LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)

Here's a fantastic album I've been a fan of for a while. I'm more a "Sound of Silver" fan than an LCD Soundsystem fan; this album is more cohesive and instantly gratifying than their debut or their "45:33" project. Highlights include "Get Innocuous," "Someone Great," and "All My Friends," but the entire album is a consistantly strong slice of electro-dance-rock that is both immediately gratifying and deeply emotional. "Get Innocuous" opens the album in style with an beat that shifts subtly over the course of the song but remaining pleasantly catchy without being overly kitsch. It serves as a nice introduction to the album, and is rhythmically engaging, as is much of the album. "Someone Great" is a more somber song, that shows a more overtly emotional side to the band. The song opens with a complex beat before chimes and ringing synths back the vocals. The vocal style appeals more to me than the more assertive declarations on tracks such as "North American Scum" and "Time to Get Away." I think restraint is a good thing here; the song's textures are brilliant and the meaning of the lyrics is less obscured by the way they're delivered. "All My Friends" is not only the best song on the album, but one of my favorites of at least the decade. Over seven minutes the song, which begins with rapid percussion and a simple keyboard tune, gains tension and intensity as it progresses. The song never loses steam, until it's over, and leaves me wishing it would go on a few more minutes. It's the album's most catchy moment, yet it has a strange alluring beauty to it, probably having to do with the way the keyboard invite you in and the great lyrics. The album's lowest point is its last track "New York I Love You..." which is an admittedly fairly truthful, depiction of New York City that nevertheless sounds like an all-too-hip love letter to the city. Musically, it strips away much of the layered electronics and gives us James Murphy and a piano, which just isn't all that interesting. LISTEN

Tracklisting

1. Get Innocuous! (7:11)
2. Time to Get Away (4:11)
3. North American Scum (5:25)
4. Someone Great (6:25)
5. All My Friends (7:37)
6. Us v Them (8:29)
7. Watch the Tapes (3:55)
8. Sound of Silver (7:07)
9. New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down (5:35)