Signs of Life 2008: Best Music
Leona Naess - "All is Fair"
the everybodyfields - "Worth Keeping"
Life, Camera, Action: Movie Hopping While Rome burns
Live at Paste: Whitley
Disco's not dead: LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy was quick to put the kibosh on his band's rumored breakup, and took the opportunity to chat with NME about a followup to 2007's Sound of Silver.
It's easy to get lost in the shuffle when you're a member of Montreal indie favorites Arcade Fire. After all, there are 8-10 members (depending if live or in the studio), with each playing myriad instruments that include the standard guitars, drums and keys alongside horns, violin, viola, accordion and the hurdy gurdy.
There comes a time in every dance rocker’s life when he must strike out on his own, or maybe with a partner, and deejay a worldwide disco tour. In the case of LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy and drummer Pat Mahoney, that time is now.
It has been awhile since we last heard from LCD Soundsystem (almost four months since re-releasing running anthem 45:33, not that we're counting or anything). But fan can boogie once again thanks to the public unveiling of James Murphy's latest track, “Big Ideas.”
The song is part of the soundtrack for the forthcoming 21, which is based on a non- fiction novel about a group of MIT students who create a system that allows them to stack the odds in their favor at Vegas blackjack tables. The film stars Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth and premieres at SXSW on March 7. The soundtrack hits stores a week and a half later on March 18.
If you can’t wait that long, you can check out the entire song for free on Stereogum.
Related links:
LCDSoundsystem.com
SonyPictures.com: 21
DFARecords.com
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Shortlisty, swing my way! If you're experiencing year-end-list withdrawal now that January's almost over, the Los Angeles-based Shortlist Organization has just the panacea—the 10 finalists for the 2007 Shortlist Music Prize, whittled down from the 54 long-listed nominees announced in December.
2007 Shortlist Music Prize Top Ten:
Arcade Fire
Burial
Feist
Justice
LCD Soundsystem
M.I.A.
Spoon
Stars
Wilco
Working for a Nuclear Free City
The Shortlist, which began in 2001, is more or less the American equivalent of the Mercury Music Prize, a 15-year-old British institution that was recently renamed the Nationwide Mercury Prize in honor of the cash money that comes with sponsorship.
While Mercury judges choose finalists solely among British and Irish performers, Shortlist listmakers could nominate any band or artist that released an album in the U.S. between Jan.-Nov. 2007—as long as that album hadn't been certified Gold (Gold = 500,000 or more sold domestically). Previous Shortlist winners include Sigur Rós, N.E.R.D., Damien Rice, TV on the Radio, Sufjan Stevens and Cat Power (don't forget to vote for your favorite Cat Power album in this week's Paste poll!).
This year's five listmakers were veteran KCRW radio host Chris Douridas, Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody, The Killers' drummer Ronnie Vannucci, CMJ's Vice President of Content Rev. Moose, and the hosts of Hunnypot Radio.
Although Shortlist hosted concerts featuring the nominees every year from '01-'04, after a controversy in 2005 between original founders Greg Spotts and Tom Sarig, MTV reported Spotts' reasoning behind eliminating the annual shows: "It's hard to put on the concert, because there are logistics and things beyond your control ... which is why I want the Shortlist to be more fluid. I don't want it to be handed out at some fancy, dress-up gala held just for people in the music industry. I don't like the idea of it being some sit-down, rubber-chicken affair."
Prepare to throw your own affair—free of rubber fowl, hopefully—when the winner is announced in February.
Related links:
ShortlistOfMusic.com
Paste Review: '04 Shortlist Prize Concert/Ceremony
Greg Spotts' blog on FastCompany.com
Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.
Sometimes, 30-second song samples are simply not enough. When a track stretches over six minutes, it deserves to be heard in its entirety - with all of its highs and lows intact - before one passes judgment upon it.
James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem understands this problem. Hell, he's the guy who put together a 45-minute suite for Nike. Try sampling 30 seconds of that. So, to give fans a full picture of his latest EP, Someone Great, Murphy is streaming the whole package for free here. Included also is the lushly melancholy video for the title track.
The single itself is essentially a rehash of LCD's A Bunch of Stuff EP, which dropped digitally last month. The only change is the Sound of Silver version of "Someone Great" appearing in place of Franz Ferdinand's cover of "All My Friends."
Track list below:
1. Someone Great
2. Get Innocuous! (Soulwax Remix)
3. Sound of Silver (C2 Remix Rev.3)
4. Us V Them (Any Color U Like Remix by Winsurf)
5. Time to Get Away (Gucci Soundsystem Remix)
6. Us V Them (Live on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic)
Thanks to Prefix for hipping us to this item.
Related links:
LCDSoundsystem.com
Paste: LCD Soundsystem - The Sound of Platinum
YouTube: LCD Soundsystem - "North American Scum"
Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.
Sure, it's great to have a disco soundtrack to a solitary morning jog, but LCD Soundsystem's music works best when shared with friends. Whether it's at a house party or a club-sized rave, those elastic grooves always sound better when there are multiple bodies gyrating in time.
To that end, Mr. James Murphy will generously issue 45:33 - his dance symphony to God - on CD and double vinyl. Originally commissioned by Nike for its "Original Run" music series, the single, album-length track proved popular enough during its iTunes-only run to warrant an official release. The album relaunch also introduces three bonus tracks to North American shores - "Freak Out/Starry Eyes," "North American Scum (Onastic Dub Remix)," and "Hippie Priest Bum Out." All three songs previously appeared on various UK singles.
