What do chocolate milk, tandem bicycles and this album have in common? All of them are based on great original ideas, changed up to make them that much greater. The London Sessions has a set list that spans all stages of James Murphy’s career recorded as a live-in-studio album.
It’s a fitting analogy for a record that could easily qualify as both a greatest hits album and an acoustic set.
Murphy built a reputation as an incredible live act, as well as a studio perfectionist and this album marries both aspects together well. In most songs, the changes are subtle but render the songs with a new feel.
Generally, the timing, vocals and production are altered, giving more diverse layers of instrumentation as songs progress. For example, “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House” gets more edge than ever and “Get Innocuous” receives a wicked trumpet-sounding synth.
Any fans of previous work by LCD Soundsystem can appreciate The London Sessions. With work taken from throughout their career, it also serves as a starting point for new fans. With the recent announcement of their final show in NY in April, this might be your best chance to experience them live — almost.
Mathew Richards