On Losing My Edge from LCD Soundsystem's eponymous release, James Murphy tries to reaffirm his street cred in the face of hipster encroachment from a younger generation. Among other things, he claims that he was there when Captain Beefheart started up his first band, that he woke up naked on a beach in Ibiza in 1988 and that he was the first guy playing Daft Punk to the rock kids.
Daft Punk, self-proclaimed purveyors of robotesque rock, are one of those few groups that transcend their niche genre because of an acute sensibility for driving melody. Head-bobbing is an inescapable byproduct.
In celebration of the 10-year anniversary of their first studio release, the French duo have put forth their second live album, Alive 2007. In comparison to its forebear, Alive 1997, the nearly 90-minute recording of a June show in the heart of Paris is both better and stronger - though not necessarily harder or faster.
The record is an amalgamation of hits and lesser known tracks from Homework, Discovery and Human After All combined in a swirling, energetic mix complete with brooding breakdowns - the crowd lets out a unified squeal of delight when the bell tolls for Aerodynamic"" - and bass-thumping plateaus. Even the more obscure numbers like ""The Brainwasher,"" ""Rollin' & Scratchin'"" and ""Superheroes"" have a new life breathed into them.
The whole shindig kicks off with a call and response between ""Robot Rock"" and ""Human After All"" as they are pitted against each other in a titanic struggle. ""Robot Rock"" ultimately gains supremacy, segueing seemlessly into ""Oh Yeah"" and from there on to ""Technologic."" From the heights of this opening, Daft Punk continue to rain down toe-tapping synth on a receptive French crowd.
Surprises throughout add that extra dash of flavor to a set of electronic favorites. ""Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"" makes an appearance twice but is listed only once on the tracklist. The same is true for ""Around the World,"" which subtly plays off of the opening to ""Television Rules the Nation."" The lead up from ""Da Funk"" into the encore is almost enough to make one forget the noticable absence of ""Digital Love.""
After hearing Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter shaking this massive crowd on record, it will be almost impossible to get Daft Punk to play at anyone's house. Fortunately, Alive 2007 renders any inability to set them up, kid irrelevant.
Though the album does emanate a ""you had to be there"" vibe, to get the full experience - do YOU own a robot costume? - like any great live album, it leaves the audience at home clicking around Ticketmaster on the lookout for the next live performance, after all.
