricism, which can get downright mean-spirited at times. Murphy used to have a little more self-awareness, but "tonite" is basically just a boomer ramble about how pop music sucks now. never heard that one before. overall, it could've been worse, but it also could've been much better. or, preferably, it could never have existed, and LCD Soundsystem's discography wouldn't have this odd blemish on it. light 7/10.

I love LCD Soundsystem but I always have to curate the song selection to get a true 5/5 from them.

Very fun, Oh Baby was incredible.

How did this come out in 2017? I saw them at festivals in this era and it just felt much “older” as does this album. Not in a bad, I just mean from another era. An era that I happen to like. This one didn’t come alive for me until “how do you sleep?” It made me realize I needed to turn up the volume. This music just needs to be louder.

While this feels like lesser LCD Soundsystem, it’s still fantastic LCD Soundsystem.

Not bad, but also not that good.

Man, I can’t help but feel that this band is just a sum of its influences a lot of the time. I guess you can say that for a lot of bands, but with LCD Soundsystem, it can be really on the nose. Take the second track here, “other voices”: there is a repetitive synth line that enters at the beginning of the song that recalls Suicide’s “Frankie Teardrop” and the song’s overall Remain In Light-era Talking Heads feel is made complete by the faux-Adrian Belew loopy guitar histrionics that punctuate throughout. Or maybe I’m just in tune with what he is doing and it’s more noticeable to me than the average listener, but I suspect most of you could probably tell that James Murphy also really likes David Bowie. It’s a fine album, but like “Sound of Silver”, the overt homages to the bands that provided influence on LCD Soundsystem might detract from your enjoyment.

The cover artwork for LCD Soundsystem's American Dream leaves much to be desired. Featuring a simplistic depiction of a blue sky with clouds and a glaring sun, it feels almost too straightforward and lacks the depth that one might expect from such a celebrated band. The choice of imagery seems uninspired, resembling a stock photo more than an artistic statement. While some may appreciate its vibrant colors, it ultimately feels like a missed opportunity to convey the album's themes more creatively. Overall, this artwork does not capture the essence of LCD Soundsystem's innovative spirit, earning it a mere two stars. Album artworks rated: 19/1001 Music's fine.

"Call the Police" was pretty good, with an engaging melody and backing rhythm. "Oh Baby", the other "highly rated track", was pretty dull, standard drum-machine and bass electronica. The other dogs fall in between a bit - interesting lyrics on some, but musically uninspired.

Just… wow. This is the most contrived bullshit I’ve heard in years, including that crappy MGMT album that popped up earlier this week. I had a sinking feeling from the e.e. cummings song titling and the zero-effort cover art. This hot garbage is void of any semblance of creativity, originality, or effort. It sounds like if the Black Keys actually admitted to themselves that they’re fucking hipsters, and channeled their newfound wannabe synthwave edginess into a failed attempt at playing David Bowie B-sides in the style of Radiohead circa 2002, fronted by a tone-deaf hack with an inferiority complex. This dumpster fire *might* pass as a live improv act at a stoner jam session, but the fact that this band actually spent time and money to prepare and record this shit undermines any credibility they can possibly claim as musicians and songwriters. Turning out this “album” has lots in common with failing a take-home exam. You had an abundance of time, resources, reference material, and collaborators, and you just… fucked around and doodled on the test papers instead? I can’t tell if LCD Soundsystem misunderstood the assignment here, or just didn’t give a shit. Either way, I’m equally pissed off that there’s evidently a demographic of brain-dead kool-aid drinkers who slurp this shit up like Catholics with their sacrament. I’m frothing at the mouth to know how this steaming pile made the 1001 list. It’s a categorical guarantee that literally any other album demonstrates more worthiness than this.

No idea why this is on the list. It's the worst LCD album by miles, and was arguably not required at all by humanity. Tonite is a pretty good song though I guess

american dream by LCD Soundsystem (2017) Is this the future of music? I hope not. I kept wanting to turn it down. american dream consists of spacious electro pop compositions that are completely unafraid of expanding the tonal range to the limits of human aural perception (especially on the low end), but are musically mechanical and soulless, with their doodad wizardry and droning chord non-progressions. Intentionally discordant voices recite well rehearsed but pointless and awkwardly cadenced phrases that only marginally prompt thought or even puzzlement. The lyrical highlight of the album comes at the end of track six, “tonite” (Somebody tweet e.e. cummings and let him know he’s trending), where we hear LCD Soundsystem Klangmeister James Murphy addressing the studio booth: “It’s gonna have to be good enough; I can’t do this anymore; my brain won’t work.” One might have thought that was obvious. I suppose one could dance to this, if one were an ambisexual automaton, but what’s the point? Perhaps one could put this album on when peeling potatoes or getting a pedicure, maybe simultaneously. Even the (synthetic?) cowbell lacks soul. 1/5

Great album. Unique, raw, fun.

A great album from start to finish, chilled and uplifting with lots of depth. Definitely one I will put on again in full with a few tracks regularly appearing on my main playlist.

