LCD Soundsystem: One Thread Is Never Enough

[PhilsFan]

He really should have just called it a hiatus, but I think he really wanted to have the big concert finale and there was no way to do it without calling it the end. And that finale was really cool, so whatever.

 

[gump]

LCD Soundsystem to Release New Album This Year, James Murphy Explains Reunion | News | Pitchfork

let’s just start this thing finally with some clarity.
i write songs all the time. sometimes they’re just weird songs i sing while changing a baby, or songs about annoying things that i sing to myself, or to friends while sitting at a bar, or about christmas, or new york. sometimes these songs live in my head for years and have verses upon verses added to them, almost infinitely. sometimes they’re just ghosts of ideas, and sometimes they’re fully-formed things which float in front of me, seeming like they’d be easy to make flesh, only to fight furiously as soon as i try to pin them down in any way. some of them i make with friends in a room with instrument things. only a tiny fraction of these ever become songs; get recorded, feel like something that should be shared. those ones, i write the title or some lyrics of down on a page in a little book i carry around. or i sing a bit of them into a tape recorder (or now a phone, i guess). i’ve been doing this since i was a kid.

early in 2015, i realized i had more of those than i’d ever had in my life. more of them than when i went in to make any lcd record, or when i recorded tapes upon tapes of terrible things in high school. just loads of them, and i found myself a little perplexed. if i record them, what do i do with them? maybe i shouldn’t record them at all? i considered that, which was in a way the easiest option, but it also seemed like a weird and arbitrary (and sort of cowardly) cop-out. but to record them—well then, suddenly i have, what—a record?

so i asked pat and nancy to come over to my apartment for coffee and told them: “i’m going to record some music. should i make up a band name, or make a “james murphy” record, or should it be lcd?” we all thought a good amount about it. we have had lives for the past 5 years, which has been nice, and those guys have made amazing music with museum of love, the juan maclean, and all sorts of other things. i’d managed to do a bunch of fun, dumb stuff which mostly annoyed people who were into the band because, well, subway turnstiles and a coffee aren’t lcd, basically.

at any rate, they both said “let’s make an lcd record”. you see, if they didn’t want to, which i’d half assumed, then there’s no such thing as lcd. imagine this: me making a record, calling it lcd, and then you go to the show and there’s just some guy playing drums over there, or some other person playing keyboards. horrifying. then imagine this: i make a “james murphy” record, or, i don’t know, an “everteen” record, or whatever made-up name i come up with, and there’s pat playing drums, and nancy. maybe al isn’t too busy with hot chip so he comes to play. what the fuck is that? here were our choices: 1. make music with your friends and call it something else, which seems hilarious (everteen) or egomaniacal to the point of sociopathic (james murphy solo record). 2. make music, but willfully exclude your friends because of the horrors in option 1. 3. make an lcd record with your friends, who want to make said record, and deal with whatever fall-out together. 4. don’t make music, to avoid the horrors of all of the above. 5. make music and, like, hide it somewhere.
we decided, clearly, on option 3, and i was fully prepared for a certain amount of “oh fuck that guy” over-it stuff—in fact welcomed it. it’s strangely energizing to have people who don’t make music themselves take potshots at you from the internet. and there’s always been a current of o.f.t.g. with me (i’m saying me and not us because, let’s be honest… no one hates anyone else in lcd, partially because they’re unhateable, and also because they have the wisdom to not shoot their mouths off nearly as much), and that’s just fine. i’m pretty used to it, and find it relatively funny.

but in my naiveté i hadn’t seen one thing coming:
there are people who don’t hate us at all, in fact who feel very attached to the band, and have put a lot of themselves into their care of us, who feel betrayed by us coming back and playing. who had traveled for or tried to go to the msg show, and who found it to be an important moment for them, which now to them feels cheapened. i just hadn’t considered that. i know—ridiculous on my part. i saw some comments online a few days ago from people who felt that way, and it blindsided me, and made me incredibly sad. i saw some other people replying with stuff like “if that’s what you cared about, and you don’t want them to play anymore, maybe you liked the band for pretty weird reasons”, and it made me think. the truth is, while i get what the replier is saying, i kind of side with the original complaint: if you cared a lot about our band, and you put a lot of yourself into that moment (or anything about us you chose), and you feel betrayed now, then i completely understand that. it’s your right to define what you love about a band, and it’s your right to decry their actions and words as you see fit, because it’s you, frankly, who have done much of the work to sustain that relationship, not the band. i was so clearly expecting the cynical cries of foul, that i hadn’t seen the heartfelt complaint coming. we’ve always talked about how we’d never betray anyone who cares about us, but here we are now. given the chance again to make new music with the people i care about, and who have given a big part of their lives to doing this weird thing together, and who wanted to do it again, i took it. and in doing so, i betrayed whoever feels betrayed by that action. i by no means think that everyone who liked our band feels bad right now. a lot of people who liked our band are very happy, and we’ve been pretty blown away by the almost overwhelmingly positive response. last night i sat with al and nancy in a weird italian bar and we talked about how fucking awesome it was that so many people were happy to have us back. but that doesn’t take away from those who feel hurt. to you i have to say: i’m seriously sorry. the only thing we can do now is get back into the studio and finish this record, and make it as fucking good as we can possibly make it. it needs to be better than anything we’ve done before, in my mind, because it won’t have the help of being the first time. and we have to play better than we’ve ever played, frankly. every show has to be better than the best show we’ve played before for anyone to even say “well, that was good. i mean, not as good as they used to be. but, you know. it was good.” we know all that. which is healthy for us, because it means we go back to war, like in the beginning. for us it was always war, but now it’s really with ourselves. maybe we have a chance to make it right.

