Run Devil Run

I've recently decided to start running again - my end of summer ennui usually results in a brief period of physical exertion, cut short by a crippling combination of school and terrible weather. Still, I like pretending to be in shape. This all leads to the rather interesting question: what to music to run to?

I first tried on Arthur by the Kinks. BAD IDEA. It's a great album, but . . . not terribly motivating. Or kickass. Granted, I should have realized that 1969 concept albums by rock/music hall hybrid bands might not make a great jogging soundtrack. Oh well.

That's when I remembered that LCD Soundsystem, aka James Murphy, teamed up with Nike awhile back and created a long format track specifically for this purpose. So here it is, all 46 glorious minutes of it.

45:33 by LCD Soundsystem (2006)

Running while listening to this for the first time was AWESOME. I've never been a huge LCDS fan (despite having seen them live - best concert I've ever attended) - you see, I'm a pop type of guy, and they're firmly in the dance/electro camp. But I now realize that, if you can't dance, you need to be running when you listen to them - physically involved in the sound, but not distracted to the point of ignoring it altogether. A boring 8 minute shuffle becomes hypnotic. I actually ran about 20 yards past where I usually turn - it was that involving.

I had forgotten how well Murphy knows his way around constructing a compelling beat, and how he's one of the few guys who can inject these grooves and workouts with real pop hooks - check out the glockenspiel in the 12th minute if you don't believe me - not to mention a sense of humor. This piece holds up well to anything Can or Parliament (or whoever) put out. Listen to this song on your iPod and walk around to the beat - you will feel like the greatest P.I.M.P. in the galaxy.

Oh, and I ran the 1.57 mile loop around my apartment (thank you Google Maps) in 16:17. Keep in mind that there were stoplights. And the end is all uphill. And I stopped at an ATM.

Sigh.