Send "LCD Soundsystem " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 It’s becoming increasingly rare to find bands that can excel in the studio and also shine onstage. More often than not, the performers who rely too heavily on production alchemy end up with material that is too overly complicated and/or polished to translate well in a live setting. But every now and then exceptions emerge, and LCD Soundsystem is a case in point. Over the past decade, James Murphy and his troupe have not only cut several stellar singles and studio albums, but they have also flawlessly reformulated that output for one kick-ass live show. And it’s this above-mentioned point that makes Murphy’s plan to retire the dance-punk outfit as a professional rock band a bit of a pop culture calamity. According to Murphy, he’ll continue to write and produce music under the LCD moniker but the band’s customary routine of “album, videos, singles, tour” will allegedly end following the victory-lap promotion of their 2010 album This is Happening. Thankfully, though, Murphy and company had decided to cap off this trajectory by documenting their live prowess on a release entitled London Sessions. The nine-song career-spanning project, which was cut live in one day, sans an audience, at a London studio, was originally an iTunes-only release but fortunately for intangible music Luddites its now available on CD, and it will be put out again on vinyl later this year....full text |
| Pitchfork |
| For a group whose albums often seem like work of one studio-perfectionist mastermind, LCD Soundsystem have turned out to be one of the greatest live bands of the last decade. In fact, they do just about everything a great live band-- especially a great live dance band-- should do. Known to stretch their songs out to "special disco version" lengths, they're able to bring audiences from simmering anticipation to hands-up screaming release in the span of a song, and then do it again. And then again. Like Remain in Light-era Talking Heads, the closest comparison to LCD at their current "locked-in but loose" onstage peak, they could release a live album that might offer equal thrills to their studio discs. But London Sessions is not LCD's The Name of This Band is Talking Heads, and at least one reason why not is because live in-studio sessions like this one tend to capture artists in a slightly different mode than during a full-on concert, where a band can feed off the energy of thousands of sweat-soaked fans. The band mentions iconic BBC radio host John Peel's legendary program when talking about the album for a reason: Like those old Peel sessions, this set finds the band offering tighter, cleaner, more focused versions of their live staples, running through all nine songs with an electrifying, stripped-down effortlessness. Here, James Murphy proves that even without the thick, enveloping sound his production chops lent This Is Happening, he can match his heroes' delivery: His rare ability to snap from mordant humor to affecting pathos comes through loud and clear with back-to-back takes on "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" and "All My Friends". But as great of a frontman as he is, LCD's shit-hot rhythm section, anchored by drummer Pat Mahoney and ex-!!! member Tyler Pope, nearly steals the spotlight. Their interplay is as mesmerizing to listen to here (especially those perfectly timed keyboard jolts that spike the intensity of "Get Innocuous" just a little higher each time) as it is to watch in person. And for a kinda-sorta disco band, they tear the roof off in a live-and-loud way. The sense of possible frenzy that lurks behind the slightly-too-hot "metronomic" groove of "Us V Them" builds to an edge-of-control climax that's even more thrilling than if the band had actually spun into a freakout....full text |
| Prettymuchamazing |
| Over his five-year run, LCD Soundsystem has earned a reputation as one of the premier live acts out there these days, performing its unique brand of electronic punk with vigor and restlessness. Fronted by the legendary James Murphy, London Sessions, an exclusive new live album, is an illustration of James’ formidable flair for putting on live shows, offering a looser, free spirited variety of his recordings. Recorded on one day in June, the album gathers repertoire from all three LCD Soundsystem records, including his first ever single, “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House” and forgotten B-side “Yr City Is A Sucker.” As a whole, London Sessions strives off its rawness and its rough around the edges instrumentation, particularly benefiting from Murphy’s gauche and nonchalant vocalization. Recorded much in the fashion of “Peel Radio Sessions,” London Sessions summarizes the very essence that is LCD Soundsystem. Beginning with 2007′s likable disco-punk anthem “Us Vs. Them,” Murphy crafts these radio sessions more delicately than he would on stage, jamming often, repeating hooks and progressing sluggishly. The album was recorded entirely with live instruments, everything created in Real Time and absolutely nothing revamped with computers. This vibe is carried throughout London Sessions; on fan favorite “All I Want,” the keyboarding and electronic melodies aren’t neat and tightly packaged like its studio counterparts, on “Get Innocuous” the melodies are slightly askew, the synth resonance refurbished, and Murphy’s vocals slightly dim in comparison to the grand orchestration....full text |
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