This album is awesome. There, I said it. This is Happening is probably my favorite of LCD Soundsystem’s releases. In fact, it is the only one of their records that I have loved on first listen. When their self-titled double album debut was seemingly raved about by every critic and hipster music fan in the civilized world, I stubbornly shrugged my shoulders and said “What’s the big deal?” When I first heard the singles from the 2007 masterwork Sound of Silver, I found myself wondering where the hooks went. When I heard Sound of Silver in its entirety, I felt that the infectiousness of the songs was much more clearly defined and through repeated listens, I found the honest examinations of aging and grief present in the lyrics to be very moving. When I first listened to This is Happening when it began streaming for free on the LCD Soundsystem web site a few weeks ago, I was immediately hooked.
My first reaction to this album is that it reminds me of the more traditional and song-structured work of Brian Eno. While Eno is known for his ambient work, his pop albums are equally engaging and influential. The same goes for the production work he put into albums by other artists: mainly, bands such as Talking Heads and David Bowie during the Berlin trilogy; the use of unusual rhythms and a concentration on the space in-between the notes makes for a slightly off-kilter resonance which adds an extra layer of dimension to each composition. Many of the tracks on This is Happening take advantage of this technique and use it to its full potential.
Of the nine tracks on the album, only one is less than five minutes and five of them are nearing the ten minute mark. These longer songs especially benefit from the aforementioned Eno influence. The repetition of simple sounds allows them to blend them together to create dynamic compositions filled with nuanced melodies and textured rhythms. More than almost any other artist working in the pop format, listening to a song by LCD Soundsystem slowly reveal itself and create its own atmosphere is genuinely exciting.
As usual, the lyrics on this album are perfect compliments to the music. They offer commentary on aging, pop culture and the joy of music. One of my favorite selections comes in the song “All I Want”. The Pitchfork review of this song likens it to “Heroes” by David Bowie which I absolutely agree with. It should be noted that Heroes is one of those aforementioned Eno produced tracks.
When will it start and the dark and the girls are gone
So you’re back again and into the late unknown
You never needed anything for so long
As the chorus begins, back-up singers amend the song with their harmonized “Ooh La La’s” and similarly nondescript but perfect beds of backing vocals.
All I want is your pity
And all I want are your bitter tears
The song is a perfect encapsulation of the success of this album and the work of LCD Soundsystem as a whole. As the track drives forward repeating a basic keyboard part, extraneous rhythms and melodies seem to seep out of the songs edges and add a breadth of depth to the world it contains. When the song ends with James Murphy repeating “Take Me Home”, it is hard to imagine him residing anywhere else.
It has been said that this may very well be the last we will hear from LCD Soundsystem. If that is true, then this album will leave their discography completely unblemished and unlike many electronic-based albums, I believe that they will only grow better with age. Regardless of whether or not this is the end, This is Happening is a great album and if you haven’t yet been converted, it is a new decade and now is the time for change.
