Oh, to be James Murphy right now.

The man behind LCD Soundsystem, DFA Records, and one of the best reviewed albums of the year--Sound of Silver--is coming into his prime not only as an electronic musician who gets the place jumpin' but also as an established songwriter and a New York figurehead.

He can now add "mayor of San Francisco for a night" to that list, as LCD Soundsystem mesmerized a full house of hipsters at Mezzanine late last night. Backed by a live band, Murphy transformed his very digital studio sound into living, breathing "indie-tronica," for lack of a better overused phrase.

Fresh off a Saturday performance at the sweltering Coachella Festival, LCD didn't seem to have enough in the tank to deliver a real physical show, but the music spoke louder than a couple extra fist pumps could anyway.

Murphy was planted on center stage, occasionally banging a snare drum or a cow bell, and belted out such playful lyrics as "All the kids that want to make a scene/[are here] in North America/all your kids get to read it in your magazines/We don't have those" from "North American Scum," a tirade against others who diss the US music scene.

Regardless of his attitude on "Scum," much of Murphy's live band is taken from across the pond, such as Hot Chip guitarist Al Doyle. The six-piece group isn't exactly a barnburner on stage but rather inwardly focused on the music. It didn't matter to the audience much, as the vibe inside was much more dance club than rock show.

Strangely enough, it wasn't LCD's two biggest hits--"Daft Punk is Playing at My House" and "Scum"--that evoked the greatest crowd response. "Daft Punk" was played as a stripped-down remix early in the set, and portions of "Scum" were lost in the transition to live music. In fact, the band never seemed to hit its stride until "Get Innocuous," a droning piece that sounds like Joy Division in a French house spin cycle. Other electronic-heavy tunes, such as "Someone Great" and "Watch the Tapes," were standout gems that sufficiently rocked the house.

LCD also surprised in their encore, delivering the best back-to-back-to-back tunes of the night with three songs that delivered entirely different angles. "All My Friends" (by far the most clubby moment of the evening) instantly brought the crowd back to a frenzy, a white-hot cover of Joy Division's "No Love Lost" was sensational, and "New York I Love You" (by far the evening's most Lou Reed moment) was more suited to a live band than any of the other tracks.

"New York," a piano-driven ballad that evolves into straight rock, was a perfect ending to the set, reminding listeners that Murphy is more than just a button pusher--even if he is from North America.

For more on Murphy and LCD Soundsystem, check out MP3.com's recent interview.