in other, more pedantic news: we’re not just playing coachella. we’re playing all over. we’re not just having some reunion tour. we’re releasing a record (sometime this year—still working on it, actually), so this isn’t a victory lap or anything, which wouldn’t be of much interest to us. this is just the bus full of substitute teachers back from their coffee break with new music and the same weird gear—or as much of it as we still have (it’s very interesting to re-buy the same gear, and in some cases buy gear back from people you sold it to), and rambling around trying to be louder than everyone else. thank fuck we were never skinny and young. or at least i wasn’t. that always happens with bands… they aren’t fat when they come back, typically, just, i don’t know, thicker. i was lucky to start this band kind of fat and old, so there’s no, like “look how young they were!” shit to even find on the internet. i mean, we were younger and everything, but we weren’t young, if you know what i mean.

one last note: thank you to everyone who has been absurdly kind to us over the past 14 (!) years. if you have moved on and don’t like us anymore, that’s obviously ok, too. but please, if we ever gave you any joy, just find something new and good that blows you away, and post it on our facebook page or something with, like, “hey fuck you guys! this is the real shit!” so we can hear new good stuff. that would be the best for all of us.

 

[u2popmofo]

He really should have just called it a hiatus, but I think he really wanted to have the big concert finale and there was no way to do it without calling it the end. And that finale was really cool, so whatever.

Very true.

 

[PhilsFan]

I would really like for them to play Philadelphia, and I would really like to go to that show.

 

[BoMac]

They'll play Philly, but they'll omit All My Friends from the set, and they'll perform Pow Pow twice, just to annoy you.

 

[PhilsFan]

Well, I do like most of Pow Pow ...

 

[nielsgov]

I'm with you on that song Peef. That part is annoying.

 

[lazarus]

My one issue with the whole confessional Facebook post was the idea that "Pat" and "Nancy" had to deliberate about whether they wanted Murphy's material to become an official band album.

Yeah, I'm sure it was real rough for those two nobodies who no one gives a fuck whether or not they're involved with LCD Soundsystem to decide whether they wanted more steady income from someone else's creative project.

Please.

On the whole, great to hear.

 

[PhilsFan]

It seems rather silly to try to pretend like you know the dynamic of how the band works?

 

[djerdap]

Never has the phrase "shut up and play the hits" been more appropriate.

 

[lazarus]

It seems rather silly to try to pretend like you know the dynamic of how the band works?

Murphy writes all the songs. He can program and play whatever he wants to. He doesn't need them to continue as LCD Soundsystem, and I imagine few fans outside a particular NYC scene would care if he did without them.

 

[cobl04]

Uhh, pretty sure Pat and Nancy are pretty damn successful in their own right. And Al is in Hot Chip. But whatever man. Of course you find something negative in that post. I was just gonna come in here to say how happy it made me.

 

[iron yuppie]

I can't really imagine why any fan of the band would avoid a new record simply because they thought the MSG show should have been the end. That's a pretty ridiculous grudge to hold.

 

[LemonMelon]

At least Murphy had it in him to mention it. People spent thousands of dollars on that show and traveled from all over the country with the assumption that it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. On the other hand, they did get something great in return. It was just a whole lot less significant than they assumed.

I'll be attending the gigs and listening to the albums with no cynicism. People change. But I do understand, as Murphy himself does, why some would be turned off by the 5 year "reunion." It does feel cheap. But Outkast's reunion was 100% for the money and I enjoyed that too. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

[lazarus]

I don't really have any sympathy for these whining fans. Anyone who thought that a guy under 50 was never going to make music under that moniker again was delusional.

And if you're upset that a great band is recording and touring again you're an idiot anyway.

 

[gump]

Why would your enjoyment of 5 years ago change at all because they got back together today? Barring time travel, it did not change anyone's experience of that show, which is what people paid thousands of dollars for.

My friend who went to that show is pretty happy they are back together.

 

[iron yuppie]

At least Murphy had it in him to mention it. People spent thousands of dollars on that show and traveled from all over the country with the assumption that it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. On the other hand, they did get something great in return. It was just a whole lot less significant than they assumed.

