LCD Soundsystem- 'Sounds Of Silver' (DFA) Released 12/03/07

With LCD Soundsystem, their trademark style has become known as a beat driven jaunt down the electro-funk pop lane. 'Sounds Of Silver' demonstrates how in such a short amount of time, James Murphy and gang have ditched their affiliation with droll narratives and grown a set of long experimental feelers. They seem to have cut the ties with their long serving cowbell. Well, almost.. It all starts with the excitingly dark ‘Get Innocuous’. With a synth beat to shake the belly of an ale drinking sloth, its power surges give a brilliant indication for a sturdy and emotive album. Murphy has found an electrifying charge with his chanting and as the synths progress and beats emerge, it really feels like a new wave has hit LCD smack in the face. Quick cut to ‘Time to Get Away’ and they are back.

The rhythmic plod of ‘Beats On Repeat’ emanates the feeling that the cheeky LCD are still kicking and will yelp a song to make us grin. It’s not all about smiling however, and their satirical jibe at feelings towards our pals across the Atlantic is made clear in ‘North American Scum’. As a band that have to cope with being assumed of as English, they poke fun at preconceptions about what it means to be an American. The journey continues into the fantastic retro sequencing of ‘Someone Great’ featuring vocals with the filthy charm of Louis XIV, before dropping us in the middle of a great big happy tune in the shape of ‘All My Friends’- a definite dancefloor song for clambering all over your mates to.

The definitive highlight of the album and the epic equivalent of ‘Yeah’ is ‘Us V. Them’. They have dusted off the cowbells for a rapturous stomp along for a gloriously long jamming session. Less than deviant from their old album, it is nonetheless brilliant to hear something that casts us back to their debut festival heyday. ‘Sound Of Silver’ seems to be overpowered by the rest of their offerings so far, but is rich and bassy, and has a hypnotic lyric to wind the album back down to the ground again. The whole affair signs off with ‘New York I Love You’, a tale of Murphy’s love/hate relationship with his home town. Despite its depictions of grime and the rat race, it sounds like a dishevelled Kermit The Frog, reminiscing alone against a cardboard skyline.

'Sounds Of Silver' is an album of playful growth, with nonetheless strong social and political undertones. Its difficult to find an album that stands up to such a strong debut, but LCD have done it here and it is defiantly one to have for a fantastic all round listen.