ARCHIVE
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live At Madison Square Garden (reissue, 2014)
DFA
9/10
AKA The Long Goodbye That Didn’t Last Long
Though a reunion five years after his loudly trumpeted farewell left a sour taste, James Murphy’s subsequent admission that he merely intended to stop performing because “singing’s my nightmare” rings true. Emerging to “Dance Yrself Clean”’s skeletal rhythms, his vocals are nasal and lightly off-key, until the band erupts four minutes in. After that, though, there’s no looking back over three almost faultless hours of what was once known as punk funk. With Murphy now a vital ringleader, backed by a mighty chorus of voices, “Get Innocuous!” provides the first of many rowdy climaxes, while “All My Friends” invites Joy Division to the party and Arcade Fire – in person – add to “North American Scum”’s breathless anarchy. If an epic “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” leaves us wanting more, we’d get it sooner rather than later.