Isn't that same type of mentality that he lampooned in Losing My Edge, though? Holding up a concert experience for a relatively little-known band as some kind of badge of authenticity?

 

[LemonMelon]

Why would your enjoyment of 5 years ago change at all because they got back together today? Barring time travel, it did not change anyone's experience of that show, which is what people paid thousands of dollars for.

My friend who went to that show is pretty happy they are back together.

I've put off seeing plenty of shows because I assumed I would have another opportunity to do so. If you're a hardcore fan and there's a supposed "final show" on the other side of the country, you make that happen. Ask any of our resident U2 fans that fly to Ireland or Canada or wherever else to see a show that's perceived as unique in some way.

It is extremely naive to assume that any relatively young artist is putting on a "final show," I agree with Laz on that. And I have zero sympathy for anyone sitting out this reunion because they got burned. That's childish behavior. But the band did sell an event under a misleading pretense. That is a fact. And I'm glad that Murphy went out of his way to mention it.

Isn't that same type of mentality that he lampooned in Losing My Edge, though? Holding up a concert experience for a relatively little-known band as some kind of badge of authenticity?

No. One regards coolness, the other regards close emotional attachment to an established artist. If you're bragging that you saw the first Can show in Cologne, you didn't fly there from America because you adore Can. I don't think people are bemoaning a sudden drop in cool points.

 

[gump]

My point is that anyone who went to that show had a blast. They have no reason whatsoever to re-evaluate how they feel about that awesome experience because of something that happened five years later. The memories are still there.

I don't think it was a misleading pretense. They probably believed at that point it was their last show. I do think it was sincere. And it was a fucking great show. One should be happy to have attended, regardless of what comes after.

 

[LemonMelon]

I'm not disagreeing with you. In fact, I went out of my way to mention that they received a great show in return. I still wish I had thrown down the cash to see them then because it was a terrific marathon of a show.

I also don't mean to say that anyone was consciously misled. There's no reason to suspect that Murphy had ulterior motives for marketing the show the way he did. It would have sold out regardless.

 

[gump]

Anyways, I'm really excited to catch them live this year. Hopefully not at MSG.

 

[LemonMelon]

I hope they do a Localchella show. Two festivals is fine, but a theater or club would be a more fitting venue. It seems like they're getting more ambitious every day with this tour, so maybe.

 

[Mack_Again]

Im new to the LCD, are there any recommendations for first listen?

 

[cobl04]

They only have three albums (they're all very good too so you can't really go wrong) so you could listen to their whole catalogue in about three or four hours.

But I'd suggest starting with Sound of Silver. It has what is widely regarded as their best two songs back-to-back as well as several other hits. If you don't like it you won't like the band.

 

[Mack_Again]

They only have three albums (they're all very good too so you can't really go wrong) so you could listen to their whole catalogue in about three or four hours.

But I'd suggest starting with Sound of Silver. It has what is widely regarded as their best two songs back-to-back as well as several other hits. If you don't like it you won't like the band.

ok thanx.

 

[cobl04]

I mean, I can see where these people are coming from. It was a very cool and satisfying way to "finish". Rare that a band goes out so perfectly. And if they'd never got back together I was happy. Went out on top. So I felt similar pangs of "noooo". But all that said at the end of the day one of my absolutely favourite ever bands is making a new album and doing a new tour. And I'm massively happy about that and so excited to see what eventuates. That outweighs by miles any annoyance (of which there is a minuscule amount anyway).

 

[PhilsFan]

Murphy writes all the songs. He can program and play whatever he wants to. He doesn't need them to continue as LCD Soundsystem, and I imagine few fans outside a particular NYC scene would care if he did without them.

I mean you're not wrong that fans would probably not notice nor care that much about the change, it just seems like you're discounting how, you know, Murphy and them feel about it.

 

[LemonMelon]

My one issue with the whole confessional Facebook post was the idea that "Pat" and "Nancy" had to deliberate about whether they wanted Murphy's material to become an official band album.

Yeah, I'm sure it was real rough for those two nobodies who no one gives a fuck whether or not they're involved with LCD Soundsystem to decide whether they wanted more steady income from someone else's creative project.

Please.

I wonder how much input the other members of LCD Soundsystem had in breaking up/reuniting.

"Hey guys, sorry to put you out, but I'm going to go buy a wine bar and DJ some block parties so I can pretend I'm 20 again. Our farewell show is tonight."

"Wait, what? What are we suppo-"

5 years later

"Hey guys, I'm bored and need money. Want to be LCD Soundsystem again? We're headlining Coachella twice. I'll cut you guys in, 90/10."

"Are you fucking kidding me"

 

[PhilsFan]

They all have their own musical projects but after three tours I'm sure Murphy feels like they're part of the whole thing. I don't see why giving them the right of first refusal is such a big deal, but then again this is Laz, so, yeah.

 

[cobl04]

never mindddddd