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Wednesday, 28 February 2007

Review: Sound Of Silver by LCD Soundsystem

Sound Of Silver by LCD Soundsystem

I don't know what the sound of silver is saying to James Murphy, but whatever it has been saying must have been good. I've been a fan of LCD Soundsystem for a while now. I first heard Daft Punk Is Playing In My House about two years ago, and I fell in love. The first album was a
great mix of different genres all infused with an electronic feel.
Now, when my friend told me that LCD Soundsystem was releasing a new, I got excited. The 45:33 album/EP (whatever) really caught my interest, so I was really prepared for a good album.
The Sound Of Silver starts off with Get Innocuous. The beginning beats somewhat resemble Losing My Edge from the first album. It builds for a while, some electronic sounds come in and a piano. When James Murphy starts to sing though, that's when this song gets good. He sounds like a 70's funk singer, it's genius.
Then there's the funky Time To Get Away smooth keyboard tones, and next there's the rock-oriented North American Scum. I really like this song, it seems to be about how people view North Americans and look down on them.
Someone Great is one of my favourites. It is actually taken straight out of 45:33. The melody and everything, very little is added to it besides lyrics. The vocals do add to the original and I find that the heavy electronic bassline really sticks in your head. In a good way, of course.
All My Friends is my favourite on the album, though there's nothing much to say. The pianos that remain throughout the song add a nice flair to a very electronic album. The lyric writing in this song really gets to me though, they seem so real and sincere. Also I love the reference to Pink Floyd when he says, "we set the controls for the heart of the sun".
Yet again, the funk is back in Us v Them. Fast crunchy guitar with complex percussion, yet it seems a little too similar to Time To Get Away just with guitar. Still, the cowbells make the song fun and listenable. Watch The Tapes is the weakest song on the album. It has an intro that is remiscient to early punk sounds, but it's really not enough to make me really like this song.
The title track Sound Of Silver is just weird. It starts off with Jimmy singing this odd intro, and then drums come in. It honestly the coolest opening on the album and the most original. This song is where you get the neat electronic house sounds, which makes it the most danciest song on the album.
Finally, we come to the closing track, New York I Love You. It is a love song to a city that is a bit of a burden on our fine musician and is definitly the Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up of the album. It's a nice quiet ending to the abum, that just puts you back down on the ground after the crazy electronic noise of Sound Of Silver.
Ultimately, The Sound Of Silver is a more cohesive album than the first and is a must-have for fans of the original or people looking for a fun electronic album. I give it a 4 out of 5.
-Lucas Thurston



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