My introduction to the whole DFA scene was the April 2003 issue of the late (and sorely missed) Muzik magazine, with a cover feature proclaiming "Disco Punk Explosion! Dancefloor Anarchy Hits The UK! NY Punks On Pills!" etc etc and a free DFA mix CD which blew my head off. Featuring tracks by Out Hud, The Juan Maclean and DFA remixes of Metro Area and Le Tigre tracks, that CD remains, for me at least, possibly the single most intoxicating document of the genre. In my then Grimeless world, the DFA axis sounded like the future.
Whilst I have no doubt that the scene still has much to offer at ground level, I find that the transition to album-length excursions is a rocky, perilous journey where hints of the future mingle a little too uncomfortably with overt references to the past, resulting in something that's less 'punkfunk' and more 'Record Collection Disco'. It happened with The Rapture's album (produced by the DFA) which seemed weighed-down with not-too-subtle homages to their heroes, like the verse on the title track having an uncanny resemblance to PIL's "Careering", or "Love Is All" which sounded like a rewrite of Big Star's "September Gurls" . This phenomenon appears to have also afflicted James Murphy whilst creating the eponymous LCD album.
I mean, I know that this is a good record, and I find it highly enjoyable to listen to (which is the whole point at the end of the day) but there's that bit of my brain that keeps telling me that this album is deeply flawed. Perhaps it's Murphy's vocals, which sound too cocky, too stylized, as though he's putting on a persona. Sometimes it feels like he approached these songs with the premise "Today I'm going to record a track in the style of (insert name of perennially hip 'classic' artist)". Obvious examples being the ballad "Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up", which is a "Dear Prudence" rewrite (I wouldn't let Oasis get away with it and I don't see why Murphy should be excused either, even if the track is fucking gorgeous) and "Great Release" where Murphy does his best late-70's Eno impersonation. A lot of the time I don't get much impression of who the real James Murphy is, all I can hear is evidence of his impeccable record collection. The man is a skilled forger, but this sort of behaviour is anti-Gutterbreakz and should not be encouraged.
But still, I forgive him everything for the wonderful, fantastic, utterly brilliant "Losing My Edge", which is thankfully included on the bonus disc. This is the song where Murphy takes a long, hard look in the mirror, confronting his musical obsessions, whilst sneering at the younger generation for not having paid their dues. I hear so much of myself in this track it hurts. When you're in your mid-thirties, having spent all your adult life exploring and obsessing about music, inevitably it leads to a gargantuan superiority complex. In the real world I'm an insufferable music snob prone to ranting at people about bands they've never heard (or even care) about. The sheer weight of knowledge becomes almost debilitating when trying to enjoy music for it's own sake. I'm glad that an old fart like me is 'losing his edge'. Fuck us and our history lessons. I thought the fact that Plasticman had never heard of Richie Hawtin was completely brilliant - his total ignorance of, and lack of reverence for the past-masters of dance is undoubtedly one of his strengths. Plasticman's busy making music that's not of this planet, leaving it to the jaded old hacks (like yours truly) to try and explain his cultural/historical importance. The future is his. As for James Murphy and the LCD Soundsystem....it's like pornography - I like it, but I know it's wrong.
