Ryan's Review: Throwback Week

Last year we witnessed the end of one of the most influential bands of the past decade. LCD Soundsystem. Beginning in New York around 2001 LCD Soundsystem helped begin a dance punk revolution with bands like The Rapture, Death from Above 1979, among others I'm sure I'm missing. In 2005 they released their first, self titled album to much critical praise and recognition. It even managed to make #8 on Pitchfork.com's top 50 albums of 2005. Then, after 2 years and 1 instrumental album, they finally released their official sophomore effort Sound of Silver.

I'm going to state this right off the bat, I like every track on this album.  James Murphy is a master of genre mashing and this album bleeds of what Murphy was inspired by at the time. Tracks like "Us v Them", "North American Scum", and "Get Innocuous" scream of Brian Eno and The Talking Heads. "Time to Get Away" has the funky drums and bass lines of old disco songs. "New York I Love You" reminds me of the crooning and grandiosity of Frank Sinatra.

The catchiest song on the album has to be "North American Scum". It's a song filled to the brim with attitude and cockiness.  Murphy seems to be sick of the European mindset toward American's being proud of where we're from. He basically says "hey our government really isn't making the best decisions right now," (keep in mind this was written in the second term of the Bush administration)  "but we all don't think that way. I still love this place where I live." Also great about this song, the screams of "North America!" from keyboardist Nancy Whang.

The two greatest songs to come off of this album though are, bar none, "All My Friends" and "Someone Great". Let's start off with the latter.

During the instrumental album 45:33 at around (I believe) the 9 minute mark there's a certain synth sample that caught everyone's attention. It was a pulsating, almost hypnotic line that hits you from nowhere. Why do I bring this up? It's the opening and continuing synth line that helps hold up this song. That hypnotic line combined with Murphy's beautiful lyrics of loss and indifference just make this song one of the most beautiful things to grace your ears. "                          All My Friends" starts with uncertainty. The minute or so of the same piano chords is meant to make you uncomfortable, you don't know where this song wants to take you just yet. When the song picks up it's all down hill from there. It's like a 6 minutes climax, it's like fire works on the 4th of July, it's the big gun fight in an action film. Every little bit of this song, every single instrument, just feels so right and natural. The planning of this song is just astounding. Murphy sings about his aging, how this whole rock star thing can't last forever. He even says is flat out that "This could be the last time". Does he want it to all end? Not really, what will he do, but he recognizes it will all end eventually. This song always manages to give me chills because it's such a relatable song and subject. It is my idea of a perfect song in all ways.

This is an essential album for anyone to have. I can guarantee there will be at least one song you'll love off this album.

10/10

Best of the Best songs: "All My Friends" "Someone Great" "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down.