When my mate first played me 'Yeah' at an early ATP and we danced around the outside of our Camber Block to some whacked out take on Josh Wink, I felt like I was really hearing something of the moment and unique.

3 albums later, they remain one of my favourite live acts due to their sprawling percussion sections and ridiculously tight, weighty performances. But as I've gotten into more acts they're obviously inspired by, I question how 'important' they are?

Now I've had the pleasure of finding Neu!, CAN, Liquid Liquid, Juan Atkins etc I hear almost so much of those folks in their tunes that I find it hard to give them the credit some others do, if you follow. I think this feeling was heightened on the la(te)st album, which I found incredibly addictive and enjoyable yet oddly derivative and familiar, indeed as Murphy seemed to himself. But conversely if I enjoyed it - though not as much as many of you nutcases who all had it in their top 3 of the year - does it really matter?

The S/T debut is littered with flashes of genius, 'TIHappening' a couple and 'SOS' about 3, with some very solid stuff built around them. I still think 45:33 is the greatest 'work' they've produced personally, but can understand why it leaves others cold. The thing is, when they can distance themselves far enough away from their influences, they're a band better than almost anyone else out there but it's something they obviously found harder to do as they progressed.

So LCD Soundsystem then, in my eyes; the perfect tribute act with a few killer songs* of their own.

What say you?

* Losing my edge, All my friends, Someone great, Dance yourself clean, Movement, Yeah, Beat connection