LCD Soundsystem debut new songs at first gig of 2017

PanARMENIAN.Net - LCD Soundsystem played their first live show of 2017 last night (Thursday 6 April), debuting three songs from their upcoming new album, NME reports.

Last night saw James Murphy and co return to play the first of their five night residency at the recently-opened Brooklyn Steel venue in New York. This was fans’ first chance to hear material from their long-awaited comeback album.

During their career-spanning and hit-packed set, they returned for their first encore to unveil three new songs – ‘Tonight’, ‘Call Police’ and ‘American Dream’.

Reviewing the show, NME wrote: “The first, possibly called ‘Tonight’, began with a heavy drumbeat that gave way to a techno-inspired synth line. Taking the piss out of modern music, it runs “Everybody’s singing the same song / It’s all tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight.” It’s a wordy, upbeat track – vocally slightly similar to ‘Pow Pow’ – though on this one, warm synths surround a classic LCD “ooh” refrain. “You lost your internet but we lost our memories,” he sang at one point, occasionally looking at a lyric sheet set on Mahoney’s drum kit. “You hate the idea that you’re wasting your youth / But that’s all lies,” he croons later on. The track eventually grows in intensity only to end abruptly.

“The second new one, ‘Call Police,’ is maybe the most straightforward rock song LCD has ever written, reminiscent of a somewhat more upbeat take on Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ or even The Smiths’ ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’. Midtempo and guitar heavy, this one is for people who wanted another song like ‘All My Friends’. It was tougher to decipher Murphy’s lyrics here, though he did repeat the line “this is nowhere” multiple times, NME said. “We played it like six times faster than in soundcheck,” Murphy added after the song ended.”

“‘American Dream’, the final new song, is without a doubt Murphy’s most confessional song to date. It’s a downbeat one, full of slow burning synths, xylophones, and a wicked sense of humor, NME said. “Wake up with somebody near you in someone else’s place / You did acid and looked in the mirror / Watched the mirror crawl around on your face,” Murphy sings at the start. As it grapples with the reality of growing older, the song continues: “In the morning, everything’s clearer when the sunlight exposes your age / But that’s OK,” later adding the lines, “So get up and stop your complaining / You know you’re the only one who’s been destroying all the fun.” The final chorus features Murphy’s falsetto and robotic backup vocals.”

While some photos and footage has emerged online, the band did write a message to their fans asking for them not to use their phones during the show.

“To our dear fans,” they wrote. “Hi there guys! Welcome! We have a special plea. Please don’t film the old songs. We already made a whole movie out of those and you’re not gonna find a ‘better angle’ with your iPhone than Spike Jonze found with his camera.

“Please don’t film any new songs. It’s be a real gutpunch to all the people who have been working insanely hard for the last 18 months to release this music in the way we want to release it.”

They added: “We’re really excited to play for you tonight. Be with us. Lots of love from LCD.”