LCD Soundsystem
Shut Up and Play the Hits
(Oscilloscope Laboratories)

In April 2011, LCD Soundsystem played their final show at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan and the resulting live album, entitled Shut Up and Play the Hits, as well as the documentary focused on the show, which includes the full-length concert film, shows how the dance band with a sense of humor went out on top.  The two-disc album has over 30 tracks that include all the LCD Soundsystem favorites such as: “Dance Yrself Clean,” “Drunk Girls,” “I Can Change,” “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” and “Losing My Edge” along with audio from the film during their set breaks.

The band’s live sound has a distinctly different energy and intensity than their studio work and definitely brings to mind the Talking Heads’ classic live album, Stop Making Sense, not in its playful tone, but also distinctly in its sound.  There are a few guests that pop in over the course of the show, notably The Arcade Fire who provide backing vocals on “North American Scum” as well as giving the album its title as Win Butler shouts it out during lead singer James Murphy’s introduction of the song.  Fans of the band won’t have to hesitate to pick this one up, but even the casual listener can enjoy the band’s unique lounge singer/new wave/dance party atmosphere in a number of the songs and, if nothing else, the album certainly shows off why the band became as big as they did.