Review: Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem
Sound of Silver
Capitol/DFA Records

The brainchild of one-man-studio-band James Murphy (also known as LCD Soundsystem), Sound of Silver manages to mix dance and electronica without veering into electroclash terrain. This is likely due to the driving punk/dance punk edge that punctuates nearly every song. (The exception being the piano-driven "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down"). It's also due to the cowbells, handclaps, and other organic sounds that flavor the musical mix.

In many ways, the music is a throwback to the urban ennui of New York City's East Village circa 1980, with its aggressive drum loops, frenzied guitar riffs, rowdy rhythm-and-bass intact. The retro sound serves as a sonic counterpoint to the lyrics, which range from the personal ("All My Friends") to the global ("North American Scum"). They also tell the tale of a protagonist seeking to reconcile the end of his youth with the realities of his thirtysomething life. So it makes perfect sense that the music should reflect the soundscape of the artist's Gen-X youth.

In addition, Murphy's vocals are, in the punk tradition, are both functional and fervent, rolling from the shrill highs of his falsetto to the staccato of simple spoken words and phrases. More often than not, the effect is hypnotic ("Time to Get Away"). Even in those cases when it isn't ("Get Innocuous"), the pastiche of sounds and rhythms come to the booty-shaking rescue.

The (postmodern) Man vs. Maturity dilemma comes to a head in the final two tracks: "Sound of Silver," an ode to the consequences of nostalgia, and "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down," a bittersweet meditation on the wages of youthful expectation and adult disappointment. Thirtysomething quandaries aside (or notwithstanding, as the case may be), Sound of Silver serves a hearty share of chicken soup--not for the soul, but for the head and the hips.