47. LCD Soundsystem - “oh baby”

Without a doubt James Murphy is one of my all-time favorite purveyors of synths. It’s as if he speaks another language, one that communicates through the grammar of shimmering keys and the cadence of reverb-laden electronic bursts. There are always two sets of lyrics happening at once within his songs, intertwining with and strengthening each other in the process to tell of something greater than the sum of their individual parts. There are the conventional spoken words that communicate with the intellect, and then there are the synths, soaring about and inundating the emotions at will.

This jam is the perfect example of said phenomenon. His words are imploring a lover to open their heart, while the synths shadow the palpitations of his own heart, giving voice to the pining as it reaches out, grasping at a distance, hoping to take hold of its desire and fully soar. Together they create the ultimate feeling of longing and hope, the two playing off of one another in a sort of whirlpool of giddy anticipation that hints at desperation. Will it be realized, or will it peter out, burning up in a fizzy burst of unrealized potential?