LCD Soundsystem and M.I.A.

My friend Sam e-mailed me a reminder to see The Rolling Stones when they come around (she was actually poking fun of the fact that the American Idol tour is being sponsored by Pop Tarts…how appropriate!) and when I cracked open the forward (a collection of upcoming Detroit area shows) I noticed that LCD Soundsystem were playing at that very moment. I called the Majestic Theater and confirmed that there were still tickets available and jumped in my car headed for the city. I had heard LCD were coming around but had not stayed up on the dates…later during the show while I was waiting between bands I reflected on the fact that I’m on LCD’s email list and they completely failed to mention they were going to be in my neck of the woods. Anyway, I was particularly excited as M.I.A. and Diplo were scheduled to open the show. Even though doors were at 8:00 and I wasn’t leaving Howell until 8:30, I liked my chances for arriving in time to see at least a little bit of each set. I was shocked to find out no one had gone on by the time I arrived at 9:45…in fact, no one went on until well after 10…if I’d arrived at 8 I would have been grumpy. I was really looking forward to hearing M.I.A. as I quite like her CD as it sounds so fresh and raw to me…like a teenager discovering an 808 drum machine and making up songs over the preset beats. What makes her particularly interesting is her history as a Tamil refugee from Sri Lanka…her music is so party oriented with booming beats ala early Beastie Boys and Run DMC but chock full of political content. She’s a terrible dancer and her fashion is highly questionable but I have to give her credit for trying…she pony jumps around the stage waving her hands in an Adidas day-glo track suit and sings her heart out. I got the feeling they were suffering from technical difficulties as her voice was regularly too low in the mix yet mixed so stridently that it hurt to listen. Her back up singer also lapsed off key at several points. I got the feeling they couldn’t hear themselves all that well. However, they gave it all they got and the beats were really boom-tastic! I’d give their show a strong 7 out of 10.

During M.I.A.’s set Diplo ran the sounds and video and did an admirable job…after their set I picked up a new mix CD by him called “Diplo Favela Strikes Back” and I was really arrested by what I heard of it on the drive home after the concert…the music is unlike anything I’d ever heard before and that doesn’t happen to me all that often, though that’s what I live for…hearing something new. Anyway Diplo’s mix revealed where some of the inspiration for the tracks he produced for M.I.A.’s album originated…Brazil and a style linked to Rio Baile Funk: Favela Booty Beats. I’ve been a huge fan of Dancehall influenced electonica and this new sound shares a similar drive and passion but instead of the classic R&B/dub influence, it's rooted in the Miami Bass sound (made particularly well by Dynamix II.)

45 minutes after M.I.A. finished, LCD Soundsystem took to the stage. I was struck by the fact that the band came out and actively helped set up even though there were more than enough stagehands to do it. I’d read somewhere that James Murphy (lead singer and ring leader) is particularly persnickety about sounding perfect…his years spent in studios recording and producing has given him a great sense of what works and sounds good live and that’s what he strives to achieve when playing out. Wow. When they cranked up on the first track that vision pounded home so clearly…I could hear every element of the band including the tambourines. It was loud (but not uncomfortably so) and completely enveloping…like a heavier Phil Spector wall of sound crushing through the Creation Records back catalogue. I never realized how much Murphy’s vocal delivery has been influenced by Mark E. Smith of The Fall but live with all the convulsions and body tics it became very clear…that’s in no way a derogatory remark, just an interesting bit of archaeology. The band blasted through their catalog with much of it sped up and a bit more “punk” sounding than the recordings. The crowd loved it. I’d give the sound a full 10 out of 10 and the performance a 6 out of 10. After awhile it all started to sound the same to me and I confess I lost interest.

Some random thoughts from the show:

Girls should not take Joan Jett as a role model for fashion or hair. The late 70’s early 80’s styles tend to emphasize a woman’s faults and do not play to their strengths. I swear to I saw Janet from Three Is Company in attendance. Terrifying.

Pink Izod-style shirts with the collars flipped up weren’t cool the first time.

Bringing a Yo-Yo to entertain yourself between sets is a pretty good idea. Trying to do Around The World with one in a crowd is not.