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‘AMERICAN DREAM’ BY ‘LCD SOUNDSYSTEM’

3 SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS OF MY WEEK

1.      I started and finished watching the entire two seasons of Stranger Things in one week. That’s what you call dedication.

2.      I used my very own Capsicum Frutescens, A.K.A Tabasco chilli, A.K.A Yung Chillsi plant in a dish for the first time and it burnt the absolute ballex of me.

3.      On Saturday I travelled up to London for my brother Joe’s birthday and watched a man perform with his hardcore band in nothing but his pants.

This week I have been listening to ‘AMERICAN DREAM’ which is LCD SOUNDSYSTEM’S first studio album they have released in seven years. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM are an electronica, dance-punk band from Brooklyn, New York. Us LCD SOUNDSYSTEM fans were collectively butt hurt when the band decided to split back in 2011. This week marked 16 years since the first Harry Potter film was released which makes me want to boke all over my laptop as I write this sentence. As you listen to this album, frontman James Murphy (more on him in a bit) explains how we are all grown up now, time is moving too fast and that we are not the cool kids anymore that we once thought we were.

The album has a very murky and dark tone, which is more portrayed through Murphy’s lyrics than the actual music itself. The album has exactly everything that you would expect from an LCD SOUNDSYSTEM record; disco vibes, searing guitars, heavy bass and Bowie inspired feelings. Is it true that the legend himself, David Bowie, requested that the band get back together after bowing out in 2011. James Murphy looks like a cooler version of Steve Bannon, which is horrible to compare the two because Steve Bannon, the famous assclown, is a homophobic and racist piece of shit that has one of those weird, tiny micropenises. The same as his fat, nicotine coloured cockmuppet mate which is the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Enough of that shite, this album is made by the coolest nerds you will never know.

 FAVOURITE TRACK

 ‘TONITE’

 Choosing my favourite track on this album is as difficult as not trying to scratch your balls in public when they’re super itchy. While the album offers so many foot stompin’, knee tappin’ thigh rubbers it also contained some real pish tracks, to be honest. My favourite track from this album is probably the same as everyone else’s, which is ‘TONITE’. Give this a listen to understand what I mean by saying it’s squelching techno in its truest form. Murphy lays down the facts over this beat too, “And you're getting older, I promise you this; you're getting older, and there's improvements unless, you’re such a winner, that the future's a nightmare and there's nothing I can do, nothing anyone can do about this”. Check it out.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS - ‘OH BABY’ is the opener on the record, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM’S version of a love song and they kill it in their style.

‘HOW DO YOU SLEEP’ is an absolute stomper. I gave this its first real listen while out on a run and it was perfect for running along the seafront, with the lyrics, “Standing on the shore, facing East, I can’t feel you”, I feel that it really connected with me at that very moment while I was out busting a gut.

 LEAST FAVOURITE TRACK

 ‘CHANGE YR MIND’

 I didn’t connect with this track at all, it seemed a bit boring and monotone to me. There were several other tracks throughout the album that disappointed me because I was so eager to listen to hear their new material. Other songs that didn’t tickle my pickle either are ‘I USED TO’ and ‘BLACK SCREEN’.

  THE GROWER

 The Yung Grower. This must be ‘EMOTIONAL HAIRCUT’. At first, I thought it was another non-pickle tickler but after several listens it grew on me like bacteria on room temperature meat (hahahaha) because from my complete understanding it’s about James Murphy receiving an emotional haircut and how no one can really deal with it. Great track.

 FAVOURITE LYRIC

 “Well, there's a full-blown rebellion but you're easy to confuse, by triggered kids and fakers and some questionable views. Oh, call the cops, call the preachers before they let us and they lose” – from ‘CALL THE POLICE’

 SCORE OUT OF 10

 A 6.8/10 from me. The real bangers on the album saved it from being a let down. It’s the kind of album that I wouldn’t go back to and listen to the whole thing through, but select the best tracks and put them onto a playlist. However, I’m happy that LCD SOUNDSYSTEM made some new music and we all got to enjoy it. Murphy sounds very upset about the state of America now, which he speaks about a lot throughout ‘AMERICAN DREAM’ and of course we can all understand with that fuckwallop in charge.

 THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR READING MATE CHEERS NICE ONE YEAH COOL SWEET,

 JACK

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‘A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING’ by ‘THE WAR ON DRUGS’

3 SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS OF MY WEEK

1.       The lovely girl dog from work, Scout, took a big shit in the warehouse I work at and we couldn’t continue our work for about half an hour because it smelt so bad

2.       I experienced a two-day hangover from my two pals Gib and Max visiting over the weekend and taking binge drinking to a new level

3.       Northern Ireland lost their first play-off game against Switzerland at Windsor Park and ‘KNOCKED DOWN’ from ‘A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING’ explains how all us Norn Irish fans feel right ni.

