American Dream (stylized in all-lowercase on digital releases)[1] is the fourth studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem,released on September 1,2017,by DFA and Columbia. It was announced on January 5,2016,the day after it was revealed that the band was reuniting after a disbandment lasting nearly five years. It is the band's first album in seven years,following This Is Happening (2010). This album reached number 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart and was LCD Soundsystem's first record to top the US Billboard 200.
Prior to release,LCD Soundsystem performed at large music festivals as well as smaller shows to promote their reunion. "Call the Police" and "American Dream" were released together as the album's lead single on May 5,2017,and "Tonite" was released as the second single on August 16,2017. "Oh Baby" was later released as a single on September 20,2018. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics,appeared on many year-end lists,and was named "Album of the Year" by Mojo and Uncut. The album performed well commercially and became the band's first number-one album in the United States,Canada,and Portugal. At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards,the album was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album and "Tonite" won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.
In October 2015,online publication Consequence of Sound reported that "multiple sources" could confirm that LCD Soundsystem would be reuniting in 2016 and that they would be headlining "high-profile music festivals in the US and UK." This report was later confirmed by Billboard.[6] However,DFA Records label manager Kris Petersen stated that LCD Soundsystem would not be reuniting. DFA co-founder Jonathan Galkin also confirmed this in a Pitchfork article.[7] Two months afterward,the band released the Christmas-themed track "Christmas Will Break Your Heart",[8][9] acting as their first piece of new material since their cover of Franz Ferdinand's "Live Alone",released in 2011.[10]Consequence of Sound and Pitchfork both reported again,after the release of the Christmas single,that multiple sources could confirm a reunion in 2016.[11][12]
On January 4,2016,it was announced that LCD Soundsystem would be headlining the 2016 Coachella Festival.[13][14] The following day,the band announced that they would be releasing a new album some time in 2016,although they were not yet entirely finished with the album.[15] It was later revealed that the band signed with Columbia Records.[16][17] Following a backlash by some online users against the reunion,[18] Murphy explained his reasoning for the reunion in a post on the band's website. He stated that he did not want to release a solo album with live performances including LCD Soundsystem members,nor did he want to release an LCD Soundsystem album with entirely different people playing live,that is,if the original members did not want to create a new record. He had invited past members Nancy Whang and Pat Mahoney to his apartment to talk about releasing new material,where they both agreed on making a new LCD Soundsystem record together.[19]
Recording
The band recorded the album in multiple locations.[20] Like previous albums Sound of Silver[21] and This Is Happening,[22] one of the recording locations was DFA Studios in New York City.[20] Murphy announced after finishing recording that American Dream would be the last record to be recorded at the original DFA Studios building.[23] Recording also took place at the Lanark,Strongroom,and Church studios in London and B-Side Studios in Portland,Oregon.[20] The band were forced to cancel tour dates for shows in Asia and Australia dated during the near-end of 2016 in order to complete work on the album. After this was revealed,it was suggested that the release date for the album would be moved into 2017,as opposed to the original prediction of 2016,as the recording was predicted to take another few months.[24] It was noted in April 2017 that the band had been working on the album for 18 months.[25] In a Facebook post released in May,Murphy announced that the album was finished and that it was prepped for mastering.[23]
The album's closing track,"Black Screen" is an homage to Bowie.[35][36] Murphy wanted to get Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen to perform a spoken word piece at the end of the track,but Cohen died only a few days after he came up with the idea.[37]
Packaging
The cover art for American Dream was revealed on August 4,2017. The artwork,which has been labeled as "straightforward"[38][39] and having a "simple aesthetic",[40] is a painting titled UP done by Murphy's friend Robert Reynolds.[20][41] It consists of a blue sky with a few clouds and a white-hot sun in the middle. The band's name and the album title are aligned on top of the painting. It has also been labeled as the band's most colorful artwork to date.[39] People thought of the artwork as a possible homage to the front cover of the 1996 David Foster Wallace novel Infinite Jest,[42] a book with which James Murphy was known to have long been familiar.[43] Reynolds,however,dismissed any intentional similarity to the novel in an interview.[44] After the artwork was revealed,it attracted criticism from users on Twitter.[45] One user jokingly stated that they considered cancelling their vinyl pre-order of the album due to their dislike of the cover art. Other users compared it,quality-wise,to a preset for a slide on Microsoft PowerPoint as well as the cover art for Kasabian's 2017 album For Crying Out Loud.[46]Billboard's Tatiana Cirisano listed the album cover as one of the worst of 2017,stating that it "looks like it could have been concocted using a stock photo and some toying with Microsoft Word".[47]
The vinyl release of the album features a gatefold containing two vinyl records,both weighing 140 grams each. A code that grants the buyer with a digital download of the album was also included with the purchase of the vinyl release. The gatefold jacket and inner sleeves are both done in full color.[48] The cassette release includes custom silk-screened cases and shells. The case contains a five-sided insert that is also done in full color and the cassette shell is clear-colored.[49]
Promotion and release
One of many ice cream trucks designed to promote American Dream outside the 2017 Lollapalooza festival in Chicago.
