It was only 2011 when LCD Soundsystem ended its run with an epic Madison Square Garden concert, but for fans of the dance-rock band, that seems like an eternity ago. Luckily, that show will yield an official live album, which James Murphy told Rolling Stone is set for release in early 2014.
Immortalizing that last show, which was chronicled in the 2012 documentary “Shut Up and Play the Hits,” has been a laborious process for Murphy.
“Jesus, the f*cking live album,” Murphy lamented in the interview. “It”s killing me. That’s been just murder. I mixed it significantly differently than the film [Shut Up and Play the Hits], because the film is mixed for your eye and the record is mixed for your ears.”
There’s no chance LCD Soundsystem will reunite to promote the new album — Murphy said all offers “get shot down before it ever gets to me” — but he’ll soon return to solo recording: “I”m building a studio. And the goal is for me to make music when I have my new studio. I”ve always gone to a new space to make a record, so this is like a new space.”
Murphy’s other ambitious post-LCD projects include building a custom soundsystem called Despacio, a circular array of eight 11-foot McIntosh speaker stacks that he debuted in Manchester this summer. The mobile club returns to the U.K. Dec. 19-21 for shows at London’s Hammersmith Town Hall.
This year, Murphy produced Arcade Fire’s latest album, “Reflektor,” and contributed to songs by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kathleen Hanna, David Bowie and Pulp.