Thursday, February 27, 2014

LCD Soundsystem. Disco Infiltrator

A friend of mine (Hi Jayne!) heard this on the radio and wanted to share it with me.  I'm not an expert on LCD Soundsystem, but I really appreciate James Murphy's work.  A lot of his music sounds like a parody of something you've already heard, a bit of post punk, a bit of New Wave, but it's so well put together that it's fresh and irresistible.  I find the humor and vulnerability in his work very endearing.  

Murphy speaks in this interview on how he experienced a life of failure before going into psychotherapy.  He forgets to mention how he turned down an invitation to write for Seinfeld just before it became a global phenomenon; that was a biggie.  But eventually he was able to play Madison Square Garden with his band, before he broke it up.  In typical fashion, he thought that was perhaps a big mistake, after the fact, of course.  

James Murphy on failure:



Here's the song that he refers to in the interview: "Losing My Edge":



Let's watch the band as they start their day when, later that night, they will be playing at what appears to be the Bowery Ballroom (I think this really captures the ambiance of downtown):

Disco Infiltrator:


Wednesday, February 5, 2014

The Jazz Police

The Police started as a punk band in the 70's that incorporated some heavy reggae influence, before becoming the biggest Pop/Rock band in the world since The Beatles in 1983.  But both Sting and Andy Summers had had a strong background in jazz, which is evident from their sense of phrasing, timing, and interest in harmony.

Here, Sting and Andy play a bit of jazz with Jools Holland.  I would guess this is from 1981 while The Police were recording Ghost In The Machine in Montserrat