Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
Earlier this year, James Murphy had a revelation in the middle of the night and proclaimed to his startled wife that he knew exactly what he need to do for his follow up to LCD Soundsystem’s debut.
“I need to make a really, really, really, really good record!”
And so he did. It seems Mr. Murphy has honed his skills at recording vocals during his production for his DFA Label darlings Hot Chip. Instead of relying solely on the Mark E Smith ranting-through-a-speakaphone bit, Murphy has added to his repertoire: the grand vocal stylings of Zooroopa-era Bono and Eno harmonies as well as a very pleasantly surprising Bill Murray-esque piano lounge crooning to his closing ode, “New York I Love You”.
Murphy has armed the songs in Sound of Silver with enough hooks, beats, basslines to reach the estatic heights of LCD Soundsystems early 12″ singles. The lead of track, Get Innocuous begins humbly with the same casio-preset drum machine sounds as the first time we heard LCD Soundsytem in “Losing My Edge.” Since this is a James Murphy track, it is not surprising that the track builds itself into beastly frenzy of punishing synth hooks and sick disco groove. But the thing that puts this song into the running of Best LCD Soundsystem 12″ ever is when the vocals come in. It is not the same James Murphy you knew growing up. What sounds like a dozen Murphy/Eno hybrids soars its way through the first vocal section leading into a taunting cheerleading outro led by Nancy Whang.
All of My Friends is the most uplifting track James Murphy has ever done. All the traveling, touring, and partying has left an impressionable mark on him as he is growing older and wiser. The song is filled with a driving piano and propulsive energy from LCD’s solid rhythm section in a pantomime of the Urban Kinectic Energy that consistently carries him through life. The ultimate point that James Murphy finally admits at the end of the song is that no matter how vibrant and frenetic the flow of Urban Kinectic Energy one needs to remember that friends are the ones that keep you afloat.
Get Innocuous - LCD Soundsystem (mp3)
All of My Friends - LCD Soundsystem (mp3)