Really enjoyable. Groovy, chaotic, beautiful. What's not to love. Would dance to this any day if the week

Klasika, konecne neco modernejsiho. Tohle album jsem hodne poslouchal kdyz vyslo, ani nevim ze se z toho stal takovy hit.

Spännande och nytt, precis vad jag behövde

"This is what's happening, and it's freaking you out." This is on the shortlist for the greatest late-era indie record. Indie, past its prime, wrestling with its own mortality, and by extension the mortality of its creators. Which, to be fair, was James Murphy's entire schtick dating back to his band's lead single in 2002 (!?). Time ticks on. The whole record is great, but the run of singles stands above, particularly Call the Police, which is pure peak-U2 bombast and momentum. Black Screen may be the explicit Bowie eulogy, but it's an earlier line that's more evocative: "It moves like a virus and enters our skin/The first sign divides us, the second is moving to Berlin."

Wish I could 4.5 this but who cares! Life is too short to hate

Already a huge fan but this album shot up in my estimation after listening to this yesterday

Great stuff. Call the police is on the god tier

I’m not sure how often I’d realistically listen to it, but I did really like it. If Sound of Silver is the album you play at a house party, this is the album you play the morning after.

The second album by LCD Soundsystem that this app has delivered to me, and the second album that's going into permanent rotation on my phone. Absolutely phenomenal I've fallen in love with this band

I can not explain, I love this album. Just sucks me in. This is not about great songs, but about creating intense rhythmic atmospheres. Lots of influences from electronics, to Krautrochlk, to Wave, to King Crimson. But all curated to become its own being. Love or hate it, for me it is live.

I think LCD Soundsystem is so fun :p

Pretty cool!

Dope

Perfect album! I like it.

listening to the title track put me in a temporary mentally altered state forcing me to 5/5 this album

This album looks familiar. I don't remember ever listening though. I really enjoyed the last two songs. These types of drum beats work well for me. I'll probably check out the rest of their catalog.

So I'm a hipster. Fine.

I've been on a huge LCD Soundsystem kick recently, so this is great timing. I knew this album was on the list so I was specifically waiting for it to come up for my first listen. So let's see if it was worth the wait. This album seem to be a lot more drone / trance rather than groovy / funky. Which is fine, but what I love about LCD Soundsystem is that I want to dance, and I didn't really want to so much listening to this album. There is still a fair number of funky tracks, but most of them seem like slow burners. I still enjoyed this album and I think all of the songs are good, but I just expected something else. This album sounds great, I always love all the synth sounds they choose. However, this album is on the longer side, the last 2 songs could have been shorter. This is probably my least favorite LCD Soundsystem album but it is still very good and I had a good time listening to it. It is a shame that This Is Happening wasn't included on this list though. Low 5.

So much cooler than I was expecting.

I love LCD Soundsystem because there are so many callbacks to other artists. This is like a shoe gaze, mood music album. Would I call it my favorite, no. Would I still listen to it whenever I get a chance...100%.

Everything I like about LCDS, together in one place. Plus some newer sounds that only add to it.

Superchulo. Un cinco comenzando por oh baby.

Incred. The title track is absolute game changer

I loved this album. There’s a part like a minute in on the song “how do you sleep” that reminds me of the end of Tyler the Creator’s song “Running out of Time”

James Murphy and his Soundsystem have released 4 records. Every single one of them could be on here. On their latest effort, Murphy shows that he's been listening to more Talking Heads than Daft Punk, and it just works. The title track is hauntingly beautiful.

If James Murphy wants to become the new Talking Heads, why not let him?

This is great. call the police is my favourite song. oh baby is amazing as well.

Wow LCD Soundsystem is definitely one of those groups that I’ve heard about for a long, long time. I’d see them on the bill for music festivals and always think to myself that I should see what they’re about. But that’s the beauty of this project - I get assigned anything from old favorites, to bands I’ve never heard of or never would’ve found, to bands I’ve always meant to check out like this. I adored this album. I don’t think I’ve heard anything like this. It felt like a fever dream where Talking Heads went completely electronic and joined up with MGMT. I had no idea how great a combination that would be but here we are. I honestly wish I’d gotten to this review sooner (I’ve been backlogged this week), because I feel like I would’ve had more profound things to say about this album I’m going to give five stars. But suffice it to say that I was blown away by this and would absolutely love to hear more. Great stuff. Five stars. Also, “other voices” is probably one of the best tracks I’ve heard in this project so far. Standout Tracks: oh baby, other voices, change yr mind, how do you sleep?, emotional haircut

Great album. Doesn't seem like it's really an hour long til you get to the 12 minute ender, but that one is also great. These guys just know how to correctly harness the energy needed for each song, very well crafted

I was starting to get discouraged from all these "greatest albums" list, then this popped up! Faith In humanity restored

Very enjoyable. I've listened to and enjoyed a fair amount of LCD Soundsystem, but hadn't listened to this album before. It's great.

Loved. I need more electronica in my life.

Superchulo. Un cinco comenzando por oh baby

Superchulo. Un cinco comenzando por oh baby.

Loved it

banger

Kæmpe banger. "I used to" blev lige min yndlingssang igen.

