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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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LCD Soundsystem
by LCD Soundsystem
Hipsters, rejoice! James Murphy, one-half of the in-demand indie-rock production duo The DFA (The Rapture, et al), finally makes his full-length debut as an artist as LCD Soundsystem.
| LABEL: |
Capitol / DFA |
| RELEASE DATE: |
15 February 2005 |
| DISCS: |
2 discs |
| GENRE(S): |
Indie, Rock, Dance |
NOTES: Includes a second disc compiling all of LCD's early singles.
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
Junkmedia
An exceptional testament to James Murphy, both as a musician and producer.
100
Tiny Mix Tapes
While LCD Soundsystem is grounded in the past, quality and talent make it an album deserving to be listened to for years to come. Talk to me in a few months, but I think this one won't be beat.
100
Uncut
It's like the best music of the '70s compressed under '80s new wave dynamics. [Feb 2005, p.74]
100
Blender
Murphy pushes the near-immaculate music into the realm of genius with witty lyrics and wonderfully tetchy vocals. [Mar 2005, p.141]
100
Alternative Press
Ample evidence that Murphy is far more than a dance-club wiseguy who's too clever by half. [Apr 2005, p.128]
91
Entertainment Weekly
Unites the club and indie-rock crowds in ways few have attempted since the '80s. [25 Feb 2005, p.100]
91
Stylus Magazine
After disappointing would-be breakthrough releases from so many of the discopunk frontlines, this is an album that’s more easily classifiable as “great” for what it isn’t, rather than what it is. It’s not inconsistent. It’s not a total deviation from what we know of the group. It’s never dull. And, most importantly--it is in no way a let down.
90
Playlouder
LCD Soundsystem have set 2005's bar very high indeed and they sound like they’ve barely got started.
90
PopMatters
[It] could be annoying if it turned into a game of "spot the references", but somehow it never does.
90
All Music Guide
Like just about everybody else these days, Murphy's more skilled at creating isolated tracks than making full-lengths, even though this particular full-length has few weak spots and unfolds smoothly as you listen to it from beginning to end. The bonus disc, containing all the stray single tracks, adds a great deal of value.
90
No Ripcord
Intellectual without being snotty, encyclopaedic yet accessible, it takes the seemingly stalled electro model and kick-starts it into outer space.
90
Lost At Sea
Every song here, on both discs, is interesting and amazingly well-crafted.
90
Trouser Press
A second disc which recaps some of the prior singles and B-sides resonates wonderfully, and provides a contrast for the new material, which is the same only better, faster and harder.
84
ShakingThrough.net
LCD Soundsystem doesn't quite overcome the high bar set by its bonus disc. That might sound rough, but fortunately, just compiling all of Murphy & Co's singles on one handy CD provides a valuable service for newcomers to his eclectically retro style.
83
Spin
He's got an excellent ear, a savvy way with hooks, and an untrained voice that knows its limitations. [Mar 2005, p.88]
82
Pitchfork
Plenty of good-not-great stuff, and a tad unfocused.
80
Drowned In Sound
A disparate yet cohesive collection of songs.
80
Q Magazine
The key is that Murphy, unlike his peers and the bands he's produced, is more interested in excellence than cool. [Feb 2005, p.96]
80
New Musical Express
If he carries on writing songs as deliciously sour as this, dance music will end up needing to be saved from James Murphy, not by him. [22 Jan 2005, p.50]
80
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Marries raw rock attitudes to the sonic spread and kinetic energy central to dance music.
80
Rolling Stone
LCD have managed to be both underground hitmakers and bona fide album artists as easily as Murphy splices guitar noise and machine thump.
80
Mojo
Inescapably, Losing My Edge is the best thing here, yet happily Murphy has more than one trick up his stylish sleeve. [Feb 2005, p.101]
80
Urb
It's mostly about a rollicking anti-frat party, where grizzled indie kids take ecstasy and discover the primal appeal of the dance floor. [Mar 2005, p.112]
80
Splendid
It took ages to arrive, but LCD Soundsystem isn't the album you've been waiting for -- it's far, far better.
80
The Wire
LCD Soundsystem's gift is to forge iron from irony, show that cleverness need not be enervating. [#252, p.46]
80
Magnet
You can dance to almost anything here, but between breaths, you'll marvel at his control and the way each sound pops like a primary color. [#67, p.104]
80
Under The Radar
The varied sounds and variety show that he has more tricks up his sleeve than I was led to believe. [#9]
80
Neumu.net
It's a classic case of debut album as faux anthology of musical influences, but it's also a successful collection with a marked sense of individuality, massively helped by Murphy's dry sense of humor, which demonstrates a willingness to embrace the contradiction at the heart of his musical personality.
70
Village Voice
LCD Soundsystem shares some of Slanted & Enchanted's sloppy-but-right brio, but where Pavement used their album to expand, LCD's first disc... sounds like a contraction, each song its own discrete postcard from a field trip rather than a canvas on which to mesh multiple ideas.
70
Dusted Magazine
Here the whole sum is less than its individual parts: individual tracks display real quality, but the album fails to cohere.
67
Austin Chronicle
It seems Murphy enrolled in the Mark E. Smith School of Pronuncia-shun-uh for several of the tracks, but he manages to jump from messy psych ("Tired") to straight-up jams ("Yeah") without turning in his indie cred card.
60
Almost Cool
In some ways, the release is validated almost completely by the inclusion of a bonus disc that includes all previous singles from LCD Soundsystem, most of which feel more thought-out and slamming than much of what resides on the album itself.
60
The Guardian
Murphy lets the pace slacken - and as soon as it does, interest fades.
60
Dot Music
Built on a repetitious platform of bass, drums and guitar, what starts off as a genuinely thrilling journey tends to conclude in a cul-de-sac.
58
cokemachineglow
LCD Soundsystem is mostly too afraid to be balls-out fun, but too unambitious to make for a really rewarding artistic experience. Essentially, it sits awkwardly in a no-man’s land between artistry and actual dancing fun, like guess-what-demographic.
The average user rating for this album is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 76 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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