Las Vegas Mixtape v24: Buzzy Burgers, Beautiful Sounds, and a Metal Health Check-up

Track #2: “A Big Beautiful Block Party” @Downtown Vegas

Taking the stage on the second and final night of Life Is Beautiful spinoff event “A Big Beautiful Block Party,” James Murphy of headliner LCD Soundsystem said to the crowd, “It’s hot. I don’t know why you guys like it here.” Spoken, lovably, like a true New Yorker.

Opening with the hypnotic percussion-is-king “Get Innocuous!” from 2007, the co-ed big band kept the crowd moving on the ample concrete grounds next to the Plaza Hotel & Casino. LCD came to conquer, armed with their patented neo-disco/art-electro-punk combo platter, which imaginatively synthesizes elements of Talking Heads, Patti Smith, and David Bowie. The Starman’s influence was especially felt on the atmospheric and moody “I Can Change.”

Why do so many people love James Murphy? Consider the band’s sardonic gem “Losing My Edge,” with his hilarious freestyle spoken lines: “I’m losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.” Murphy’s infectious everyone-can-piss-off attitude ruled this block party.

Preceding LCD was another neo-disco group, the UK’s Jungle, whose self-titled debut album is now 10 years old. They were captivating from the get-go with their funky, bass-heavy wall-of-sound and falsetto vocals. Their outstanding new single, the retro-groovy but modern-sounding “Let’s Go Back,” keeps the band seriously in the game as an important dance music act. Visually, their red-centric stage production was dazzling.