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.
Of course, since these tracks aren't exactly radical live reconstructions, there aren't a ton of surprises on London Sessions. But it's still a wonder to hear a band this committed, this on its game, without the studio tweaks. Plus, you've got to consider what a debased format LCD is working with here. The number of actually transcendent live records-- whether recorded at a radio station or in an arena-- is almost laughably small considering how many exist. This one's a gift, the second LCD's given us this year.
