Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
2007
Album Summary
Sound of Silver is the second studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. The album was released jointly through DFA and Capitol Records in the United States and EMI elsewhere, first on March 12, 2007, in the United Kingdom. Sound of Silver was produced by the DFA and recorded during 2006 at Long View Farm in North Brookfield, Massachusetts and DFA Studios in New York, New York. Upon release, Sound of Silver received acclaim from music critics, and it was later nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. The group's later released EP, entitled A Bunch of Stuff, was composed entirely of songs from this album.
WikipediaThe year is 2007. It's summer. I just turned 21, built myself a fixie, and am living in Seattle in a party house. At any time of any day or night you can find me at one of the 4 following places: Zeeks Pizza. Riding my fixie around the city. Crashing dance parties. Sitting on my front stoop drinking a bum jug of burgundy and vibing to this album. It was a summer of self discovery. Weed, mushrooms, ecstacy. I fingered strange women, parachuted envelopes of molly, turned every pair of jeans into jorts, smoked filterless Lucky Strikes in softpacks rolled into my tshirt sleeves. I had neon sunglasses. I was a huge fucking chode but was having the goddamn time of my life. And LCD Soundsystem was there every sweaty, drunk, sunny, indulgent step of the way. This album was anthemic. It played at house parties, bonfires, sunny day bike rides, dive bar patios. It fueled my self-indulgence and was a comforting backing track as I eschewed my religious upbringing and discovered there is nothing inherently sinful in the pursuit of pleasure. I don't think I'm interested in reliving 2007 but I'm glad for the memories. Thanks for helping me get laid so much, James Murphy.
Ingredients: - 1 cup of The Strokes - 1 cup of Devo - 1.5 tsp of Television - .5 tsp of Daft Punk - 2 heaping tbsp of cowbell Directions: 1. Add all ingredients to silver saucepan. Stir to combine. 2. Bring to a boil, then let simmer on medium-low heat for 56 minutes and 12 seconds. 3. Pour into a silver bowl. Garnish with extra cowbell and percussion as desired. 4. Serve and enjoy.
You know, this started strong and I was like, "heck yeah, this is four stars easy!" but dang does it ever get repetitive as hell. Halfway through, my ears were exhausted. An few songs later, I wanted to stab things. By the time I was finished, I was mostly just angry that there is more than one LCD Soundsystem album on this list because that means that I have to do this again at some point. Also someone needs to have their cowbell confiscated until they can prove that they can be responsible with it.
James Murphy wears his influences on his sleeve here. If you’re a fan of David Bowie, Brian Eno, Talking Heads and/or Kraftwerk, you’ll probably find something to like. Conversely, you might hate it because it’s a little on-the-nose.
Derivative. Some songs remind me of Talking Heads, but without any passion. Oh hey, I remember this song from KEXP. “New York I love you but you’re bringing me down”
They don't do brevity, do they? Not sure I really get on board with combining Kraftwerk and Moroder with post-millennial irony. There's a kind of lassitude that squats at the heart of this project that turns me off. The music isn't good enough to pull me back. Repetition has its place as a tool for creating an ambience, but alas, that place is not on an LCD Soundsystem album.
So obnoxiously repetitive. “North American Scum” might be one of the ugliest songs I’ve ever heard. Trying to sound 80s without the authenticity.
Don't have eloquent enough words to describe how great this album is. Entwined with crystal clear memories of the euphoria of dancing with friends at their gigs and hazier memories of dancing in fields at sunrise.
such a cool album, definitely a nostalgia trip. New York I Love You singlehandedly brings it from an 8 to a 9/10. my main criticism is that some of the songs feel a little too drawn out, but its still great
Great album. It’s an interesting mix of fun danceable (get innocuous, tone to get away, North American scum) juxtaposed with a few emotionally resonant masterpieces (Someone Great, All My Friends, New York I Love You). I hear prince, I hear electronic, I hear punk, I hear tribal rhythms. The repetitive style of the songs either put you in a dance trance or hammer home the reverence. I want to give this a 5, it deserves it, but I think Sound of Silver and Watch the Tapes, could’ve been left off for a perfect album. I’m stuck between 4-5. Might have to sleep on it.
An amazing album in its own right and my favourite by LCD. On rotation at least once every couple of months with James Murphy's trademark idiosyncratic style and attention to detail it always makes me smile/dance.
Massive Open, consistent diverse sounds somewhere between White Stripes and OK GO, and it does it for me. Hell yes.
