LCD Soundsystem Pays Homage to Its Idols

It is no secret that twenty-first century Indie music owes a great deal to eighties synth pop and post-punk. Could we have had a Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party or, more recently, Passion Pit and Yeasayer without Joy Division or The Smiths? LCD System pays homage to these influences with their new video, “Live Alone,” a cover of a 2009 Franz Ferdinand song. The video, a very full seven minutes, is directed by graphic designer Gabriel Pulecio, otherwise known as Lustix. Footage of cityscape as seen from the window of a train is interspersed with ’80s video staples: kaleidoscope visuals, lights flickering to the drum and guitar rhythms, a robot brought to life by neon wires, and, of course, a flaming heart light-fixture.

“Live Alone” is one of five Franz Ferdinand covers released on their album, the aptly entitled Franz Ferdinand Covers last May. Other artists on the album include Peaches, the Magnetic Fields’ Stephen Merrit, and ESG.