Shut Up and Play The Hits

LCD Soundsystem returns to Brooklyn + fall's best picks

Thanks for joining me here for another dispatch of my twice-weekly music and menswear newsletter, which is different (but somewhat the same) as my daily style blog from which it gets its name. Thanks for reading!

If you’ve been keeping up with me on Twitter or with, say Indie Music Twitter (or your own news feed!), then perhaps you’re well-aware that pioneering indie dance band LCD Soundsystem, once famous for breaking up — now famous for reuniting — are coming back in full force with 20 shows in Brooklyn this fall and winter. As a card-carrying Indie Fan and a big-time fan of the genre-bending dance-pop made by indie vet frontman James Murphy and co. (there he is posing in the subway like a real New Yorker)!, this is, in a word HUGE news. It immediately reminded me of the band’s run of shows in Brooklyn in 2017, of which I was lucky enough to attend four evenings (yes, four), wearing my favorite pair of concert boots all the while.

The recent Brooklyn Steel residency announcement is, in this case, also big enough for me to dedicate an entire newsletter entry to the game-changing band (read more about them here), to go along with the proper pairings you might expect from my menswear-and-music newsletter. Now, it’s still a complex issue — that is, the issue of LCD Soundsystem coming back in spite of a much-publicized break-up in 2011 — but if you didn’t get the chance to catch the band in its heyday (and I certainly missed out!), then how could you be angry about the chance to finally catch them live? At any rate, here’s a nice throwback to get you into the spirit of dance rock this week, along with some complementary, perhaps James Murphy-approved picks. Cheers!

What To Listen To This Week: “Dance Yrself Clean” By LCD Soundsystem

Where to start with LCD Soundsystem, right? That’s a fair question to ask of any band that was so loved by so many and for just long enough to make a major impact on the music scene in New York and beyond. Why not start with, well, a major hit that also encapsulates what the band (mostly Murphy playing many instruments in the studio) does so well, right? “Dance Yrself Clean” is funky and danceable, and it stretches out over eight minutes, including perhaps the most memorable beat drop to come out of the late 2000s. It’s undeniably fun, it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek if you’ve ever been to a sweaty, packed LCD Soundsystem show, and it showcases one of the things that Murphy does best: Deliver earworm beats in fun packages. It’s a surefire hit when played at a packed Brooklyn concert, too. And whenever I attend a show, I keep a weather eye out for what the crowd is wearing — seriously! When I (hopefully) see the band again, here’s a look at what might be in my closet.

What To Shop This Week: A Brooklyn-approved flannel shirt

Let’s call this one a very situational and yet very on-trend pick. Style in Brooklyn has changed over the decade-plus that LCD Soundystem’s music helped reshape the borough and NYC at large, but when temperatures plummet and a cold, nighttime Brooklyn stroll awaits, well, it’s time to throw on a rugged flannel shirt from Huckberry. Classic, not too loud, easy to wear over a T-shirt or a henley at the concert (provided you’ve put your waxed trucker jacket in coat check). Yes, a Huckberry flannel shirt is the right way to go, as you know if you checked out my Saturday newsletter. Plus, flannel shirts have all the callbacks to ‘80s indie rock you could want, and I know a certain frontman who might appreciate that historical touch.

What To Sip This Week: Jura Brooklyn Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

Alright, so we’ve got your music pick — loved and approved by many in Brooklyn — not to mention a Brooklyn-friendly flannel shirt and some… Brooklyn-born Scotch? What gives? Well, Jura has taken it upon themselves to make a new kind of Scotch, just as innovative and boundary-pushing in the spirits world as LCD Soundsystem has been to the world of indie music (maybe not quite, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same). It’s actually a Scotch blend aged in a variety of barrels and developed from six cask samples, so the spirit of Brooklyn carries over to the West Coast of Scotland. You can get this whiskey delivered to your door, and that’s as solid a way as any to bring a unique taste of the borough to your bar cart.

The Final Pick: Classic blue jeans to wear all the time this fall

Let’s keep it simple with today’s final pick — a sort of menswear version of the Murphy documentary “Shut Up and Play The Hits,” if you will. You can wear a pair of classic blue jeans absolutely anywhere, from an LCD Soundsystem concert to some on-foot New York City exploration or even to the office. You can then wake up and do it all again the next day, because the best men’s jeans are meant to be worn over and over. Better still, because you’re investing in quality, you’ll (hopefully) have a few bucks left over to spend on LCD Soundsystem tickets, rather than a new pair of jeans. Not a bad deal, right?

If you’re seeking new takes on the classics, then LCD Soundsystem is actually a pretty fun place to start — witty, upbeat, providing an homage to throwback ‘70s and ‘80s rock and pop. And if you want a fresh take on menswear classics, you can hardly go wrong with classic blue jeans or a rugged flannel shirt from Huckberry, right? I should think not. Feel free to explore the world of LCD Soundsystem and the world of menswear classics, then get back to me in the comments if you like what you’re hearing and seeing in today’s newsletter.