The best single LCD Soundsystem studio album for sure. I love everything they did through the MSG "farewell" run, shame that James Murphy has become cringe ever since reforming the band
Listened just yesterday to it. Infectious and driving referencing all the good stuff that's came before and inventing new things along the way. James Murphy is a great guy and his personality just flows out of the music. 'All My Friends' is such an anthem.
“Sound of silver, talk to me, makes you want to feel like a teenager, until you remember the feelings of a real life emotional teenager, then you think again.” The most improbably lengthy, yet still catchy, hook I have ever known. I’ve been a fan of LCD Soundsystem for quite some time, but have never strayed far beyond their excellent 2010 album “This is Happening” (sadly not in the 1001 list- I checked). I’ve tried to get into Sound of Silver before but have never made it through, so I’m glad to have given it more time here, because it’s brilliant. The best or worst thing about LCD Soundsystem, depending on one’s angle, is that James Murphy is a born magpie, shamelessly cherry-picking from his record collection and spinning old hits and deep cuts into new concoctions. Is this a smart skewing of DJ and electronica sampling in a rock environment? Is it an example of post-modern bricolage to reflect our increasingly fractured world, just like a shattered mirrorball? Or is it just a huge rip-off? Kraftwerk, Pete Shelley, Bowie, David Byrne and many more could put a reasonable case in after hearing this album, as well as any other by Murphy. Bowie’s response to Murphy’s plagiarism admission? “You can’t steal from a thief, darling.” My feelings are similar: everything is borrowed in one way or another. All heroes have heroes and nothing is made in a vacuum, like it or not. With this album, Murphy just about stays on the right side of pastiche. “Get Innocuous” is a very well-constructed opening, from the distinctive synth percussion intro, to the bassline filtering its way into existence, to the echoing foreboding vocals right up to the chant towards the end. It’s completely addictive and had me hooked as it unfurled all the way. The third track, “North American Scum” is an adrenaline-fuelled stomper with a satisfyingly beefy sound and passionate, furious vocals from Murphy. But “Someone Great” and “All My Friends” are on another level: sublime tracks making up the heart of the record. Immediate, emotive, simple: true modern classics, and the fact we get them back to back here is astonishing. My only gripe is that these two centrepieces set such a high bar for the rest of the record. The other two highlights are “Us v Them”, an admirable epic which manages to keep the momentum going against all odds after “All My Friends”, and the stirring, dejected “New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”. On the other hand, “Sound of Silver” and “Watch the Tapes” could have arguably been trimmed out to make a much tighter album. “Time to Get Away”, too, is relatively lightweight, enjoyable but failing to reach the same heights as most of the other songs here. Still, this is an immediate, irresistible hit. Catchy, immaculately produced and full of humour and heart, it’s a nine out of ten for sure.
The first song is an absolute banger, was actually a little disappointed with the rest of the album :(
J'ai été très surpris de ne pas tomber sur un album mais sur un Fast & Curious avec Hugo Clément. Pour autant je dois dire que certains moments m'ont beaucoup plu, comme par exemple celui où l'intéressé doit choisir entre les mots "réfléchir" et "agir" et qu'il répond "agir".
Not really a fan of this one, I knew of North American Scum already but the rest of the tracks all drone on for at least 2 minutes longer than necessary.
В Max Payne 3 было пару миссий-флешбеков, где действия разворачивались в нуарном Нью-Йорке вместо бразильских фавел. Контраст, что они производят, должен привносить разнообразие, дополнять происходящее. Мною же это воспринималось как издевательство, мол "Чувак, смотри, мы умеем, могли бы всю игру сделать приятной и интересной... но не захотели, хы-ы-ы-ы". На этих миссиях понимаешь, что смена сеттинга в триквеле - это просто лютый кал в рамках серии. Казалось бы, при чём тут ключи? Вроде очевидно, что последний трек альбома... похож на нормальную музыку. Перед этим ты почти смиряешься, что вот это монотонное повторение неприятных звуков и рандомных фраз может в определённый момент определённому человеку немного доставить. Но потом начинается последний трек и понимаешь "Ой не, нахуй это дерьмо, я ебал просто, нахуй этот кал, когда люди уже давно нормальную музыку придумали?". А, наверное, "чтобы расширять рамки восприятия, создавать что-то, отличное от созданного"? Не, ну ребят, давайте вы этот монотонный кал на фоне для себя как-нить наклепаете, а в топ уже чё-нить нормальное выкатите, а? Шоб вот включить, и весело. Или грустно. Или одухотворённо. А не скучно. Для последнего у меня есть "Две минуты тишины" за авторством Джона Леннона и Йоко Оно, захочется - на репит поставлю. Вышесказанное характерно для вступительного трека и с 5 по 8. В 2-4 всё же можно найти адекватные элементы. Но отличной музыкой назвать - вряд ли. North American Scum - хорошей, ладно. Отличной можно назвать лишь последний трек. Но это всё не вытягивает альбом даже до середняка.
