THE BREAKDOWN (FT. DJ SUB PAR): LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

DJ Responsible Says:

This is Happening is a whirlwind. Every track is restless (some just fidgety, others epileptic). Emotions and insecurities are strewn about. The dance floor is spinning on a miraculous axis. It's a lifetime, albeit a drunken New York lifetime, crammed into a little over an hour.

The coolness isn't the draw, it's the tunes: there's always a new favorite, but you can't go wrong with the splendidly over-the-top synth-and-squeal of opener "Dance Yrself Clean" or the Bowie-esque "All I Want" (or the extended chug of "You Wanted a Hit", or the outer monologue musings of "Pow Pow"--"We have a black president and you do not, so shut up"--goddamn there's a lot to love here).

Best of all might be "Home," which is all shimmery and warm and full of cowbell. The sentiment is all the more pertinent, given James Murphy's desire to quit this whole album, touring thing. You can't blame a man for growing up, at least when he captures it this magnificently.

DJ Sub Par Says:

LCD broke into the conscious of the indie rock scene with the exuberance and humor of "Daft Punk is playing at my house." Since then he has reused his tricks of danceable beats, synthesized squelches, and jokey talking lyrics to similar effect with the previous single like "North American Scum" and now "Drunk Girls." James Murphy makes the most of these elements and seems to be striving to get past his own cool. The half humor of "Drunk Girls" seems to be a way for him to squeeze in a chorus that claims "I believe in waking up together."

Essential Tracks:

"Dance Yrslf Clean"

"All I Want"



"You Wanted a Hit"



"Home"

THEY STILL MAKE MUSIC VIDEOS: Hot Chip - I Feel Better

I like the satire of the first third (Hot Chip as boy band? Hilarious!) more than the chaotic second third and the inane third third. Makes you remember how many albums they could sell if they were more marketable and wanted to be more marketable.

QUICK RIFFS: Lindstrom & Christabelle - Real Life Is No Cool

If you're looking for something spacey, seductive, and infectious, you've found a great option with Lindstrom & Christabelle. "Lovesick" and "Music in my Mind," are woozy drug-addled dancefloor anthems, "Baby Can't Stop" is (perhaps) the best Michael Jackson song he never made, while "High & Low" is the perfect comedown for the reckless bender that this album codifies.

Essential Track:

SONG OF THE MOMENT: Neon Indian - Deadbeat Summer

Give credit to this song for making something so downtrodden (lethargy) sound so goddamn desirable. If these four minutes don't make your whole summer job plan (whether to get one or to keep yours) seem downright foolhardy, than you're missing something. 'I hope you enjoy working for the man, because we'll be down be the shore just spinning about....'

THE BREAKDOWN (FT. DJ SUB PAR): Hot Chip - One Life Stand

Band: Hot Chip
Album: One Life Stand
Sounds Like: LCD Soundsystem, Junior Boys
Sub Sub Genre: Smart-Rock Electro-Pop
Essential Tracks: Take It In, I Feel Better

DJ Responsible: Hot Chip have been, I must admit, perhaps my favorite band since my first listen of The Warnng three and a half years ago. Neither Made in the Dark, a rollercoaster of brilliant highs and tossed-off lows, nor One Life Stand, its similarly inconsistent follow-up, are unloveable enough to steer me from this notion. In fact, the only portion that isn't amazing is the cloying and lethargic triple threat of "Brothers," "Slush," and "Alley Cats." The rest of the album is just a bunch of guys with expensive keyboards, youthful jubilance, and a host of great ideas. One Life Stand is like a sagging mattress: if you stick to the edges, you'll be alright.

DJ Sub Par: Can you dance to Hot Chip? You should. Their take on electro pop is to steal R&B tropes and craft them into tracks that veer between playful and honest. The worst thing would to interpret Hot Chip's style of bleeps and beeps as ironic. While it will be constantly difficult to surpass The Warning as an album, Hot Chip continues to deepen the complexity of both their melodies and emotional undercurrent. With this album, the title refers to making a one stand last a lifetime. Then, on the final track "Take It In," when Alexis Taylor sings "Take my heart and keep it close to you" he wants you to feel it. And also dance.

I Feel Better - Hot Chip

Take It In - Hot Chip