LCD Soundsystem

It's hard to accuse James Murphy and company of growing up gracefully, given that the DFA Records founder didn't hit the ground with LCD Soundsystem until he was firmly in his 30s, but over a course that has run from classic early singles to third album This Is Happening, the band and their leader have found a way to keep improving in leaps and bounds. This Is Happening is a quintessential summer album: upbeat from beginning to end, brimming with memorable songwriting, devoid of filler and containing more than a few killer tracks along the way. Contemporary studio techniques and a load of '70s references ― the percussive eclecticism of Talking Heads' Remain In Light, the hangover of Iggy Pop's Nightclubbing ― are still streaming through the LCD sound, but highlights like "Pow Pow" and "I Can Change" dig much deeper than the formula would suggest. For all the risks that have taken down other bands using the same ingredients, LCD Soundsystem keep coming out album after album, sounding more essential than ever.