LCD Soundsystem released "Call the Police" and "American Dream" together as a digital double-A-side single on May 5,2017,acting as the lead single from the album.[50][51] The two songs were made available for listening once midnight was reached in one's time zone.[52] The band promoted the songs by performing both during the May 6 episode of the 42nd season of Saturday Night Live.[53] On August 4,the band rolled out an ice cream truck outside of the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago promoting the album. The truck played songs from the album in the form of ice cream jingles through its speaker. A Twitter account for the truck was also launched to provide updates on where its current location was.[54] On August 16,"Tonite" was premiered on Zane Lowe's radio show on Beats 1.[55] Along with the premiere was the release of a music video for the track,directed by Joel Kefali.[56] It was also subsequently made available for streaming on Spotify.[57] A virtual reality experience made to accompany the song,titled "Dance Tonite",was released to the public on August 22,though first previewed privately in June.[58][59] Available to use in an Internet browser,the experience allowed people with room scale virtual reality kits,such as the Oculus Rift,to dance along to the track. Those with more simpler VR headsets,like the Daydream View,could view the experience as well the dance performances done by others. The band teamed up with the Puckney and Moniker design studios from Amsterdam for the project,alongside Google's data arts team.[59][60] On August 31,the band released a 14-minute instrumental track called "Pulse (v.1)" as a free download. On Facebook,Murphy wrote that the track was "not precisely part of the record," but instead thought of it as an "addendum" meant to be played after the album's closing track,"Black Screen". It was originally left off of American Dream due to it not being able to fit on the vinyl format of the album.[61][62] A music video for "Oh Baby",directed by Rian Johnson,was released on September 20,2018. The video depicts an elderly couple,portrayed by Sissy Spacek and David Strathairn,who build a teleporter in their garage.[63]
The album's title and track listing were both revealed on June 19,2017. American Dream was released on September 1,2017 through DFA Records and Columbia Records.[64] The band started accepting pre-orders of the album on August 4.[38] A limited edition cassette release of the album was made available on the band's official Bandcamp page.[49] Different options were given for the vinyl release besides a standard edition;there were also options given to buy a bundle of the vinyl plus either a tote bag,a poster,or postcard photos autographed by the band.[48] European digital retailer Qobuz made the album available for download and streaming in a lossless format.[65] The Japanese CD release of the album contains "Pulse (v.1)" as a bonus track,placed at the very end of the album.[66]American Dream received a digital re-release on October 6,which also included "Pulse (v.1)" as a bonus track.[67]
Tour
The band performing at Lollapalooza in 2016,one of many festivals visited during their tour.
