Review by Josh Felty
Rating: *****
The brainchild of one James Murphy, formerly of synth-group Six Finger Satellite, LCD Soundsystem is an amalgam of 80's synth-rock and modern aesthetics. Their most recent recording, This Is Happening, invokes a grandiose reminder of the importance of the synthesizer and that New Wave sound that defined the careers of many acts from Devo to The Talking Heads and most recently that of groups like The Killers and Death Cab for Cutie.
Opening with the brooding yet powerful "Dance Yrself Clean" and leading into the chant-and-clap-along "Drunk Girls", one is treated with a varied punk sound combined with expertly orchestrated and catchy synth work. "One Touch" almost plays as an ode to Kraftwerk or somebody, yet stands alone as an effective, hooky pop song that recites "One touch is never enough/People who need people, to the back of the bus".
I really enjoyed this one, not only because it instantly took me back to that New Wave sound but because as a record it collectively works both thematically and lyrically. You can sense the feelings of longing and complacency in each track, reflecting some personal modern beliefs from the vocalist's perspective. And even more, the synth work is beautiful, the song compositions moving enough to be played across the airwaves far and wide. Sample "All I Want" for proof of that. If you love that 80's synthesized sound, you'll fall in love with This Is Happening.
Now to sample some more of LCD Soundsystem's work...until next time.