James Murphy is not from England. He's not. And he wants you and all your friends to quit putting him and his friends from LCD Soundsystem in a box. This is exceedingly apparent on Sound of Silver, LCD Soundsystem's second full-length LP (they've put out an alarming number of singles and EPs in a short period of time). Murphy is the co-founder of DFA Records, which hosts a powerful lineup of dance, dance-rock, disco, electronic, and other genre-fusing acts like Hot Chip and Hercules & Love Affair. In his spare time, he makes great records, and Sound of Silver is certainly one of them (I mean, it was nominated for a Grammy this year!).The band's MO of repetitive guitar, drum and synth/piano lines starts right away with "Get Innocuous," as does Murphy's interesting vocal style (he doesn't sing like that on every song). Each track sounds distinctly essential, and if I had to pick one instrument to keep above all others, it might be the cowbell. Damnit that cowbell sounds great! "North American Scum," with it's opening statement of exasperation: "Well I don't know, I don't know, oh... where to begin. We are North American. And for those of you who still think we're from England... we're not. No." That frustration continues as a mock/serious criticism of American culture and how it's perceived domestically and abroad. "Someone Great" is one of the best songs on the album and pulsates for a good 6 minutes while toying with subtle changes in a variety of sounds: blips and bleeps, real and electronic. It's hypnotic. "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down," is the album closer and a departure from the rest of the album: as a glorified piano ballad with witty lyrics, it serves as a focal point for a recurrent theme in Murphy's songwriting: growing older. And nowhere is this theme more pronounced and well-delivered than on album highlight "All My Friends." While looking through reviews when Sound of Silver was first released, I came upon the following:
" [On "All My Friends,"] the straightforward repetition of the same guitar, keyboard and bass lines, combined with lyrics about life without regret, and life with all kinds of regrets, pays off with a punch about what we lose as we get older."Right on the money. And if you don't hit the "Back" button after listening to it for the first time, you weren't really paying attention anyway.
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