Along with the initial announcement of a new album,LCD Soundsystem indicated an expanded tour that went on throughout 2016,including both smaller shows and appearances at festivals that they headlined.[19] The first show of their tour took place on March 27 at Webster Hall in East Village,Manhattan. This marked their first show in almost five years (following their farewell show). It had a ticket distribution system in the form of a lottery.[68] Festivals that they headlined in 2016 include the Coachella,[13][14]Lollapalooza,[69]Outside Lands,[70]Bonnaroo,[71] and Austin City Limits[72] festivals in the US,as well as being on top bill at Primavera in Barcelona in June. They also headlined the Other Stage,the second stage at Glastonbury Festival in the UK,in June 2016.[73] In September,the band headlined the Sunday show of LouFest in St. Louis.[74] The band was scheduled to perform at the III Points Festival during October in Miami,Florida,but were forced to cancel their set due to weather complications caused by Hurricane Matthew.[75]
The band's first live appearance of 2017 took place at the then-recently opened Brooklyn Steel venue in New York City.[76] It was during their five-night residency at the venue where they performed album tracks "Tonite","Call the Police","American Dream",and "Emotional Haircut"[77] live for the first time. The band had also made a plea to those in attendance to not record these performances so the songs can be formally released by the band themselves.[76] They later performed a set at a Google I/O conference on 18 May.[78] It was here where the Dance Tonite VR experience was initially previewed.[58] On June 19,the band announced dates for a world tour,spanning from June to December 2017. The band also performed second and third stints at Brooklyn Steel during the tour,totaling to 22 sold out dates at the venue in 2017 and almost 40,000 tickets sold.[64] In early 2018,the band was set for a return to New Zealand and Australia only 7 months after a brief tour of the latter,but all shows were cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".[79]
American Dream received critical acclaim from contemporary music critics. On review aggregatorMetacritic,it received an average score of 86 out of 100,based on 37 reviews,indicating "universal acclaim".[81] At the online review aggregator AnyDecentMusic?,the album received a score of 8.2 out of a possible score of 10 based on the aggregate score taken from 36 reviews.[80]
Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the album "feels like exactly the album 2017 needs—urgent,angry,achingly self-aware."[84] Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork marked the album as "Best New Music",said "The rebirth of LCD Soundsystem is marked by an extraordinary album obsessed with endings:of friendships,of love,of heroes,of a certain type of geeky fandom,and of the American dream itself",and gave it a 8.5/10.[34]
Jordan Bassett of NME wrote:"The band retains the uncanny power to encapsulate a place and time. This is a cautious return,not a triumphant one –and that proves LCD Soundsystem are very 2017",awarding it 5 out of 5 stars.[86] Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian also gave it 5 out of 5 stars,saying:"Packed with aural allusions to Bowie and Brian Eno,LCD Soundsystem's comeback is a virtuosic tribute to their heroes –and themselves."[30] Sean O'Neal of The A.V. Club wrote:"As far as American Dream being better than that estimable trilogy that preceded it,well,it depends mightily on how you define "better." It's a beautifully produced,masterfully realized album,but it's also a bit of a downer and an unusually slow burn" and gave it an A−.[82]
Victoria Segal of Mojo gave it four stars,claiming "American Dream feels like a strong re-statement of what they do,and what they can mean,a record that,despite its fear of death,feels very much alive."[85] In a review for Rolling Stone,Rob Sheffield stated "James Murphy and his wrecking crew of New York punk-disco marauders don't waste a moment on the superb American Dream –it's a relentless,expansive,maddeningly funny set of songs asking how a lifetime of good intentions and hard work can blow up into such a mess."[33]
However,Andy Gill of The Independent wrote that many tracks "suffer from a shortfall of melodic potency,and a lack of lateral development,especially in longer pieces",and that "often,the journey just isn't worth the destination".[88] Joseph Stannard of The Wire was scathing about "the inexpressive lite-white stadium bluster of the tracks –frequently recalling U2 at their bloated worst [...] This record is no cause for celebration. It's a slab of nothing,a media spectacle for the terminally impressed."[89]
Commercial
American Dream had a positive commercial performance during its first week of release. The album sold 85,000 equivalent album units,81,000 being traditional album sales,in the United States. This led to the band's first number-one album on the Billboard 200 chart and their second in the top ten,following This Is Happening (2010). A promotion involving concert tickets that gave out copies of the album with a ticket purchase helped increase sales numbers.[90] It also became the band's first number-one album in Canada[91] and Portugal.[92] The album also debuted at number 3 in Ireland,Scotland,[93] and the United Kingdom.[94] It also entered the top ten in Australia[95] and New Zealand[96] and the top twenty in both of the Belgian albums charts,[97] France,[98] the Netherlands,[99] and Spain.[100]
