This Is Happening
by LCD Soundsystem
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 238 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 217 out of 238
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 238
  3. Negative: 10 out of 238

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  1. Joe-Cool
    Aug 13, 2010
    10
    This is Happening wonâ
  2. LeifH
    May 23, 2010
    10
    "And all I want is your pity. Oh all I want are your bitter tears." Unbelievably so good. I've been following LCD Soundsystem since I heard "Losing My Edge" floating around in '02. Now I don't want to say "I knew that this would be it," but I want to say something along those lines to a less douchey and less foreboding extent. So: I'm happy LCD Soundsystem pulled "And all I want is your pity. Oh all I want are your bitter tears." Unbelievably so good. I've been following LCD Soundsystem since I heard "Losing My Edge" floating around in '02. Now I don't want to say "I knew that this would be it," but I want to say something along those lines to a less douchey and less foreboding extent. So: I'm happy LCD Soundsystem pulled through with their third album not only because of its quality--lyrically, musically, and in regards to its production--but because it connects so well to me and gives me an urge to dance and be all alive-like. It's real nice, check it out.… Collapse
  3. spektrum_92
    Aug 13, 2010
    6
    This Is Happening had the potential to be one of the greatest EPs of this generation. Instead, James Murphy has produced an album of three or four hits, intertwined with shameless time-consuming noise.
  4. Armington
    Nov 2, 2010
    7
    Certainly the weakest of the LCD albums and yet very, VERY similar to his previous ones. It's probably for the best that he's calling it a day. There's nothing inherently bad about this album; it is in fact rather good. BUT, none of the songs on 'This Is Happening' are quite as good as those on 'LCD Soundsystem' or 'Sound of Silver'. This album shows that, after 3 albums, the LCD sound hasCertainly the weakest of the LCD albums and yet very, VERY similar to his previous ones. It's probably for the best that he's calling it a day. There's nothing inherently bad about this album; it is in fact rather good. BUT, none of the songs on 'This Is Happening' are quite as good as those on 'LCD Soundsystem' or 'Sound of Silver'. This album shows that, after 3 albums, the LCD sound has now been stretched for as much as it's worth. I'm genuinely surprised it's metacritic score is as high as his others.… Expand
  5. TheDaveHimself
    Aug 6, 2011
    10
    Along with Arcade Fire's The Suburbs and Josh Ritter's So Runs the World Away, this was my favorite album of 2010. I'd hate for this to be the last LCD Soundsystem album, but we'll always have "Home".
  6. LuizCC
    Oct 8, 2011
    10
    The best but last album of this great project by James Murphy gets to it's end with remarkable songs and different lyrics. Not as great as Sound Of Silver, but great at the same way, songs like "I Can Change" e "Drunk Girls" show us that mr. Murphy might be the creative genious we-ve been looking for.
  7. ChelvisM
    Jun 9, 2010
    5
    By far LCD's worst effort yet. A sad recycling of the other albums. These lyrics are whack.
  8. mg
    May 19, 2010
    3
    This guy wants so much being the new talking heads that it hurts.
  9. Luke
    May 19, 2010
    0
    Wow, this album is the extreme opposite of the last, which was amazing, except for "All My Friends." I think he let that song get to his head...this album is just so dull and one-dimensional. It really goes nowhere. People only love it because they're supposed to. It's really sad that he has to end it like THIS.
  10. Zeus
    May 18, 2010
    0
    "...it doesn
  11. joycek
    May 27, 2010
    0
    Wow, I did not enjoy this at all! Way too slow and boring.
  12. qitozex
    Nov 12, 2010
    1
    It is despicable that this is tagged with dance-punk so often, when this truly holds no regards to anything of the sort, especially in this day and age of electronic dominance within music. This sounds to be stuck in the late-seventies, drenched in horribly bland white-man's funk (read as: Talking Heads), with no appeal or impact of any regard to be had. A continuing trend for this band.It is despicable that this is tagged with dance-punk so often, when this truly holds no regards to anything of the sort, especially in this day and age of electronic dominance within music. This sounds to be stuck in the late-seventies, drenched in horribly bland white-man's funk (read as: Talking Heads), with no appeal or impact of any regard to be had. A continuing trend for this band. Their 2007 album was less expressive than their debut. The good news is, they can't get any worse.… Expand
  13. Iky1230
    Oct 6, 2011
    10
    When "New York I love you" I literally cried. Great album for a great band. I had the pleasure of seeing their final concert, I will never forget it
  14. pesho_one
    Jan 6, 2015
    2
    What a load of junk, it sound cheap and computer-generated. There is no actual melody, even the voices are composed from 3 to 5 notes in no sensible way. I guess some teens are finding hidden meanings in all of it, otherwise I can't imagine how this is getting a good score. 2 out of 10, because at least it has a beat.
