"Home" - LCD Soundsystem
(DFA 2010, The DFA)
A brief glimpse at this year's countdown will tell you that 2010 was a great year for melancholy. From dancing with tears in our eyes and questioning our sexuality to warning our lovers to run for their lives this year has been dominated by heartbreak; at times it's was ethereal and light, as demonstrated by Caribou and Robyn, while at others it has been painstakingly overwrought, just ask Messrs West and Butler. It appears fitting then that my choice for single of the year, the sublime "Home" by LCD Soundsystem, is one that provides resolution and emotional maturity through considered reflection.
If "Home" can be summarized in word it would be fitting, and perhaps even timely; just as James Murphy decides to head off into sunset and get behind the production desk permanently he produces "Home". A track which represents his final chance to get things right. Not only is This Is Happening LCD's supposed last album, but "Home" is his final track, the end point for a revered project. Unsurprisingly for a band that has always been about age and evaluation "Home" represents the final dance and the final chance to make sense of everything. The crushing emotional lows of "All I Want" and "I Can Change" come full circle here with the cries of "You're Afraid Of What You Need" and decision to let go and move on.
Similar to Murphy's other masterpiece "Dance Yrslf Cln" you're never quite sure whether Murphy is speaking of himself and LCD Soundsystem or of a distant relationship and his youth. Regardless "Home" is loaded with the kind of wonderfully insightful lines that capture a man coming to terms with himself, and his past, as he prepares to move on to the next stage of his life. Of course being Murphy he's still determined to enjoy one final moment on the dancefloor as he solemnly but resolutely commands: "Forget Your Past, This Is Your Last Chance Now, And We Can Break The Rules Like Nothing Will Last; You Might Forget, Forget The Sound Of My Voice, But Don't Forget, Yeah, Don't Forget The Things That We Laughed About".
What Murphy expresses on "Home" isn't cool and it certainly isn't sexy, but it is incredibly bold. To say goodbye, to give up on the good times, to walk away from your youth and to accept what is come takes a level of maturity and assuredness that few other artist posses. While Win Butler spent the year mourning his youth and bitterly revisiting these issues of isolation and detachment; Murphy took a deep intake of breathe, cleared his mind, and took a bold stride into the unknown. As a result "Home" is hard to place emotionally; it's an uncomfortable, saddening but not regretful good bye. There is a sense of pride and resolution that comes with embracing and overcoming this kind of emotional stumbling block. "Home" is therefore therapy through expression; rather than bottling up emotion "Home" is all about release. It is not an aggressive outburst, nor the decision to run away, but instead understanding and embracing what is holding you and your loved ones back. "Home" is in essence acceptance, and beautifully worded acceptance at that;
"No One Ever Knows What Your Talking About,
So I Guess Your Already There,
And No One Opens Up When You Scream And Shout,
So It's Time To Get A Couple Of Things Clear,
You're Afraid Of What You Need,
You're Afraid Of What You Need,
Look Around You,
You're Surounded,
I't Won't Get Any Better"
It was a beautiful ride Mr. Murphy, we will always remember the good times, and we'll definitely remember the good times, but the party is over, it's time to take you and LCD Soundsystem home for the last time.
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