Accolades
In addition to receiving positive reviews from critics,the album was placed on numerous year-end album lists. It reached the top-ten in several lists,while also appearing at number one on Mojo's and Uncut's lists. At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards,the album was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album and the song "Tonite" was nominated for Best Dance Recording. The album lost to Sleep Well Beast by the National,while "Tonite" won in its category. This marked the first Grammy win for the band,after being nominated five different times previously without winning.[101]
1 2 3 4 5 American Dream (album liner notes). LCD Soundsystem. DFA Records; Columbia Records. 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ Trendell, Andrew (April 7, 2017). "LCD Soundsystem debut new songs at first gig of 2017". NME. Retrieved April 7, 2017. It'd be a real gutpunch to all the people who have been working insanely hard for the last 18 months to release this music in the way we want to release it.
↑ Entertainment Weekly staff (December 6, 2017). "The 25 best albums of 2017". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 36.Týden 2017 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
LCD Soundsystem is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by James Murphy, co-founder of DFA Records. The band comprises Murphy, Nancy Whang, Pat Mahoney (drums), Tyler Pope, Al Doyle, Matt Thornley, and Korey Richey. They have been signed to DFA since their inception, and also signed to Columbia Records in 2016.
DFA Records is an American independent record label founded in 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. They previously had a production team called The DFA, consisting of Goldsworthy and Murphy.
LCD Soundsystem is the debut studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released on January 24, 2005, jointly through DFA and Capitol Records in the United States and EMI elsewhere. The album encompasses genres that range from dance-punk to electronica to indie rock to dance music. The album was critically acclaimed upon release and was nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album. Many singles were released to promote the album, including the band's breakout "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House", which reached number one on the UK Dance Chart in March, 2005.
"Losing My Edge" is the debut single by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released as a 12-inch single in July 2002, through DFA Records. It was later featured on the CD version of their eponymous debut studio album. "Losing My Edge" peaked at number 115 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also listed at number 13 on Pitchfork's Top 500 Songs of the 2000s list. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 40 on its "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years" list. In June 2018, Rolling Stone listed it at number 77 on its "The 100 Greatest Songs of the Century – So Far" list.
Echoes is the debut full-length studio album by American rock band the Rapture. It was released on September 8, 2003, by DFA and Output in the UK, and on October 21, 2003, by DFA, Vertigo, and Universal in the U.S. It was co-produced by the DFA and the Rapture and recorded at the DFA's own Plantain Recording House studio in New York City.
James Jeremiah Murphy is an American musician, DJ, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His most well-known musical project is LCD Soundsystem, which first gained attention with its single "Losing My Edge" in 2002 before releasing its eponymous debut album in February 2005 to critical acclaim and top 20 success in the UK. LCD Soundsystem's second and third studio albums, Sound of Silver (2007) and This Is Happening (2010) respectively, were met with universal acclaim from several music review outlets. Both albums have also reached the top 50 in the Billboard 200.
"I Can Change" is a song by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. The song was released as the third official single from the band's third studio album This Is Happening, on May 29, 2010. It was written by band member Pat Mahoney and band frontman James Murphy and was produced by the DFA. The song was featured on the soundtrack for the video game FIFA 11 and peaked at number 85 on the French Singles Chart.
The Warning is the second studio album by British band Hot Chip. The album was released in the UK on 22 May 2006 by EMI Records and in the United States on 3 June 2006 by Astralwerks. Notable tracks include the UK singles, "Over and Over" and "Boy from School", as well as "(Just Like We) Breakdown", which was featured and remixed on the DFA Records compilation album The DFA Remixes – Chapter One. The album was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize.