While you're waiting for the album's release, why not check out the Soundsystem playing with some blokes called the Arcade Fire?
LCD Soundsystem is playing at my local venue:
September:
17 - Morrison, Colo. @ Red Rocks*
20 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Hollywood Bowl*
21 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Shoreline*
24 - Seattle, Wash. @ Bank of America Arena*
26 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ Thanksgiving Point*
30 - St. Paul, Minn. @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium*
October:
3 - Louisville, Kent. @ Waterfront Park Music*
5 - Columbus, Ohio @ LC Pavilion*
6 - New York, NY @ Randall's Island*
20 - Dublin, Ireland @ Tripod
21 - Manchester, UK @ Apollo
22 - Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands
23 - London UK @ Brixton Academy
* w/ Arcade Fire
Related Links:
Paste: LCD Soundsystem - The Sound of Platinum
LCDSoundsystem.com
"All My Friends" Video (YouTube)
Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.
It’s been several years since James Murphy dropped his first single, music-geek anthem “Losing My Edge” (“I was there in 1968,” its narrator deadpans. “I was there at the first Can show. In Cologne.”), and now he finds himself preparing to release Sound of Silver, his second proper album under the LCD Soundsystem moniker. And though this new offering improves upon the excellent, dance-oriented fare of the band’s 2005 self-titled, full-length debut, the always-thinking Murphy isn’t yet satisfied with how he’s pushing the envelope. Rather, he’d like to shove the thing off the table—and maybe even land a radio hit in the process. “The problem with CDs is that they contain sound,” he says via cell phone from a New York City taxi. “For the next record, I will directly inject it into people. It would be awesome to just release a pill.”
Sound of Silver isn’t so accessible you can swallow it with a glass of water, but it does showcase the infectiousness of Murphy’s songwriting while also conveying a sense of bittersweet sadness. From the tender, New Order groove of “All My Friends,” to the frantic shout-along fury of “Watch the Tapes,” the man who—along with Tim Goldsworthy—serves as half of hip production duo DFA (and co-owner of DFA Records) proves himself immune to the sophomore slump. Perhaps most catchy is cheeky first single, “North American Scum,” a track Murphy hopes to force into every music-loving living room worldwide.
“I don’t have much access to mainstream culture, which kind of frustrates me,” he says. “But I am formulating a plan to become a Top 40 artist. This is my goal: I will be a Top 40 artist for 20 minutes. I’m going to make some campaign ads on YouTube. I will make my acceptance speech. I’m totally serious. Why not just go for it? If you like a girl, why not go up and say, ‘I find you really attractive?’ At the very least you get an awkward situation you can write about later. I’m just going to go up to people and say, ‘Make me a top 40 artist.’ I’ll kiss babies and point at people and wear a power tie. You heard it here first.”
“North American Scum” may be the name of the first single off of LCD Soundsystem’s highly-anticipated Sound of Silver LP, but the band clearly doesn’t think so poorly of the continent, as it just announced a fourteen tour dates throughout Canada and the US.
Highlights will surely include their two-night stint at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom, an appearance at Coachella, and an April 11th Letterman performance.
Sounds of Silver is set for release on March 20th. The digital-only EP, featuring the “North American Scum” single plus two remixes, is currently available through iTunes.
March
30 - New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom
31 - New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom
April
28 - Indio, Calif. @ Coachella
30 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Mezzanine
May
2 - Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox
3 - Vancouver, British Columbia @ Commodore Ballroom
6 - Chicago, Ill. @ Metro
7 - Detroit, Mich. @ Majestic Theatre
8 - Toronto, Ontario @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
9 - Montreal, Quebec @ Spectrum de Montreal
11 - Boston, Mass. @ Axis/Paradise
12 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Studio B
13 - Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
14 - New York, N.Y. @ Webster Hall
Related Links:
LCD Soundsystem's official website
LCD Soundsystem on MySpace
Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival official website
International mega-corporation becomes unlikely arts patron
With his new length-titled single-track album, 45:33, electro punk James Murphy (aka LCD Soundsystem) may unwittingly change the hipster image forever: from skinny, pale, obnoxiously smirking Brooklynite to muscular, tanned, obnoxiously smirking Brooklynite. Commissioned by Nike (you know, they make shoes and stuff) and released exclusively through iTunes, one might expect "Just Do It" commercialism. But 45:33 is as much gallery-crawl as beach-run; purpose-built in gliding tempos and warm-down synth shimmers for iPod-strapped runners, yet appropriate for a cruise through the Whitney, too. If more corporations drop bills on artists like Murphy, this capitalism thing might actually pan out.
According to Pitchforkmedia.com, post-punk electronic auteur James Murphy, aka LCD Soundsystem, has composed a 45-minute song to accompany workouts at the request of Nike. The song, titled "45:33," will be available for download on iTunes through the Nike+ store for $9.99. Murphy was apparently inspired by the prospect of producing a piece that deviated from the more marketable pop song format, similar to the longer work he had done while remixing Gorillaz and UNKLE as DFA.
| Dec 1 Mon |
TV: Charlie Haden on David Letterman TV: T.I. and Sarah Silverman on Jimmy Kimmel In-Store: O'Death live at Grimey's in Nashville, TN In-Store: O'Death live at Grimey's in Nashville, TN |
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Episode 70
August 19, 2008
