Ladytron - Live At London Astoria 16.07.08 FLAC download

Literally bought this because it was the only Ladytron album I could afford to buy on vinyl. It's surprisingly fun and they're much better live than you would expect. Even if some of the songs don't live up to their studio versions -- "Black Cat" wasn't arranged flatteringly for its live performance and was certainly a curiously-jarring choice to open the set -- every other song seems to pivot to a shimmering and raw, bouncy reinterpretation of its source, most memorably for me in "Discotraxx" (now defiant and aggressively earnest) and "International Dateline," which somehow sounds more plaintive and genuine here. I suppose without any studio magic they were bound to sound less artificial and aloof and more honest and sincere live. Whether you like that or not will probably come down to one's personal choice. This is a much more intimate engagement with their catalog.

It's a great CD that should have been released for everyone to buy, not just the fans in the US. It's a damn shame that this band keeps pissing on their non-US fans by only releasing so-called fan club records in USA (previous ones: the Cracked LCD 7", the Harmonium Sessions EP). Releasing it worldwide on iTunes doesn't cut it - there are people outside the US that are collecting this band too you know.