‘A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING’ is Philly band; THE WAR ON DRUGS’ fourth studio album to date, which was released on the same date as my birthday (if you don’t know when that is then I hope you’re ashamed of yourself). Led by Adam Granduciel and consisting of five other members, their genre ranges from psychedelic, atmospheric weird fuckin’ slow rock.  Granduciel looks like one of your dad’s mates that has forever looked the same and would always give you a beer whenever you were underage. 

The story behind why I am listening to ‘A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING’ this week is because I was in a bar when ‘IN CHAINS’ was playing. I was instantly impressed and whipped out my phone with Shazam at the ready. What I loved about this track was that it seemed so familiar, all my favourite sounds mashed into one song. However, I wasn’t getting too ahead of myself because I was fairly loaded up on a fair few pints of Guinness, so I made sure to stick the album on the next morning to make sure my drunken ears weren’t bullshitting me. I’ve been hearing a lot about THE WAR ON DRUGS recently and this was when I gave them my first proper listen. I have to say, great band with great sounds, a great name and my most favourite thing? Their songs are longer than what most songs are nowadays. Yes, that’s a legitimate factor as to why I enjoyed this album.

FAVOURITE TRACK

‘IN CHAINS’

I think ‘IN CHAINS’ is my favourite track because it’s seven plus minutes of pure melodious joy.  Also, the arrangement between each instrument is incredible because it builds up, gets lower and crashes without becoming too hectic. This song is perfect for every situation and I can’t tell whether it makes me happy or sad. Simply, it’s just an interesting track to listen to. I do a lot of cycling to and from work and university during the week and this track is perfect for just that. There’s just enough to get you lost from the grey, wet reality that is autumn, yet still keep your mind switched on, so you don’t get run over by a car or bus. I bet a bus driver would love nothing more than to run someone over who’s riding their bike listening to a great song. What are bus driver’s problems and why are they always so pissed off? I’m sorry I only have this tenner and not the exact change, pal. I didn’t mean to make your day even worse. But yeah, fantastic song. Check it out (below)

HONOURABLE MENTIONS – ‘NOTHING TO FIND’ The most uplifting song on the album

‘PAIN’ A great insight to Granduciel’s battles against anxiety and depression

‘THINKING OF A PLACE’ This 11 minute beauty is soaring and explicit 

LEAST FAVOURITE TRACK

‘CLEAN LIVING’

I feel that this track was too distant from all the others. I love albums whenever they tell a story and in my opinion this track broke up the flow of the record. I don’t necessarily think that ‘CLEAN LIVING’ is a bad song but I do think that it is the track I would most likely skip while listening to ‘A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING’. Each week I complete a run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and I’ll listen to the album of the week for at least one of the runs. This track was my least favourite to run to. 

THE GROWER

The ‘Grower’ is the song that I thought I didn’t enjoy as much until I gave the album a couple of listens. Most albums have at least one or two growers on them. This week, my grower was ‘KNOCKED DOWN’. I really enjoyed the sinister feel to it, the guitar is piercing, and the drums are tight, which leaves the piano to complete the rest of the track. I’ve always been a massive fan of incredibly depressing lyrics because I feel that is when an artist is being their truest, which corresponds with ‘KNOCKED DOWN’. You need to give this song a good few listens before you truly get what Granduciel is trying to portray. For me, ‘KNOCKED DOWN’ was the most relatable song on the album because everyone knows what it’s like to be feeling weak and down, yet somehow this song allows you to feel comfortably warm and content with these emotions.

FAVOURITE LYRIC

“I met a man with a broken back, he had a fear in his eyes that I could understand” – from ‘PAIN’.

SCORE OUT OF 10

Big, fat 8/10 from me.

From what I hear, Adam Granduciel is a bit of a perfectionist whenever it comes to recording music and this is apparent throughout because each track is slick as a whistle. Or as slick as Slick Rick with a slick whistle. The album sounds like everything we have and haven’t heard before. A real blast from the past, yet THE WAR ON DRUGS sound incredibly refreshing at the same time. A great album to get lost in while you’re taking it easy.

THANKS FOR READING AND LEAVE A COMMENT ON HOW YOU THINK I DID,

JACK.

P.S. Enjoy crying to this one after you’ve finished listening to ‘IN CHAINS’.