From the band’s first single, “Losing My Edge,” up to now, James Murphy has never been shy about saturating his music with the pronounced and recognizable sounds of his heroes. These influences have been nearly homogenous in their concentration on the late 70s and early 80s, incorporating the raw simplicity and edge of punk, the grooviness of funk and the glitziness of disco, but also the robotic twitch of Kraftwerk. It’s entirely possible, too, that Brian Eno has played a large part in the sound of LCD Soundsystem previously, but it was never as overtly clear as it is within This is Happening’s proto-glam leanings. Eno is all over this thing, especially on the album’s first half, and his influence is at its most distinct during the romp’n’stomp hit “Drunk Girls,” and “All I Want,”
the latter of which features a distorted and droning guitar hook that almost sounds lifted straight off of Here Come the Warm Jets. But Eno’s influence on Devo’s earlier material finds its way into the album too, as in “I Can Change” with its old school synths, heavy mod-wheel vibrato, and herky-jerky electronic beat. Read full review at inyourspeakers.com
LCD Soundsystem – Dance Yrself Clean
LCD Soundsystem – I Can Change