Probably the best LCD Soundsystem, at least in terms of consistency. Hard to choose a rating, might give it a 4.5 if I had the option, as it trails off a bit at the end. Even if it's not perfect, it's really up there.
Probably my favorite album of the 2000s. An absolute masterpiece. Kinda like a more electronic Talking Heads. 10/10 1. Us v Them 2. New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down 3. All My Friends
Excelente disco, son muchos de los sonidos y ruiditos que me pueden fascinar en la música del siglo XXI. Agradecido por recordármelo porque lo tenía muy olvidado (años, años sin escucharlo). Su canción final me parece un cierre muy apagado, pero como de ya se acabó el chou, alv. No hay skips, aunque quizá "Time To Get Away" fue mi favorita por ahora, pero no me atrevo a afirmarlo definitivamente, pues todas tienen momentos grandiosos para mí. 10/10
fav tracks: get innocuous!, time to get away, watch the tapes, sound of silver, new york, I love you but you're bringing me down
One of my favourite albums of all time. Just perfect from start to finish. All My Friends was a tough listen during lockdown. So many great memories associated with that song in particular.
I really liked it. I thought some songs went on a little long especially towards the end like Sound of Silver but they were all good. Some favorites as of now are All My Friends, New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down, and North American Scum. Strong 8/10
El más grande disco del record collector rock. Lloré un par de veces, me alcanzó la edad. Mucha nostalgia con esto.
murphy's hitting his stride here. the sophomore effort features less improvisational lyrics and much richer production from S/T. SOS has some of his best songwriting in All My Friends and Someone Great-emotional bangers. and it's still got the dance vibes on Get Innocuous, NA Scum, and Us v Them. overall a remarkably balanced album. i tend to think This Is Happening is the high water mark, but I love this album and appreciate a reason to revisit it.
Rock del siglo XXI, progresivo y cañero, electrónico. Para bailar todo el rato. Moderno siempre.
21st May 2021 Listened to this throughout the day during an annoyingly busy Friday (normally dead). All My Friends is one of the greatest songs of the 00s as is this whole album. It's a shame that I got into LCD so late and that I've never seen them live. I hope one day they'll come back.
Good when good things stop retiring after a couple of years but this was good before that good thing happened
The Sound of Silver? No sir, this is a gold medal contender if ever I heard one.
beast. picture this, its 2007 and there are retarded 20 year olds wearing neon clothing thinking that their piss poor nu-rave scene is a groundbreaking thing and then james murphy comes up with this timeless classic to show them that you can mix dance music and guitar bands without having to murder a 90s classic. i'm looking at you the klaxxons. one of the worst bands to have ever existed.
Once again they demonstrate their absolute mastery of different musical genres. This is so much more than just a "dance/electronic" album. You can party to it and also relax. Just a great, great album. Best Tracks: North American Scum; Someone Great; All My Friends
A great rythmic album that made a cracking start to my day.Except the track "All of my friends" that just made my head ache with confusion of the piano notes.
Their absolute peak. Lyrically brilliant and untouchable for much of it. Pretty much no missteps and just a joy start to finish.
a fantastic album from start to finish.l and an album this is pretty close to being perfect. Just brilliantly crafted songs. I can’t see there there being a time when I don’t keep coming back to this.
Awesome album. Not usually a big fan of electronic music but this one hit right. Last song was my fav.
There are some real gems on this album. My faves are North American Scum, All My Friends, Us V Them, and New York . . .. Thanks to Wiki for letting us know that James Murphy and Tyler Hope both play the fun machine on Us V Them. How can you read that and not want to find out what a fun machine is? For the last LCD-S album sent to us, I waffled between a 4 and 5 and landed on 4. I like this LP at least as much and on this album they play the fun machine.
Electrifying album, that ends on an incredibly strong note. One of the best albums from the last 30 years
I think my favorite thing about this record is how every song on here feels like it begins with one instrument, and then slowly builds until it's a massive dance party. "North American Scum" is playing through my head whenever I travel abroad, and "All My Friends" is still one of my go-to depressed songs, even if it's somewhat about touring life. I fought against giving this a 5, but I don't really think I have any complaints, so a 5 it gets. Favorite tracks: "Get Innocuous!", "North American Scum", "Someone Great", "All My Friends"
Simply brilliant, as usual. will be listening again and crossing my fingers for a ticket to the return tour - one of the best live bands I've ever seen
Fantastic album, my 2nd LCD Soundsystem listen on this list and I think this was a bit better than the first, though I also really enjoyed that one. Definitely a band I've been turned onto from this journey, you can tell that there's a perfectionism going into the music but then there's also this "imperfect" element added in mostly through the vocal stylings, but you can tell it's there on purpose. Added a few songs to the playlist from this one.
