James Murphy - Scorer of Soundtracks

A trailer that uses LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends." A mature Ben Stiller (not mature as in old or whatever... mature as in "When a comedian goes from doing slap-stick comedy to dark comedy, like Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love"). A German shepherd. LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy writing the score (and making a cameo!). A plot based on the metaphysics of aging. At least one scene in which a character is in a hospital bed. Another scene in which an elder imparts wisdom disguised as witty dialogue upon a group of youngsters. Noah Baumbach.

These are the things lit grad students (they're the worst!) pine for in their movies. All seem to be present in Greenberg. It's like Garden State, except only for people who really get it, man!

LCD Soundsystem - "Bye Bye Bayou"

We can all agree that LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver is one of the best albums of the past 10 years. Good, glad that's out of the way. After their amazing, self-titled debut and the aforementioned follow-up, James Murphy & Co. have released a new track on the website 22 Tracks. "Bye Bye Bayou" was originally released by Suicide's Alan Vega, and LCD Soundsystem reinterpret it as a disco anthem (hence, its placement under the Disco tab). Although this is essentially a cover, hopefully it means that LCD Soundsystem is on track to release an album next year. We've been waiting.

PS. 22 Tracks is pretty great, and I can't believe I hadn't heard of it. From their "About Us" section:
What is 22tracks.com?
A jukebox consisting of 22 tracks selected by specialized dj's from Amsterdam

Why this jukebox?
To provide a quick overview of the latest music.
To promote new artists and let you discover new genres.
To directly link to the artist's MySpace and iTunes page, where you can buy the track if you like it.
We do NOT support downloading music.

How long will these playlists last?
Every couple of days a couple of tracks per genre are refreshed.

7 of 25: LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

James Murphy is not from England. He's not. And he wants you and all your friends to quit putting him and his friends from LCD Soundsystem in a box. This is exceedingly apparent on Sound of Silver, LCD Soundsystem's second full-length LP (they've put out an alarming number of singles and EPs in a short period of time). Murphy is the co-founder of DFA Records, which hosts a powerful lineup of dance, dance-rock, disco, electronic, and other genre-fusing acts like Hot Chip and Hercules & Love Affair. In his spare time, he makes great records, and Sound of Silver is certainly one of them (I mean, it was nominated for a Grammy this year!).

The band's MO of repetitive guitar, drum and synth/piano lines starts right away with "Get Innocuous," as does Murphy's interesting vocal style (he doesn't sing like that on every song). Each track sounds distinctly essential, and if I had to pick one instrument to keep above all others, it might be the cowbell. Damnit that cowbell sounds great! "North American Scum," with it's opening statement of exasperation: "Well I don't know, I don't know, oh... where to begin. We are North American. And for those of you who still think we're from England... we're not. No." That frustration continues as a mock/serious criticism of American culture and how it's perceived domestically and abroad. "Someone Great" is one of the best songs on the album and pulsates for a good 6 minutes while toying with subtle changes in a variety of sounds: blips and bleeps, real and electronic. It's hypnotic. "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down," is the album closer and a departure from the rest of the album: as a glorified piano ballad with witty lyrics, it serves as a focal point for a recurrent theme in Murphy's songwriting: growing older. And nowhere is this theme more pronounced and well-delivered than on album highlight "All My Friends." While looking through reviews when Sound of Silver was first released, I came upon the following:

" [On "All My Friends,"] the straightforward repetition of the same guitar, keyboard and bass lines, combined with lyrics about life without regret, and life with all kinds of regrets, pays off with a punch about what we lose as we get older."

Right on the money. And if you don't hit the "Back" button after listening to it for the first time, you weren't really paying attention anyway.