Sound of Silver

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.

The 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.

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.

Listening to this album feels like being poked gently with a dull object for 55 minutes and 55 seconds. At first it's just kinda irritating. Then as you get used to it, it's not so bad, you start to tune it out. Then there are actually moments where the poking feels invigorating, almost like a massage, but not quite as pleasant. And you almost feel sad and empty when the poking finally stops, like an integral part of you just disappeared. And then it hits you - you were sitting there letting someone poke you for almost an hour, when doing just about anything else would have been more enjoyable. 2 gentle pokes out of 5 👉👉

Indie dance music for people who don’t like indie dance music.

My bird liked this very much and chirped along with the music.

New York, you're bringing me down.

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.

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.

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”

Bowie with an 808, innovative, bouncy and fun

“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.

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.

meh

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

This is the archetype of what everything seemed to sound like when retired from listening to popular alternative music and retreated to a bar to grow a beard instead. This isn’t bad, just pick n mix industrial-emo-garage-danceable bullet points on a mid-noughts A&R dude’s bullshit bingo card.

Sharp and funky and emotional and cool all at the same time.

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

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.

Decidedly uncool, it feels too self conscious and try hard. There are parts that threaten to tickle my fancy but ultimately I just feel bleh about this album. Someone needs to tell this bloke he ain’t Prince.

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.

Awesome!

ONe of my fav electronic albums

Wondered if it would have aged well. It did. Awesome.

Their absolute peak. Lyrically brilliant and untouchable for much of it. Pretty much no missteps and just a joy start to finish.

Awesome album. Not usually a big fan of electronic music but this one hit right. Last song was my fav.

Quando as guitarras encontram com o melhor das batidas eletrônicas garantem 55:55 imersos num espetáculo sonoro.

A modern classic. Their debut album had its moments but was irritating at times. This album is more consistent and has much better songs. I can also appreciate their later work, but overall those albums are not as good as Sound of Silver.

The first half of this album is god tier and 'all my friends' is one of my top five songs of all time. It's fun, clever, cool, funky, danceable, heartfelt, energetic, uplifting and well made in terms of musicality and production. It does what good music does and fills my heart with happiness.

A perfect example of music that's dancy, electric, eclectic, and dynamic all at the same time. The comparisons to Talking Heads are apt, although they definitely lean into the electronics more, and are not as globally influenced as some of the Talking Heads stuff. With the exception of "All my friends" (frankly, a bit of a dud), all the songs are incredibly solid and fill out their time well. As an album, it never gets boring with its sound, each song has its own strongly unique fingerprint on this album. I'm a bit biased because I've listened to this album a lot before, but I know I love it, and getting it in this challenge was a treat.

I really don’t think this band is for everyone. But, this is one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite bands. It combines so many of my favorite genre elements, from punk to disco to even Phillip Glass-esque repetitive sound. More LCD Soundsystem.

1st time listening. Very enjoyable; loved the first 2 reviews about it. Good time had by me.

really fun album! my first of lcd soundsystem, and im glad i listened, it was a blast. 8/10

All song were fantastic but like 8 minutes

Corny throughout but I think after getting over the stink of dance pop there's something heartfelt and good to jam around to.

Get Innocuous is amazing and by far the best track on the record. The rest of the album is just okay.

I never gave this a chance when it came out, and that was a mistake it’s full of great tunes!

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".

Another one I've owned forever and never really listened to. In this case, a pleasant surprise! It's no more than the sum of its parts, but those parts are among my favorites. It's pretty hard to mess up a margarita given quality ingredients, and similarly if you put "The Man-Machine", "Lodger" and "Extricate" in a blender the result will taste pretty good regardless. 1 + 1 + 1 = 3

I'm in a bad mood at the moment and have a headache, but I'm pretty sure I like this.

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.

By golly, I really did not like this album. Yuck. Some of the songwriting is good, but even then, the background instrumentals are just awful. I don't like the looping approach taken on a lot of these songs. The songs will start by slowly adding each layer, and then the song is just kind of stuck with that as it goes on. It can't really change much from then on. The melody will change, and they might add another layer, but that's it. I liked the last song okay I guess, although it was off to a rocky start. The second to last song though...ugh. Too long, and very bad.

Annoying

kept surprising me. fun would listen to again

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3 the best

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.

mastapeece

Very long songs

Already listened, one of my favourite dance records of all time

A gem

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

guilty as charged

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

It’s damn good. 10

Guay!

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

Pretty much a perfect album

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.

Excellent, great sounds and tunes

Obvs

A modern classic

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.

Already

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.

Amazing.

The best album from one of the best bands of the last 20 years!

Dancey, beautiful, and spunky

Classic.

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.

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.

Great electronic musics

A classic!

Guay!

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.

Vicious!

Awesome post-rock. Killer beats, fun lyrics, just an all around banger.

Iconic electronica

Absolutely brilliant. Immediate must buy.

James Murphy is my spirit animal.

One of the best sounding albums ever

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