Live Vol 1 vinyl

Here's something you don't come across that often: a "live" album that captures straight-to-tape (literally) studio recordings rather than a performance in front of the paying public. In Parcels defence, the results are impressive, in part because their chosen location, legendary Berlin institution Hansa Studios, boasts the kind of analogue recording and mixing equipment that neatly fits their warm, mixed-up trademark sound (think West Coast rock, blue-eyed soul, funk-ruck fusion). Many of the songs segue into each other as they would during a live performance, with new interludes and previously unheard songs adding a frisson of disco-fired dancefloor goodness to proceedings. It might not be a pure live album, but it's a hugely enjoyable listen.