Awesome post-rock. Killer beats, fun lyrics, just an all around banger.
This album is just brilliant. Every single song takes some kind of irresistible groove and layers the shit out of it with different instruments and hooks. Read all about it
Dakle, ovo je definitivno album koji me uvijek potakne na cupkanje/densanje. Odličan, važan za dance-punk scenu kako nazivaju ovaj žanr. Definitivna devetka.
I didn't like LCD Soundsystem at the time they released their first three albums. I guess I was still a little too nostalgic for the nineties indie rock sound, and I found their party-driven, four-on-the-floor hits too shallow at first glance. But since those days, I've completely come around on what James Murphy set out to do with this band. Now I understand. Now I can shake my butt on those tracks AND appreciate the overall artistic intent, not to mention the often witty lyrics. Since those days, I've also learned to enjoy many classic albums by David Bowie and Talking Heads, and it's now clear to me why so many people at the time saw Murphy as the heir apparent of those legendary acts. So yeah, that string of three records LCD Soundsystem released during the aughts is part of my current CD collection and I often return to it. And this particular record here is probably the tighter, most effective of the lot. The first five tracks are absolute bangers, a relentless assault of clever sounds, mesmerizing rhythms and hooks, very much of their time, but still timeless. The simple, yet artfully thought-out arrangements on a track such as "Someone Great"--including that charming glockenspiel doubling up the main vocals--are showing how you can be both minimal *and* expansive for that sort of song (its runtime says 6 minutes, but they feel like three, honestly). Side B is more subtle, but it keeps you on your toes for its whole run. Those synth-processed backing vocals in the title track are nothing short of amazing, for example. And formidable closer "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" is both ironic AND moving, which is a combination rarely reached in modern music. So it's easily five stars for me now. As the French say, only fools never change their minds... Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 907 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 52 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 26 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 20
Constantly rhythmic, always evolving, subtly complex. Lyrics that slide between dancefloor anthems and deeper emotional outpours. A complete masterpiece.
I love this album, the driving , dancy rhythms. Always loved 'Someone Great' and 'All My Friends'.
6/24/2022 - ALBUM #148 Today's Album: "Sound Of Silver" by LCD Soundsystem - This album is freaking phenomenal. I had been exposed to LCD Soundsystem in the past, through their follow up to this project, This Is Happening, and they quickly became one of my favorites pop outfits. The mastery of control over sound was immediately noticable from that record, and I'm happy to say they're just as talented in this project than they were on their next, if not even better. In this album, each of the songs are an incredible showcase of the sonic range of this artist. The track Get Innocuous! is a great introduction to the pumping basslines, diligently crafted synth tones, lively drum play, and the frequent auxiliary sounds that keep each bar feeling interesting and fresh. It feels like there was so much intention put into each little section of the track so that even though there are a lot of looping parts, it very rarely feels boring or played out. The vocal performance is also absolutely incredible and the track It's Time to Get Away is a great showcase of this, with these falsetto flourishes that he maintains such solid control over. Another great example is the pretty much perfect track that is, "New York I Love You, but You're Bringing Me Down", which may be one of the best vocal performances I have heard in terms of range alone. It also serves as a fantastic closer for this album, taking the amazing energy from Sound or Silver and taking it down a notch in order to build to a climactic and satisfying conclusion. The track Someone Great also stands out as a really great track, managing to stay entertaining and sound beautiful for a whopping 6.5 minutes. I think the real star of the show for this album, though, is the production. The way that the sounds are mixed makes a listen of this album with headphones an absolutely memorizing experience and each instrument, especially the drums synths, have such perfect effects on them, making the album feel effortlessly enjoyable and like it will be able to be enjoyed for a long time without feeling dated. Overall, this album is just spectacular and mesmorizing. It feels like I could listen to this 1000 times and I would still notice new sounds due to how sonically dense it is. Give this one a listen if you like indie pop, electronic music, or just want something to go crazy dancing to. Highlights: Get Innocuous!, Time to Get Away, North American Scum, Someone Great, All My Friends, Us V Them, Watch the Tapes, Sound of Silver, "New York I Love You, but You're Bringing Me Down" Score: 8.75/10 Absolutely phenomenal electronic indie-pop
Beste Album van LCD, samen met american dream; iets meer dance, maar zo cool en gelaagd.
I absolutely loved this. A dance party the whole time and the perfect thing to blast when you’re ready to move.
