I’m having severe issues trying to decide what I think about LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver. It’s gotten its fare share of good press, (Pitchfork apparently orgasms while listening to it,) and bad, (Cokemachineglow’s review is really spot-on, even if their score seems a bit low,) but I couldn’t quite decide where between the two of them I fell.
On first listen, it was clear to me that I liked it much more than the self-titled Soundsytem release from 2005, which suffered from being entirely too long, with several 5+ minute songs that, if a few extraneous minutes of synth loops had been extracted, could have made the album read like a how-to guide on pop/dance/frumpy white guy music.
As it is, LCD Soundsystem still has its choice of prime cuts, and is extremely danceable throughout. Sound of Silver loses some of that in favor of music with, (arguably,) a bit of depth, and manages to cut out a lot of the dead space that dragged its predecessor down. On the other hand, James Murphy, who always seems to be walking the line between “Ironic Aging Hipster” and “Kinda a Douchebag” seems to lean further and further into the second category.
Instead of reviewing the album, then, because Lord knows it’s beyond too late for that to matter, I’ll just compare the album’s best track with its worst track.
I’ll start with “North American Scum,” the album’s first single and, depending on which camp you fall into, either Murphy’s witty evaluation of how Europeans perceive North Americans (read: United States of Americans), or Murphy’s systematic alienation of himself from anyone not living in New York City. I see it both ways, but that’s not really what bothers me about it. My main problem stems from the simple fact that it’s not funny. Murphy’s humor comes under discussion a lot when reviewing his albums and, frankly, it’s only worked for him once. “Losing My Edge” was funny because it operated under this theory. Hipsters could all laugh together at the music references, and the sheer absurdity of the concept of the single was at least interesting and engaging. Not so for “North American Scum,” which instead makes me want to uncomfortably shift in my chair and look around the room to see what other people are thinking.
I guess before I even delve into the slimy mess that is the lyrics of the song, I should say that my most tangible dislike for the song comes from Murphy’s “I have a head cold today but I already paid for the studio time” delivery. Much like a pop-punker who sounds like he’s trying to be whiny, Murphy sounds like he’s trying to be reserved and cool. He just sounds congested.
But, ah. The lyrics.
As Conrad Armenta pointed out in his review on Cokemachineglow.com, the line “We’ve been on trains and on planes ‘till we think we might die / far from North America / where the buildings are old and you might have lots of mimes,” is inexcusable. “Lots of mimes?” And it’s not even like he says there WILL be “lots of mimes.” There “MIGHT” be. Beyond that, Murphy and a growing chorus of children chant “North America” once every 10 seconds, a term that seems ill-fitting considering the fact that he devotes an entire verse to New York City, (and a song at the end of the album.) He obviously does not represent all of North America, and clearly not even all of the United States. Maybe that’s supposed to be the point, or why it’s funny. But it’s not, and it just leaves Murphy sounding, as a friend of mine so delicately puts it, like a cock.
Switching gears entirely, “All My Friends” is one of the best songs I’ve heard all year, and its execution is something that I wish Murphy would try more often. Instead of being “funny,” Murphy takes some time to be sincerely nostalgic about hanging out with his friends, and I can get behind that. Simple, piano-driven production and a delivery by Murphy that sounds miles away from “North American Scum’s” tongue-applying-for-citizenship-in-cheek pompousness make “All My Friends” the kind of song that Murphy will probably never be able to pull off again, but damn if he didn’t do it well this time.
In the end, Sound of Silver isn’t a great album, but it’s not terrible either. It is consistently pretty good, with one huge pitfall and one Everest-ian high point. The other seven songs on the album are completely listenable, and often really enjoyable. I sorta see Sound of Silver as a step up from LCD Soundsystem, as Murphy plays around with what works and what doesn’t when he’s forced to restrain himself to one disc’s worth of material. And maybe, just maybe, the next time LCD Soundsytem releases an album, Murphy will have gotten over himself and the scene will have gotten over James Murphy.
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