ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: MAY 18TH 2010

The idea of listening to an album by LCD Soundsystem all the way through from start to finish, let alone reviewing one, was a prospect that daunted me one year ago. I must admit to having misunderstood the angle from which James Murphy’s wonder creation was projecting since at least now, in the aftermath of the group’s expiration, it becomes all too clear how pivotal they were. Over five years they released three studio albums, the last of which, This Is Happening, was one of the most coveted albums of 2010. It was promised to be ‘better than the other two’, recalling their self-titled debut from 2005 and 2007’s Sound Of Silver. Whether this statement holds true is not for me to decide, since I’m sure there are more ardent fans out there who’d pass judgement more creatively. I get the feeling that Sound Of Silver takes the cake on most occasions though; the dual wonder of Someone Great and All My Friends is a match made in heaven.

There’s a lot to love and rediscover one year after This Is Happening was released. Perhaps the density and complexity of some of the tracks here work better in context after a year’s passing. Take You Wanted A Hit, the song about songwriting that references the seldom hits and frequent misses of bands who actually care about their craft. A three minute instrumental intro gives way to rising drums and plodding guitar by which point the lyrics seem to flow the only way you think they could. Ironic, almost, that it’s catchier and more on point that the album’s first single, Drunk Girls, itself a short burst of laddy hollering, the kind of song indie Brit bands would release five years ago without an ounce of tongue in cheek. Scary.

This Is Happening works best a year on with the songs that intend to get you off your arse and moving your limbs. One Touch is still incredibly tight and propulsive. Guitar and synths rotate around in perfect synchronicity and the repetition of “One touch is never enough” carries the song into the night for what feels like a lot less than nearly eight minutes. I Can Change, too, inspires you to move your arms regardless of the tragic subject matter. The sorrow of All I Want, with all its depressing outbursts and gut reactions, lets the guitar take centre stage. Murphy knows that this single guitar riff can emote better his attitude than his vocals alone, and it’s cranked up, pushed out and propelled along six minutes, wavering out, awash in a sea of synths. His vulnerability and dejected performance is brave. That’s not to say Murphy’s vocals are inadequate; if anything, he bestows a restraint and control on This Is Happening that isn’t evident on previous albums.

The average song length on this record is more than seven minutes, making for a patient listening experience. These songs demand their lengthy compositions and there’s never a feeling that they could be cut short. Sequencing is everything here, whether it’s the long instrumentals between verses and choruses or the repetitious phrases of the broken Pow Pow. Iggy Pop’s Nightclubbing is given a retooling on the penultimate Someone’s Calling Me, evoking more accurately the uninterrupted calm of Grace Jones’ 1981 cover. Opener Dance Yrself Clean and closing track Home play on contrasting elements of regularity and surprise, both pouring out over repetitious drum beats that cut short unexpectedly. The peppy acoustic flair of the latter soon gives way to a more digitised melody which really does drive home, feeling like the most satisfying finale to not only this album but to the band in general.

LCD Soundsystem have disbanded in the year since this album was released. Perhaps it would’ve come as a shock if they hadn’t already made public their plans to do so. After all, how many bands can say they’ve finished on such a career high as This Is Happening? It will be interesting to see how this album holds up in five years time when the dust really has settled, since this feels like the kind which will have an effect that takes longer than one year to judge thoroughly. The band’s official website called for people attending their farewell show at Madison Square Garden in April of this year to wear all white, or black, or a bit of both. That’s a bit how this album feels at times; the disparity of the songs that are made to move you, and the ones that are made to make you really move, black lows followed by white highs and hopefully an album to really look back on and move with the times.