think these song portaits are kinda just exercises in imitation, perhaps, but I think I'm building my skillz and the byproduct is not lousy. Today's subject is James Murphy, the mastermind behind LCD Soundsystem. LCD Soundsystem's songs are built on grooves. On "All My Friends", Murphy bangs on one chord for seven minutes with stunning results. The songs themselves are simple and pure and never drop the beat. The palette is naturalistic--real drums, bass, guitar and super-tasteful synth. The trademark of the band is his stylized vocal delivery; brash, clever and smarmy. More recently he can be heard taking inspiration from David Bowie's <em>Stardust </em>grandeur. I couldn't help but throw a twirpy bridge in to this tune though, completely derailing it, just to mess up the coolness of it.