From the start, with the clever (too clever?) “Losing My Edge,” LCD Soundsystem became a tough band to get a wrap around. Riding a near-self-generated wave of the disco-punk revival, Murphy skewered music-influence-name-dropping hipsters with a wit seldom seen in electronic music. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the man at that time most famous for producing the Rapture’s “Echoes” created devastatingly effective music, too. And then, somehow, Murphy the DJ, engineer, producer and musician became dance-rock’s most awkward front man, and LCD Soundsystem grew, from Pitchfork-like cross-over reverence to mainstream full sing-along Lollapalooza highlight (2007). His band’s recently released “This Is Happening” continues Murphy’s evolution or homage or audio collage with great effect, for his genius is forever entwined with his reverence and love for his influences, from the lazy, hazy rhythm and keys of the very Iggy Pop “Nightclubbing” feel of “Somebody’s Calling Me,” to the Talking Head’s polyrhythm-fest of album closer “Home,” which also showcases Murphy’s growth and confidence as a golden-voiced vocalist. But sure, there’s plenty of the snarky speak-singing and howling you’ve come to expect, and from the overt pop of lead single “Drunk Girls,” to dance-floor baptism wrapped in a mid-tempo energizer of album opener “Dance Yrself Clean,” LCD will be a delight to see back in action at the impossibly sold-out Metro. And maybe, just maybe, Murphy and company will deem us worthy of dusting off older, more aggressive favorites, like “Yeah” or “Disco Infiltrator,” or their reworkings of Siouxsie and the Banshees or Carl Craig’s Paperclip People (!), to boot. (Duke Shin)
May 26 at Metro, 3730 North Clark, (773)549-0203. SOLD OUT.
Solo Survivor: James Swanberg Navigates the Live Music Shutdown “The responsibility of having a drummer or a bassist would really stress me out,” says Swanberg. “My stress level compared to a traditional band, is a lot smaller, and I’m fortunate for that.”
A Positive Light: The Soul Children of Chicago Sing "O-o-h Child" at Chicago Live! The Chicago Live! concerts coincide with the last weekend of “State of Sound: A World of Music from Illinois” music exhibit. As a sendoff, the Soul Children of Chicago will sing “O-o-h Child” in tribute to this socially significant Chicago song. The thirty-piece choir has been rehearsing the song for a month and the pier audience will be encouraged to…
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
For “Want” of a Change: A Preview of Rufus Wainwright at Ravinia Park Rufus Wainwright isn’t the first singer-songwriter to reinterpret earlier work through an orchestral lens. And much of Wainwright’s third and fourth albums, “Want One” and “Want Two”—whose twentieth anniversaries are the prompt for this new tour—is fully scored. But when Wainwright hits the Pavilion stage at Ravinia tonight, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be behind him.
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