  15. TonyN
    May 20, 2010
    8
    I guarantee you James Murphy is going to pull a Jay-Z and make 15 other albums.
  16. DexStud
    May 19, 2010
    10
    Best dance album ever!!! Every track builds slowly and climaxes into audio splendor! Even better than Sound of Silver.
  17. Christopher
    May 20, 2010
    8
    More of the same. That's not necessarily a bad thing.
  18. GeoffT
    May 18, 2010
    10
    Brilliant!
  19. RodrigoT
    May 18, 2010
    9
    Very great album!
  20. KevinG.
    May 19, 2010
    10
    Really really good.
  21. MarkF
    May 20, 2010
    9
    This is an excellent album, I'd say better than Sound of Silver. I don't really feel like writing much more, but I could go on for a while.
  22. THall
    May 26, 2010
    7
    I was worried Murphy was going to mess it up after the brilliance and success of Sound of Silver, one of the previous decade's best. Like that record, it starts well, with Dance Urself Clean, and Murphy, after stumbling with Drunk Girls and One Touch, really hits his stride with All I Want, a great Bowie homage. After that, its mostly great, with the exception of Somebody's I was worried Murphy was going to mess it up after the brilliance and success of Sound of Silver, one of the previous decade's best. Like that record, it starts well, with Dance Urself Clean, and Murphy, after stumbling with Drunk Girls and One Touch, really hits his stride with All I Want, a great Bowie homage. After that, its mostly great, with the exception of Somebody's Calling Me; You Wanted a Hit and Home are especially great. Shame its his last really.… Expand
  23. JackG
    May 31, 2010
    9
    The weird thing is, that allthough I hadn't heard these songs before, on first listen it felt so familliar. 'Pow Pow' has massive simillarities to 'I'm Losing my Edge', and 'Someone is Calling Me' to 'Sound of Silver'. I guess this kind of feels like an upgrade to their last album, everything is better here, but theres few areas explored The weird thing is, that allthough I hadn't heard these songs before, on first listen it felt so familliar. 'Pow Pow' has massive simillarities to 'I'm Losing my Edge', and 'Someone is Calling Me' to 'Sound of Silver'. I guess this kind of feels like an upgrade to their last album, everything is better here, but theres few areas explored that havent already been. Although this is mainly because Murphy hasn't left a stone unturned on his search for the right sound over his four studio albums. how this got a slighlty worse score than 45:33 I'll never know.… Expand
  24. drunkenstepdadrummy
    Jun 5, 2010
    10
    j. murphy et. al. are maturing. "derivative"?, nah, a lot of homage to best-of 80's dance pop and some of these tunes are ass shakers while others aint. innovative, memorable contributions from all the player's. i like it, i spent the $ & bough it, no regrets. actually is happening, actually a bit of a landmark.
  25. SteveA
    May 18, 2010
    6
    At some point between LCD Soundsystem
  26. andrewc
    May 18, 2010
    7
    Enjoyable but not mind-blowing.
  27. Nick
    May 22, 2010
    9
    The album proclaims "You wanted a hit/Well maybe we don't do hits". If the charts were up to me, LCD Soundsystem would have had loads of hits by now.
  28. MaxK
    May 23, 2010
    8
    Slightly disappointed with this album after the stellar Sound of Silver. Just a tiny bit too much balladry on here IMO. Still pretty kick-ass, though. Recommended.
  29. ShannonT
    May 27, 2010
    10
    This is the best album of 2010!
  30. micho224
    Oct 25, 2011
    8
    LCD Soundsystem end on a good note. While this isn't as good as Sound of Silver, it's certainly better than their debut. I found this album to be a grower requiring multiple listens to really get into it.
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Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Best Album of 2010
29
#29 Most Discussed Album of 2010
26
#26 Most Shared Album of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 38 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 38
  3. Negative: 0 out of 38
  1. musicOMH.com
    90
    This Is Happening suffers no shortage of really great songs. Each track is a well-executed study in the finer points of the long form, each thumping and building, wavering and shifting in the haze of its own self-contained ecosystem.
    Read full review
  2. Paste Magazine
    93
    While it’s certainly still working for him now—This Is Happening is, in all respects, LCD’s best album—it doesn’t take much to imagine the act becoming a tired gag a couple more albums down the line.
    Read full review
  3. Spin
    80
    What keeps Murphy from being an insufferable know-it-all is how he folds deeper emotions into his references....Older, snottier, his edge remains.
    Read full review
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