Greg Dona
03/13/07, 05:49 PM
James Murphy nailed the whole dance-punk thing down a really long time ago. In 1999 he teamed up with Tim Goldsworthy to form the influential DFA Records. The label went on to release albums from Hot Chip, Black Dice, the Juan Maclean, and DFA compilations, remixes, and a holiday mix. Then came LCD Soundsystem.
2005 brought about the group’s self-titled debut full-length. Comprised of one disc of new songs and another of singles dating back to 2002, the work swept the music world off its feet. It skyrocketed to the top of countless best of the year lists and garnered two Grammy nominations. And now, two years later, Murphy manages to entirely evade the sophomore slump, instead producing a sizeable leap forward with his Sound of Silver.
Listeners immediately take comfort in the electronic lead-in to the introductory “Get Innocuous,” for it represents a comfortable link to the aforementioned 2005 double disc effort. The track unfolds incredibly patiently, slowly progressing through its various stages and never quite reaching that same energy seen on earlier LCD songs. It builds anticipation until releasing into “Time to Get Away,” a tune featuring a quirky yet still reserved beat. Murphy’s voice yearns to complement a charging beat, and the various percussion additions simply tease, never yielding a much-craved frantic burst of noise. The inevitable moment ultimately shows up in “North American Scum.” Unkempt, howling vocals hold no reservations and eagerly bounce along the finally realized animated pulse. Although Murphy’s reluctance to unveil such a rhythm earlier on perhaps hampers the ability of his first two pieces to fully satisfy his listeners, his maturation exhibited through patience makes for a more cohesive album sound.
The following “Someone Great” features the vocal snippets from the Nike and iTunes backed “45:33.” Although impressive in its own right, the gradual unraveling of the ditty in its unabridged format proved slightly more impressive. However, Murphy efficiently minimized the song in order that it realistically fit on an LP.
From this point through the title track, LCD Soundsystem readopts the throbbing pace so integral to the success of LCD Soundsystem. Fans enjoy a beat so giddy it takes a borderline twee stance, bob through bells surrounded by haunting chants, embrace a shamelessly reverberating bass line, and adventure through a wilderness of foreign electronic blips and attacks. And then Murphy reveals the shocking closing track.
“New York I Love You” waltzes through a piano laced beginning reminiscent less of LCD Soundsystem than a Ben Gibbard project such as “A Lack of Color.” As listeners lull into a state of relaxation and ready themselves for a quiet departure from the CD, the song bursts into a disorganized, wailing intermediate period. This outburst eventually tails off into a calm exit. The mashing of styles beautifully closes an exceptional disc.
Yet the release possesses flaws of its own as well. Oftentimes Murphy seems too intent on freeing relaxed backings as opposed to pushing a pounding one. Although unifying at times, his work usually flows better with the here frequently abandoned in-your-face brashness of “Tribulations.” Thus, Murphy sacrifices a significant amount of infectiousness offered on earlier singles. This leads to vocal reservation. Whereas he screams and shouts perfectly, his true singing usually fails to capture that same magic. In the end, the sacrifice of fun provides the album’s most noticeable flaw.
But this supposed issue allows for a greater flow throughout. LCD Soundsystem sounded less like an actual album and more like a collection of singles. Here Murphy presents a true, singular work with single possibilities scattered throughout. This marks progression for the experienced musician. Eventually expect to see him mesh the outrageous energy and agreeable continuity. Until then, enjoy his latest and greatest.
2005 brought about the group’s self-titled debut full-length. Comprised of one disc of new songs and another of singles dating back to 2002, the work swept the music world off its feet. It skyrocketed to the top of countless best of the year lists and garnered two Grammy nominations. And now, two years later, Murphy manages to entirely evade the sophomore slump, instead producing a sizeable leap forward with his Sound of Silver.
Listeners immediately take comfort in the electronic lead-in to the introductory “Get Innocuous,” for it represents a comfortable link to the aforementioned 2005 double disc effort. The track unfolds incredibly patiently, slowly progressing through its various stages and never quite reaching that same energy seen on earlier LCD songs. It builds anticipation until releasing into “Time to Get Away,” a tune featuring a quirky yet still reserved beat. Murphy’s voice yearns to complement a charging beat, and the various percussion additions simply tease, never yielding a much-craved frantic burst of noise. The inevitable moment ultimately shows up in “North American Scum.” Unkempt, howling vocals hold no reservations and eagerly bounce along the finally realized animated pulse. Although Murphy’s reluctance to unveil such a rhythm earlier on perhaps hampers the ability of his first two pieces to fully satisfy his listeners, his maturation exhibited through patience makes for a more cohesive album sound.
The following “Someone Great” features the vocal snippets from the Nike and iTunes backed “45:33.” Although impressive in its own right, the gradual unraveling of the ditty in its unabridged format proved slightly more impressive. However, Murphy efficiently minimized the song in order that it realistically fit on an LP.
From this point through the title track, LCD Soundsystem readopts the throbbing pace so integral to the success of LCD Soundsystem. Fans enjoy a beat so giddy it takes a borderline twee stance, bob through bells surrounded by haunting chants, embrace a shamelessly reverberating bass line, and adventure through a wilderness of foreign electronic blips and attacks. And then Murphy reveals the shocking closing track.
“New York I Love You” waltzes through a piano laced beginning reminiscent less of LCD Soundsystem than a Ben Gibbard project such as “A Lack of Color.” As listeners lull into a state of relaxation and ready themselves for a quiet departure from the CD, the song bursts into a disorganized, wailing intermediate period. This outburst eventually tails off into a calm exit. The mashing of styles beautifully closes an exceptional disc.
Yet the release possesses flaws of its own as well. Oftentimes Murphy seems too intent on freeing relaxed backings as opposed to pushing a pounding one. Although unifying at times, his work usually flows better with the here frequently abandoned in-your-face brashness of “Tribulations.” Thus, Murphy sacrifices a significant amount of infectiousness offered on earlier singles. This leads to vocal reservation. Whereas he screams and shouts perfectly, his true singing usually fails to capture that same magic. In the end, the sacrifice of fun provides the album’s most noticeable flaw.
But this supposed issue allows for a greater flow throughout. LCD Soundsystem sounded less like an actual album and more like a collection of singles. Here Murphy presents a true, singular work with single possibilities scattered throughout. This marks progression for the experienced musician. Eventually expect to see him mesh the outrageous energy and agreeable continuity. Until then, enjoy his latest and greatest.