Having bought the CD of this eponymously titled debut album in 2005, I acquired the vinyl when it was reissued in 2017. Whilst the CD version had a second disc collecting together some early 12" singles, the record is limited to the standard nine album tracks.
I originally bought this after hearing "Daft Punk is Playing at my House" on the radio. I have never listened to the radio much (much less Radio 1) so it must have been providence that led me to tune in as this song began to play one evening. There was something about this track that channelled the zeitgeist and it seemed very trendy to me. It was also humorous and a bit off the wall - I didn't even care that it wasn't very electronic.
The second track on the album "Too much Love" was much more electronic in an intriguing, lo-fi, analogue way. I hadn't really heard anything like this before. "Tribulations" is a perfect blend of octave synth bass, drones and original lyrical content that I couldn't get enough of when I first heard it. I used to drive to work and play the first three songs from the CD over and over dreaming of being in New York with the glitterati and not heading to a tortuous dead-end job.
The next song "Movement" smacks too much of 'knowing' alternative rock for me to enjoy it. Throughout the LCD Soundsystem back catalogue there are a number of songs like this and I don't enjoy any of them. "Never as tired as when I'm waking up" sounds like a terrible Beatles pastiche that just drags on and on until the needle reaches the end of the wax.
Thankfully the first track on the flip side, "On Repeat" is less inclined to indulge in rock cliches but it still doesn't do enough to capture my interest. "Thrills" is a more palatable and has a superb bassline that is reminiscent of Leftfield's "Phat Planet" in places. The last standout track is "Disco Infiltrator" which takes inspiration from Kraftwerk and mixes it with a pinch of seventies funk to create a really good groove. "Great Release" is a bit of a stale ending but there has been more than enough to entertain here. 3/5