I said a few weeks ago on this list that The Suburbs by Arcade Fire was the definitive millennial rock album. After listening to Sound of Silver today maybe 3 times I don’t think I was wrong, but I really had to give my statement some thought. I had known most of the big LCD Soundsystem songs but had never listened to any of their albums all the way through. I think I had also maybe seriously started listening to them in 2010 when they were wrapping up the band for the first time. This was such a triumph to listen to. Starts strong, doesn’t ever lose steam and is the rare album that saves its strongest song for the end. I’m not into dance or electronic music (although have dug some of the records on this list) but this just transcends a bunch of genres into its own thing. It has the elements of scrappy garage rock that make it so exciting and immediate, and the the repetition of rave and dance that just puts you in a higher state of being. This is the music of being a young dirtbag in the city, living away from home for the first time and feeling invincible before your back starts hurting. Amazing supplemental material to this album: the Franz Ferdinand cover of All My Friends is so good. Amazing song for Franz. In addition: the video on YouTube of New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down with Kermit singing. Seemingly the official video? I would give 6 stars if I could.
This was long overdue for a relisten, I REALLY liked this album. The title track, "North American Scum," "Watch the Tapes," and "All My Friends" were my faves.
This album makes me want to dance, shimmy, and shake. All My Friends is a magnificent song. I love the repeated synthesizer part that drives throughout the song. I sincerely hope this part is on a digital loop for live shows and that there isn’t somebody that has to play that same repeating notes for 7+ minutes. I could nitpick a couple things like 8 1/2 minutes being too long for Us V Them and a couple funky cowbell-like sounds, but I won’t. This electro-pop, sometimes bordering on trance-pop, sound is remarkable. Now let’s dance!
Two wrongs don't make a right, but two negatives equal a positive ... (?) This is one of those albums that I should absolutely hate and for some reason I cannot explain, I absolutely love. The repetition, the fake-ass drum machines the doink! doink! doinks... should drive me crazy but I keep coming back to this album and all of LCDS work. The only thing I have to explain this is the underlying bitter tone and sarcasm of James Murphy. That paired along the mostly no frills pseudo-80's electronica acts a double negative. Best tracks, North American Scum, New York, I Love You, Get Innocuous!, Someone Great. Actually this whole album is great and should be required for anyone doing multiplication with two negatives.
I was really excited when this album came up. I listened to it a lot when it debuted and have a lot of great memories of it being on when hanging out with friends. The first 3 LCD albums are all superb but if I had to choose a fav, this is it.
Listening to this is like wearing a weighted blanket (insert heart). Reminds me of my peak NYC living years. Struck by how much "NY, I Love You But You Are Bringing Me Down" reminds me of Violent Femmes this time around. Favorite tracks this listen: "Time to Get Away" & "All My Friends".
This for me is a 5. I love lcd, I love this album. All my friends is my favorite song of all time, I love it so so so much and whenever I hear it I have so many emotions pop up. It has been with me for so many years and seeing them live was so cool and incredible and hearing my favorite song live was spectacular. I was ironically by myself listening to all my friends. The top songs from this are all my friends, someone great, new york I love you but you're bringing me down, but they're all great. the backstory of this album is so interesting. I just love everything about it. They're def not for everyone but I think if people gave them a fair chance they would actually enjoy their music. always 5 minutes and up which is actually kind of great considering all my friends is 7 minutes long and I never want it to end. it's a good move to pick a favorite song that's really long. happy to listen to my favs.
fuzzy, danceable, goovy, eletronic, funny, james murphy playing in my basement
It's almost as if LCD Soundsystem is custom tailored specifically for my musical taste. His influences are impeccable and he brings them together in such a way that makes it seem fresh. I think it largely has to do with his more down to earth, at times even vulnerable, lyrics and vocal delivery. Perfect balance of electronic and human elements with just the right amount of humor thrown in. Love pretty much everything about his approach and never get tired of it. If there were only one band we could use as a model for what we are doing musically, this would be it for me.
This was a great album, a wonderful blend of rock and electronic, funky and emotional. Some really great tracks here and just a great journey throughout! Favourite: All My Friends
Toe-tapper after toe-tapper on this album. Originality was something sorely lacking at this point in music history but LCD Soundsystem tapped into something very unique to create “nu-disco” and this album is a pure celebration of this fact. The best songs they would ever write including the soaring “All My Friends”. That song alone would merit 5 stars to be quite frank. Incredible album.
Every time I listen to LCD Soundsystem, I think "I should listen to LCD soundsystem more". As a lover of snowboard film soundtracks from around 2010, I love this vibe.