LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
< author: g booker > |
LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver Label: Capitol |
It appears the jig is up, and the man who persuaded thick glasses to dance has gone and gotten mature. The thing is, he’s even better now. As half of the DFA, the production duo and label heads most responsable for forcing the beauty of electronic dance music into the once stubbornly funkless world of independent rock (and vice versa), and as LCD Soundsystem, source of the aging music snob anthem “Losing My Edge,” James Murphy has been a crucial maverick kicking up shit the whole way along. On “Sound of Silver,” he doesn’t sound like he’s sweating it.
Where the sounds on the first LCD album popped and insisted upon themselves as if screaming, the sounds here, all the chants and the beats and the guitars and the cowbell solos, cohere. “Get Innocuous,” “Time To Get Away,” and “Us v Them” are full of such DFA staples, but are executed here with an effortless swagger and ease that approach…wait for it…smoothness, and it sounds great. Some vocals swathed over them recall “Remain in Light” era Talking Heads hypnosis, and “Time To Get Away” throws in some nice Nile Rodgersesque chickenscratch guitar to fine effect. “North American Scum” and “Watch the Tapes” are here to remind us that Murphy can still rock, but they can’t help but have a relative lightness about them as if he doesn’t need to remind us or himself that he used to be a punk (after all, Even Ian McKaye has gone quiet).
What makes this album remarkable happens somewhere in the middle, with “Someone Great.” The beats shift to extreme mid-tempo, and the sound goes transcendently pretty, and Murphy sings a sincere lament to the people he loves and misses. Though the pace picks up a little bit with “All My Friends,” the sadness remains over a hypnotic and moving piano loop. The lyric builds slowly and methodically, going deeper into themes of nostalgia and loss, climaxing with the addition of a New Orderish guitar into a bittersweet reverie.
Surprisingly, the greatest impression of “Sound of Silver” is not of anger or snarkiness, but of loss, resignation, and sadness. Like fellow early middle ager Damon Albarn, who built a supergroup (The Good, The Bad, and The Queen) out of legends older than he, Murphy has crafted one of the year’s best sounding releases in tones of melancholy. The minimal title track adresses aging directly, as the color of the title refers more to hair than to futurism. With mellow house rhythms, Kraftwerk space keyboard effects, sticky bass lines, and shameless floating choral yawns and deep piano chord echoes, the number could at some points fit into a chillout collection, and is a reminder why that was not always a bad thing. The intonation that reoccurs bluntly states the fallacy in yearning for the incompletely remembered glow of youth.
The last song, “New York I Love You,” cements “Sound of Silver” as a classic bummer album, the kind that can’t help but spur a goofy, humbled smile. Most notably, it is a conventional song, completely shorn of dance rhythms. Over a pretty, and yes, sad, piano melody, Murphy laments his dissillusion with his city and its development. True, the one thing more annoying than New York worship is complaints from New Yorkers with more exciting lives complaining about being tired of it. This one, however, recalls Interpol’s “NYC” in that its sincerity and beauty make the sentiment universal.
LCD Soundsystem- Audio Player
March 20th, 2007 at 11:43 am
jamie says…
Grammy Award winning LCD Soundsystem return with their second full length
offering “Sound of Silver.” James Murphy (half owner of DFA Records, the
label this record is on) and band, jump in the waters head first.
Throwing in everything that is a DFA record. Dance, punk, electronic,
funk, all the ingredients needed for “Hipster-House”. This new album is
far more serious and way less cheeky as the first one. Sassy snare hits,
sizziling hi-hats, chugging baselines, and catchy vocal hooks hit you
right up front with “Get Innocuous.” Next is a favourite of mine, “Time
to Get Away” This is a very funky dance punk track with nice keyboard
stabs, funky baselines, and of course the cow-bell. On top of that you
get that nasally vocals tha Murphy has. Done in that Mark E. Smith (The
Fall) kind of way. Next up is the single thats going to get the kids
talking and dancing. “North American Scum”, A song about LCD Soundsystem
constantly being mistaken that they are from England. A very catchy and
danceable song. “Someone Great” is quite an interesting transition. It
is a slower very synthy song with a baseline that reminds me of early
Depeche Mode. The song is quite a moving piece about a not so great
break-up. Don’t worry all is good when “All My Friends” comes on, starts
off with an upbeat repetive piano being played (I think of Charlie Brown
for some reason everytime I hear this). Its a fun song about getting
together with friends. Up next is “Us v Them” an upbeat kraut-rock
sounding dance punk tune with a consistent synthline that builds and rises
nicely to make this track something a little different but yet very DFA
sounding. “Watch the Tapes” will defiantly have you shaking that bootay
from side to side. With a funky slap bass, funky four on the floor beat.
James’ vocals once again at the forefront. “Sound of Silver” the song
that lends its name for the title of the album. A simple song about
wanting to be a teenager again. This song goes all kinds of directions in
the land of electronic hypnotic. Spacey, trancy with a nice baseline all
they way through. Last on is “New York I Love” is a tongue in cheek look
at what New York has become and how its still the city to be in. This
album may not get all the hype that first one got, however with my love of
dance-punk this album is far better. Might be a little early but this
album may end up on my top 10.