Music Review: LCD Soundsystem, “45:33″ (DFA) * * * *

LCD Soundsystem’s “45:33” was commissioned by Apple and Nike as part of the companies’ “Nike + iPod” jogging utility system, but LCD’s James Murphy used it as an opportunity to stretch out and create an exhilarating long-form dance-rock composition. Previously available only on iTunes, “45:33” now comes bundled in compact disc form, complete with some superbly funky bonus tracks and remixes tacked on for post-jogging dance explosions.

A seamless composition broken into six movements for disc-scanning purposes, the music on “45:33” resembles the African “high life” period of Talking Heads and Brian Eno — the treated vocals and propulsive percussion evoke the Heads’ 1980 classic, “Remain in Light.” Fans of this year’s “Sound of Silver” will recognize elements of “Someone Great” and “Get Innocuous” floating through “45:33,” long before they were fleshed out into full, stand-alone songs, but they fit perfectly with Murphy’s tribal flow. 

The special bonus is “Freak Out/Starry Eyes,” a new and low-slung funk burner that segues into a Can-like electro-pulse. “Hippie Priest Bum-Out” and a remix of “North American Scum” appeared previously on an EP, but these tracks mesh well with the epic churn of “45:33.” This is high-level dance music, something exceedingly rare these days, and beyond its obvious superiority to 95 percent of current club fodder, “45:33” has got a nice beat and you can jog to it.