- Ah, James Murphy. He just makes you feel damn good about music. With his shaggy dog demeanor, disgruntled accountant hair, slightly protruding belly and best goddamn cowbell action this side of Gene Frenkle, he leads LCD Soundsystem like a God-sent anti-rock star with the sonic pedigree to make the Timbaland's of the world weep onto their dumbbells. That said "Big Ideas," a track he wrote for the awful card shark movie 21, is not something akin to any of the glory reached on Sound Of Silver nor the tripped-out, disco-fied journey that was 45:33. If anything, this is James and his troupe in the punk funk mode that drove their debut—just a whole tighter and a hell of a lot more direct.
Bursting straight into driving drums and a gritty bassline, the band let percussion and rhythm build expertly with sweaty handclaps and rusty shakers before releasing icy guitars and a resounding chorus of sharp key stabs. Murphy dons an angst-ridden baritone, growling "I don't hold you responsible for all this time that I'm alone" before leading a choir and unleashing a very un-LCD-like guitar solo which writhes and squeals until the band members grind the beast to a halt. (You can almost hear them all drop their instruments one by one and leave the studio.)
The remix from Babytalk is a dubbed-out, dark disco rehash that sticks Murphy's vocals amongst the spider webs and traps him in the shadows with violent synths and wobbly bass. It's tough, uncompromising dance music, the kind of twisted treat The Glimmers would drop mid-set to cave craniums.
"Big Ideas" is ballsy, no holds barred, sonic glee that's clinically executed and expertly realized. It seems after conquering all last year with one of the best albums of the decade, LCD Soundsystem show absolutely no sign of letting up.
TracklistA Big Ideas
B Big Ideas (Babytalk Remix)