Dare I say, I hear some very heavy Talking Heads influence throughout this? Other Voices could straight up be on Remain in Light with those funky polyrythms! What a great album and what a great way to put a modern spin on what laid the influence for these sounds. LOVED it.

LCD is my favorite

Lightly dance a sway That builds into full on trance Oops… grooved the day done

Excellent

A lot more enjoyable than the first album, nice all throughout with good mix of things

Fuck yes

gets better every time i listen to it

Clever arrangements, solid song work, great to listen to.

I love this. It's not my favorite album by LCD Soundsystem, but it's still a super solid 5. It's just such a unique sound, and I find it extremely hard to be even slightly bored listening.

What a band! Fantastic, gush, gush, fawn. 5 Star masterpiece.

Fantastic album, Call the Police a work of wonder

luv

Superou em muito as minhas expectativas, disco garante aproveitar o tempo com camadas sonoras incríveis.

Excellent!

Surprisingly great, the instrumentation is to my liking, and feels unique.

Superchulo. Un cinco comenzando por oh baby.

Lofi with words

4.5

“I knew we were going to have to be significantly better than we ever were, for anyone to say we were even half as good as we used to be”. That is what James Murphy said in regard to American Dream. James chose to step away from his band during a time where most other groups would be working nonstop. Being at the height of your popularity, and deciding to wrap it up is a bold move. Releasing a new album 7 years later is also a bold move. I may not be able to speak on how the quality of this compares to the quality of their previous albums, but what I can say for sure is that this is truly something powerful. While listening to this, I kept on thinking the same thing over and over again. This really reminds me of Talking Heads. I’m aware it’s silly. But as I got further into it, that idea only became more prevalent. James sounds so much like David Byrne here. The most glaring example to me was Other Voices, where he yelps “You’re just a baby now” like a Speaking in Tongues backing vocalist. There are definitely some 80’s post-punk influences here, particularly in the drums. This is just a more modernized and heavier Remain in Light. I can envision Tina playing the bass lines on this album. These songs are pretty long. The average track length is probably somewhere between 5-6 minutes. But I think this album really needed the songs to be that long. Because the build up that leads to the climax always pays off. Without fail, every time. There is such a density of things going on, and they needed to create space for all of those things to exist. The length of each song is just a byproduct of that. The closing track is both the antithesis of this idea and the polar opposite of it. It stands at 12 minutes, the longest song they’ve ever made, and is the most atmospheric song on the whole album. I’m going to make another Remain in Light comparison, but it really feels like their version of The Overload. The last few minutes with the piano feels otherworldly as it rings out. This might be the longest review I’ve ever written. I’m not sure why. This album just struck me. Different than most do. It feels inherently special in my heart. Who knows if Black Screen will be the last LCD Soundsystem song. If it is, I can say with confidence they ended on a strong note. Rating: 9/10

Love!

лучший слушабельный дикий (Федь, вот это танцевальный джой дивижн!)

LCDeez nuts (in your mouth)

great

We all know that this is viewed as "lesser LCD Soundsystem," with its emphasis on a slower, synth-heavy production that oozes the sound of the after party more than the party that is prior albums in their catalogue, and while I understand that at first that can be really deterring to one looking for this band to be their 21st century Talking Heads, with the dance-y existential grooves to get their toes tapping and hips swaying, but I think once you remove a little context from an album like this, you start to appreciate it a little more overall, and those slow songs become deeply layered tracks with so much to enjoy and pick apart, that are so deeply moving they sweep the listener away with each trembling, robotic chord, and you really get taken up away in it all. This is an album not for partying, but rather the loneliness that strikes when the party is over, and I know very little in the musical world that captures such a feeling so well, especially in the titular track, perhaps one of the best in the entire group's discography. It does have those moments of dance to them still, such as the seemingly fan-favorite Call the Police, and nearly every track here having that build up that is always landed with perfection, making each song something to look forward to, because even if the start slow, they almost always make the long listen worth it, and at over an hour long, its incredible how little the album drags, only really rearing its head with the final track's admittedly hefty load which is not worth the sum of its parts, unfortunately, but even sitting there in those final moments of loneliness I'm taken aback into a feeling I've hardly experienced, and it can certainly be a gut punch, but one I'll happily embrace multiple times over. I do hope that an eventual LCD Soundsystem return will return to the upbeat dancing, but its important to explore a group's options, and I feel time will only be kind to this album, and if we never do get that next album, then this will be something oddly poetic as closure, something I'm happy to say I enjoy. That album, is personally, my least favorite of all the Talking Heads on this list because of that reason, controversial, I know, but I feel when a whole album is made with that style rather than just a couple of the songs, it works far better. There's songs here where the synths feel like they're sweeping you off your feet and it's magical, and when it does get you moving on the rare occasion, it is very satisfying. I can definitely see this as boring, but I think in the right mindset, this can still be very engaging. Even the bloated length doesn't feel too bad, which is impressive.

What a comeback album. Still danceable, still funny, still cool. The whole career of LCD Soundystem is five stars.

Classic with incredible melody.