Alexander John Joseph Doyle is a British musician. He is best known as the guitarist and synthesiser player for British indie electronic band Hot Chip and American rock band LCD Soundsystem. He is also a founding member of British electronic band New Build.
"45:33" is a six-part composition by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. Commissioned by Nike, it was released digitally as a one-track studio album on October 17, 2006, as part of the Nike+ Original Run series. Initially, it was available exclusively through the Nike Music Store on iTunes. New York–based creative lifestyle marketing and public relations agency Cornerstone helped the musical efforts and coordinated the track. A CD re-release with three bonus tracks was issued by DFA Records on November 12, 2007, with the "45:33" composition also receiving a vinyl release. An eight track remix CD entitled 45:33 Remixes was released September 2009.
Sound of Silver is the second studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. The album was released jointly through DFA and Capitol Records in the United States and EMI elsewhere, first on March 12, 2007, in the United Kingdom. Sound of Silver was produced by the DFA and recorded during 2006 at Long View Farm in North Brookfield, Massachusetts and DFA Studios in New York, New York. Upon release, Sound of Silver received acclaim from music critics, and it was later nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. The group's later released an EP, entitled A Bunch of Stuff, which was composed entirely of covers, alternative versions, and remixes of songs from this album.
American rock band LCD Soundsystem has released four studio albums, three extended plays (EP), one compilation album, two remix albums, three live albums, eighteen singles, and fourteen music videos. The music of LCD Soundsystem is a mix of dance music and punk, and contains influences of disco. The band first gained attention when they released the single "Losing My Edge" on DFA Records, which became a well-known indie song in 2002. They then released more singles over the next few years and their self-titled debut album to critical acclaim. The album was certified gold in the UK but failed to chart on the US Billboard 200.
This Is Happening is the third studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released first on May 17, 2010, jointly through DFA and Virgin Records in the United States and Parlophone elsewhere. It was recorded over the course of 2009 and early 2010 in the Mansion recording studio in Los Angeles. The first single, "Drunk Girls", was released in April 2010, with a music video directed by Spike Jonze. The album is dedicated to Jerry Fuchs (1974–2009), who performed drums live with the band on occasion, as well as having a big part in associated DFA acts.
Reflektor is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on October 28, 2013, through Sonovox Records internationally and Merge Records in the United States. A double album, it was recorded between 2011 and 2013 at studios in Montreal, Jamaica, and Louisiana. It was co-produced by LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy, regular Arcade Fire producer Markus Dravs, and the band themselves.
"Yeah" is a song by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released as a 12-inch single through DFA Records on January 13, 2004. The Crass and Pretentious mixes of "Yeah" later appeared on the CD version of the band's eponymous debut studio album. The song peaked at number 77 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Christmas Will Break Your Heart" is a song by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released as a download single as well as a limited one-sided 7-inch vinyl on December 24, 2015, making it the band's first single in five years.
"Call the Police" is a song by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released together with "American Dream" as a digital double A-side single on May 5, 2017, through DFA Records and Columbia Records, as the lead single from their fourth studio album, American Dream (2017). The song peaked at number 78 in Scotland and number 26 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart.
Every Country's Sun is the ninth studio album by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai. It was released on 1 September 2017 by Rock Action Records in the United Kingdom and Europe, Temporary Residence Limited in the United States, and Spunk Records in Australia.
"Tonite" is a song by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released as the second single from their fourth studio album, American Dream (2017), on August 16, 2017, through DFA Records and Columbia Records. A music video for the song was also premiered on the same day. The song peaked at number 191 in France and number 33 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart. At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, the song won the award for Best Dance Recording, making it the band's first Grammy win.
Electric Lady Sessions is a live in-studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released on February 8, 2019, through DFA and Columbia Records. It was recorded over a three-day span at Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan, New York, during their American Dream Tour. The session featured a twelve-song setlist that included covers of songs by Heaven 17, Chic, and the Human League.
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