You have probably already seen this since it's the equivalent of Internet napalm (LCD Soundsystem + Muppets = CAN NOT LOSE) but we reckon it's our civic duty to ensure every single one of you have seen this. more ›

LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy sits down to talk with Grek Kot and Jim DeRogatis on this week's Sound Opinions. We got an advance listen to the show and while the interview isn't quite as wide-ranging as Murphy's Fresh Air appearance earlier this year, the Chicago rock critics do manage to pull out some heretofore unheard tasty nuggets in their discussion with Murphy. We're pleased to hear Murphy put to rest the notion that LCD Soundsystem is "retiring" since a misquote from early press for This Is Happening been blown completely out of context to turn into one of our biggest pet peeves of misinterpretation this year. however our favorite factoid that gets dropped has to do with Murphy's confusion of Seinfeld and The Garry Shandling Show and the resulting television sitcom writing career that never quite got off the ground due to a lack of motivation and general twenty-something laziness. more ›

A warning was posted on the doors of the Aragon Ballroom Monday night informing all who entered that there would be "excessive" use of strobe lights. It was the first of LCD Soundsystem's two-night stint in Chicago, so a big stage production and some epileptic seizure-inducing lights were to be expected. But while we were prepared for a strobe explosion, we had no idea we would see such levels of sweating, dancing and rocking out that hard for a sustained, 90-plus minute set. We suppose with James Murphy leading the party--and LCD's electro dance-punk beats to propel him--superhuman feats of dance suddenly become possible. more ›

We’ve been itchin’ to write about Chicago quintet Secret Colours for a while now. They’re a group who, like the Brian Jonestown Massacre before them, borrows pretty liberally from the 60s-era psychedelic playbook while omitting Anton Newcombe’s sarcastic, post-modernist lyrics from the equation. If that makes Secret Colours sound like a photocopy of a photocopy, well, no argument here. So why did we want to write about them then? Because we thought we would love them. It seemed like a match made in musical heaven. And yet, it wasn’t made to be. more ›

Previously: Day One more ›

To say last night's LCD Soundsystem show at Metro was overwhelming would be a terrible understatement. James Murphy and his band took the stage for 90+ minutes and didn't slow down on the throttle one bit. The club was bursting at its seams with people and everyone -- even the usually sedate VIP balcony section -- was shaking one huge collective ass to the beat. It's kind of pointless to even put the experience into words, so we'll just stop while we're ahead, but man oh man should you make sure you don't miss their set at the Pitchfork Music Festival this summer. more ›

If anyone can be credited or accused of bringing dance back to the rock and / or roll in the aughts, it is LCD Soundsystem bandleader James Murphy. "Bandleader" is, of course, a loose term since LCD Soundsystem's live set-up does indeed feature a steady backing band, but the group’s albums feature Murphy playing many, if not all, of the instruments. Murphy is a studio genius with a sharp wit and a big heart, and we suspect it’s the combination of these three qualities that make the band’s music so affecting. more ›

We're super stoked to hear LCD Soundsystem, Holy Ghost!, and Ellen Allien are all swinging through Metro / Smart Bar on the same night in May! more ›

If you haven't been watching Beardo on Pitchfork.tv, you've been missing out. Chicagoan Fred Armisen makes an appearance in this latest episode of Tim Harrington's eccentric show, along with an all-star indie rock cast under the moniker USA for Affluence, singing an epic ode to consumerism. more ›

In the minuscule chance you haven't seen this yet, I present the current reigning king of disco's paean to the land that birthed Gothamist as performed by a certain famous frog. And please, do watch through to the end for a surprise guest appearance. more ›

To background, I manage a Chicago band called Tom Schraeder & His Ego, which landed a coveted spot on the 2007 bill. Though our slot was early (12:30 p.m. on Friday), the work for artists doesn’t stop once they’ve loaded up their vans (or in our case, the hearse) and exited the festival grounds. To give our esteemed Chicagoist readers a quick sketch of life deep on the Lollapalooza undercard, I kept a scribbled-note journal... more ›

One of the reasons I love to go to Lollapalooza is the fact that I can see bands that I love or know I'm going to love (e.g., The Fratellis; Rodrigo y Gabriela*, Peter, Bjorn and John; Paolo Nutini -- just to name a few), but another huge component is going to hear bands I've heard of but don't really know anything about. Last year, I was rewarded greatly by going to check out... more ›

Each morning we're going to highlight five bands playing at Lollapalooza that we think are worth seeing. Some will be popular, some less known, but we believe they're all worth your time. And for those not making it to the festival itself, we'll round it out with an additional show going on after the grounds close down for the evening. The Switches We are sure we'll be cursing this band from England throughout the day.... more ›

What’s impossible to write about last night’s LCD Soundsystem show at the Metro is just how many influences there are in James Murphy’s songs, let alone an entire night’s setlist. The lyrics from “Losing My Edge” can give us a little insight into just which sounds may be hiding in the mix, even if Murphy’s only being sarcastic. Disco. Industrial. New Wave. Funk. Glam. Punk. more ›

It’s been a harsh week, hasn’t it? First, we had to walk through a blizzard, prove our love on Valentine’s Day and then it got cold again. The rest of the week they piled work on us here at the office, and now we have to decide what tickets to buy for upcoming shows. Life is just hard sometimes. Too bad the John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae show didn’t go on sale earlier; it... more ›

Chicagoist would like to make a few recommendations (and offer one warning) for ways to spend your weekend if you’re not going to be partying in expectation of a particular sporting event. Tonight you can either choose to dance your ass off or you can decide to zone out on waves of feedback but we think either way you swing you can’t go wrong. LCD Soundsystem is bringing their (well, technically we should say “his”... more ›