I wasn’t a fan of LCD Soundsystem when they came on the scene a decade ago. It’s not that I hated them or disliked their songs, I just didn’t get it at the time. The first time I heard “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House” I thought it was a parody. There was just something about the music I just didn’t care for and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. That was until I heard “Call The Police” earlier this year.
The world was buzzing with the announcement of an LCD Soundsystem reunion, but I didn’t even know they broke up!
In fact, outside of a few songs in 2007, I didn’t even know they were still a thing. I even caught a bit of a live show around that time and pretty much forgot about it. I’m not really one for the hype machine but when a few of my friends (whose taste in music I trust) was pretty excited with this news, I figured it was time to give this band another chance. It also didn’t hurt that I was rewarded with press passes to for 2017’s Pitchfork Music Festival where LCD Soundsystem was a headliner.
With the opening chords of “Call The Police”, I was delighted it wasn’t electronic music. I was expecting something in the vein of dance music for some reason but this had actual guitars! The lyrics we all, we all know this is nothing being repeated over and over were clearly self-aware of the hype. And it was that kind of self-depreciating wit that signified this was going to be different. Or at least different from I was expecting.
Despite electronic elements such as samples and drum machines, Call The Police is basically a rock song!
It wasn’t a bad track but I still didn’t understand the hype. When the first day of Pitchfork Music Festival came around I was blown away by the excitement people had for LCD Soundsystem. Some people started the day camping out at the stage the band was going to play some 10 hours later! More shocking was the fact, most of these fans were really young. Had I been missing out on something truly magical?
When LCD Soundsystem took the stage that night, I was near the photo pit and could see the ocean of fans. All of them went bonkers when frontman James Murphy walked on stage. With shaggy hair and 3-day beard, dressed in a wrinkled sportcoat over an inexpensive T-shirt, he hardly looked like a rock star. Actually, he looked more like the dads attending the festival who were there to see The Feelies.
They didn’t play Call The Police until much later in the set, but from the first note of the first song, something clicked. I understood why so many people liked LCD Soundsystem. They were fun!
I didn’t know any of the songs in their set (except the aforementioned “Daft Punk..” ) and they really weren’t my thing. But there was no denying how entertaining the set was. Lights, smoke, and what looked like 20 people on stage, LCD Soundsystem churned out a slew of songs combining dance with rock n roll. People danced, cheered, and sang along. Seeing so many people having such a good time, gave me have a good time!
For a high-profile band, I knew almost nothing about, I enjoyed myself quite a bit that night. Of all the performances I saw that weekend, they were definitely in the top 10! Isn’t that weird? Maybe it was unexpectation? Is that even a word? Anyway, I still wouldn’t call myself a fan, but “Call The Police” is a fantastic track! With the winter season creeping in, I’m glad I have the opportunity to talk about a song that will go down as one of my favorite tracks of the summer of 2017.