Bestest of 2005 #10: LCD Soundsystem s/t

This is one of two albums that is on this list primarily for reasons other than the actual recording of the music that you get when you buy the CD. Of course the music is fantastic, and songs like "Tribulations," "Yeah," and "Give It Up" prove that indie kid record geeks actually CAN make music that you actually CAN dance to. Not to mention that James Murphy crafted these utterly danceable songs without falling into the traps of much of the painstakingly dull house music that we hear at places like Purgatory, or the genre Nazi complacency of those stupid postpunkdancerockwhatever groups that all the Whitebelts seem to love so much (we're looking at you, Arctic Monkeys). The music on this album takes from many sources: early 80's post punk, Eno glam, Krautrock, acid house, and to some extent the cannon of classic rock (when is the last time you heard such a good George Harrison song?). The result is an album we heard all year long: at parties, bars, clubs, home, and on the stage the last time they came to Dallas. And its something that we will remember having fun listening to, and dancing to, without feeling stupid for doing so. There is already a backlash against LCD soundsystem and the whole indie dance thing, but we think this will be short lived because dance music that is acceptable for indie kids to listen to is here to stay. Its not a flash in the pan, but the start of something permanent. American music fans are starting to act like their European counterparts have for years: there is guitar rock and electro dance, and there is an appropriate time and place for both. Thats what the formerly rockist American indie scene is realizing these days, and that is what we will remember about 2003-2005. This is the flagship album of this paradigm shift, and with any luck, a preview of things to come.