Pitchfork review - lcd soundsystem

photo by will deitz

You Were There: The Complete LCD Soundsystem by Pitchfork, posted March 28, 2011

F

or years, James Murphy has suggested that he would be closing the door on
LCD Soundsystem; a lot of people didn’t believe him. Even after his band announced their final night out, a threehour show at New York City’s Madison
Square Garden dubbed The Long Goodbye, some still expect a 55-year-old Murphy will climb back on stage in 2025. Perhaps that suspicion is cynicism or perhaps it’s learned behavior from watching artists turn from creative to careerist, but it’s not going to happen. James Murphy may have lost his edge by the time he formed LCD
Soundsystem, but he gained perspective, even wisdom. And one of the primary things he’s projected from the start is that he cares, deeply, about what he does, the decisions he makes, and the reasons for them.

“When I was 30 I promised myself that I’d be out by 40 and I’m 40 now. Any more than this and I’d start feeling like a professional,”

he told Clash last year. “A lot of the songs
I’ve written are as good as I’m going to do. I don’t want to repeat myself. So, what becomes the next goal? Being bigger? The next goal becomes about making more money. It’s just not all that interesting.”
James Murphy’s twentysomething failures
(he was in and out of rock bands throughout those years, and even turned down an early staff writing job on “Seinfeld”), his studious appreciation for rock and dance history, his work ethic, and the sense of urgency felt by someone who is reinventing their music career at 30 laser-focused his vision and drive. Over the course of the past decade, Murphy and his band have argued and cajoled on record and on stage for an indie rock industry that increasingly lives online to still fight in the streets. From his first single he articulated the dangers of a life lived looking over your shoulder, or not taking your choices as seriously as possible;

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