“Dance Yrself Clean” epitomizes all that is good about LCD Soundsystem’s third LP – This Is Happening. It’s an eight-minute, dancey examination of life that, despite it’s length, leaves you wanting more…and more, and more. James Murphy deadpans lyrics like “Talking like a jerk/except you are an actual jerk/and living proof/sometimes friends are mean” before presenting his contribution to what is shaping up to be an endless summer dance party.

However, the album transcends a simple “dance” tag because of Murphy’s sometimes sarcastic (“Drunk Girls”), yet obviously heartfelt lyrics. The quirkiness of real life is especially on display on “I Can Change”, which comes off like a pleading love letter to “the one.”

For all the emotion on display, Murphy still flexes his muscles on funky dance gems like “One Touch” and “Pow Wow”. There are only nine tracks on the disc, but each one gets thoughtfully fleshed out and the album clocks in at just over an hour.

“All I Want” finds him singing hopelessly pathetic lyrics fit for teenage breakups (“All I want is your pity…your bitter tears”) with an authenticity only believable because the words are coming from an experienced, 40-year-old hipster who comes off like a perpetually single uncle talking about why he’s got so many ex-girlfriends. The song is proof that, just like everyone else, Murphy ain’t perfect.

You can almost smell the beer breath when he sings “Baby come with me/and I’ll take you to the place I sleep,” on the midtempo jam, “Somebodys Calling Me”. Over the tracks boozy seven-minutes, Murphy makes it clear that he’s obviously looking for someone to love – be it just for the night or a lifetime. Either way Murphy feels like the real deal.

He either delivers the now obligatory label diss, or an earnest critique of life on “You Wanted A Hit”, where he sings: “You wanted a hit/but maybe we don’t do hits/I try and try/it ends up feeling kind of wrong”. Ironically, the song is catchy as hell and manages to deliver a life lesson on music’s role in people’s lives: “You wanted it real,” sings Murphy, “but can you tell me what’s real?/there’s lights and sounds and stories/music’s just a part.”

So go on living your life, but keep this record close. It’s perfect for some introspection, but cool enough to dance through life’s serious, yet not-so-heavy moments.