Andrew's Song Analysis

LCD- Song I was the most familiar with. Many band members but the key ones are Pat Mahoney, Nancy Whang, Al Doyle, Gavin Russom and James Murphy. Started in. I know that James Murphy was heavily influenced by punk music but, in some ways, this song is one of the least punk. It is much longer than the average punk song at 5 minutes and 35 seconds (though this is short by LCD’s standards). It is from Sound of Silver, Released in 2007. Cover Art shows some sort of futuristic device in a grungy room. Embodies LCD in that it uses new technology to fill a grungy, raw environment. Clever lyrics as usual but not aggressive. About loving his city because it’s all he knows but preferring it when it was dirty and unsafe. He takes on Mayer Bloomberg and calls him, “a billionaire mayor who’s convinced he’s a king”. This is the most aggressive part of the song. Tempo changes dramatically but is never fast and is only briefly aggressive. Great production value because James is first and foremost a producer. That’s how he got his start with DFA Records (The Record Company he co-owns and runs with Tim Goldsworthy). Dance-Punk. James Murphy practically invented the genre as the producer of The Rapture in 1999 on their debut album, Mirrors. It is raw but makes you want to groove.  Overall: This is dance-punk as are almost all LCD Songs. It has obvious roots in punk but the song length, high production value, and subject matter it is not punk.

James Chance-Big Contributor to the No Wave movement, which is a movement that is hard to define but incorporates jazz and funk influences into a punk attitude. It is known for utilizing cacophony and prioritizing texture over melody. James was a sax player who was into free jazz and you can hear the jazz influence and the sax riffs. This song is a Michael Jackson cover and he is generally not considered conventional punk (though James obviously changes the style and arrangement drastically). It is form a live album recorded at the Aux Baines Douches in Paris. It was released on a French label in 1980 and then rereleased worldwide in 2005. Cover Art just shows James’ Face. Sound unproduced and live. Lyrics are pretty sensual though they sound more sensual when delivered by Michael. “Lovely is the feeling now, Fever Temperatures Rising Now”. It is still very aggressive and his vocals remind me a lot of conventional punk. The song is longer than average punk song at six minutes and sixteen seconds but the tempo is pretty fast. Because of the length of song, subject matter of lyrics, connection to Michael Jackson and jazz influence it is not punk but instead “No-wave”.

The Fall- The Classical- The Classical has a constantly changing lineup (they have changed their lineup 27 times at last count) but the only consistent member was Mark E. Smith. Very influential in both the punk and post-punk scenes. James Murphy Called them, “His Beatles”. First track on their well-acclaimed album, Hex Enduction Hour. (It was literally one hour long). Released in March 1982. 5 minutes and 16 seconds long. The lyrics are cryptic and at times offensive, “Where are the obligatory niggers? HEY THERE FUCKFACE!” Apparently this lyric cost the band a record deal with Motown records. The cover art is of a bunch of scribbles and pictures. It reminded me of a zine. The tempo is relatively fast and driving and the vocals are shouted and raw, but the bass is more noticeable and the instrumentation is more complicated than the average punk song. It was recorded in a proper studio in Iceland but there are no real production flourishes and the overall sound quality is not great. Though it is longer than the average punk song and The Fall often strayed away punk, this song is punk for its aggressive music and lyrics, zine-esque cover art, raw vocals and low of production value.