James Murphy will have LCD Soundsystem fans up and dancing madly at Terminal 5 gigs
Terminal 5
610 West 56th St. at Eleventh Ave.
May 20-23, $35-$40, 8:00
212-665-3832
www.lcdsoundsystem.com
www.terminal5nyc.com
He’s hip. He’s rad. He’s forty? Yes, James Murphy, lead singer and creator of dance-punk act LCD Soundsystem and founder of DFA Records, might be old enough to start experiencing a midlife crisis, but he’s having a huge upsurge of popularity instead. Whether he’s ranting about aging hipsters (“Losing My Edge,” from the band’s eponymously titled debut), developing a manifesto for reforming New York City (“New York, I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down,” from 2007’s SOUND OF SILVER), or tenderly singing a ballad about a dear friend passing (SILVER’s “Someone Great”), Murphy’s oddball approach to lyrics is intoxicating. “Drunk girls are like a night of simplicity / They need a lover who is smarter than me / Drunk boys, we walk like pedestrians / Drunk girls wait an hour to pee,” Murphy intones on “Drunk Girls,” the first single from LCD’s brilliant new album, THIS IS HAPPENING (DFA/Virgin, May 18, 2010). Murphy might sing, “You wanted a hit / But maybe we don’t do hits / I try and try / It ends up feeling kind of wrong” on “You Wanted a Hit,” but he’ll have a big hit on his hands as he leads the band through four crazy nights at Terminal 5 this week. One of the most exciting performers and producers in music today, Murphy may start slow but builds to wild, mystifying beauty, much like his songs. He loves the stage and holds nothing back, dancing madly and smashing around on Pat Mahoney’s drum kit, working up a good, hot sweat. Holy Ghost! opens all four nights.