songs of the moment (published in various issues of currents magazine)

“Daft Punk Is Playing at My House” (2004)

[DFA/EMI]

✭✭✭✭✭

[listen]

It’s been said that memories are often better off sung, which is why James Murphy’s 2005 staple for house parties everywhere thumps so close to home. LCD Soundsystem’s synth and cowbell opus offers listeners the once-in-a-lifetime chance to watch the famous Parisian duo perform at his house – but only if you set them up. Frat party regulars will have no qualms recalling the memories Murphy belts out: moving the furniture into the garage, dragging the loaned PA systems to the house, getting fifteen cases and leaving Sarah’s girlfriend to work the door. Murphy’s single works best when recalling the events that high school students hardly see as often as those at UCLA, but make no mistake – though LCD Soundsystem’s 2006 Grammy nominee may have been born in New York City, this track is all about the cars parked on the lawns, the peeing in bushes, the elderly neighbors phoning the police and hot and sweaty suburban kids dancing like feral children who know they’ll never grow too old for this s***.

“Grass” (2005)

[Fat Cat/Paw Tracks]

✭✭✭✭✭

[listen]

Mrs. Raven’s kindergarten concepts included counting to ten, spelling ‘couch’ and recognizing animal sounds. Enter your substitute teacher, Animal Collective, whose album Feels covers all these basics while appearing on more “Best of 2005” lists (Spin, Entertainment Weekly, Wire) than sheep you can count.

To understand the child-like sing-a-long that is “Grass,” you need not be Billy Madison. Simply listen beneath the collage of rollicking guitars, tribal chants, pounding djembes and electronic swells for your answer – “Grass” is one of the well-crafted and unique pop songs of the moment. (Think Pink’s “Stupid Girls” minus everything that’s stupid about that song.)

The band trots along as the lyrics offer an innocent take on bumble-beeing-through-sexuality, finally breaking out into a chorus of yelps, “pows!” and crashing drums that is just shy of being one of the most awkward moments in pop music history (see: Miss Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas pees [on stage]).

Forty years ago, you couldn’t get away with this kind of bold, melodic peak like in the chorus to “Grass.” Today, lead-singer Avey Tare (whose reverberated voice hiccups at each syllable) skips with confidence as he sings, always completely embarrassed. (“I was walking on feet just like my father’s / and my knees were trying to reach you at your mother’s.”)

Singing animals haven’t sounded this good since Simba learned the meaning of ‘hakuna matata.’ (Psst - it means ‘no worries.’) It’s almost easy to forget that people made this song.

---

michael alahouzos

published in ‘currents magazine,’ 2005, 2006

[back]