#433 LCD Soundsystem, 'Sound of Silver' (2007)

Previously #395

I enjoyed this album way way too much this morning. What a way to start Monday morning! I of course, know the album well, but last time I did the challenge I had only ever heard of LCD Soundsystem and not listened to them. This album kicked a door open in my mind that has since never closed. This album has it all; it’s electronic, it’s punk, it’s indie, it’s funky. It certainly keeps you on your toes. ‘All Of My Friends’ shouldn’t work, but it does. It’s built around a constant, almost out of tune, repetitive piano. It doesn’t stop for 7 minutes and 42 seconds, a constant throughout the song, but try and imagine it without it. The lyrics on the record are clever, they’re funny and they’ve got something to say. 

“New York's the greatest if you get someone to pay the rent”

“I wouldn't trade one stupid decision / For another five years of life”

“And I start to be sensible (if you know what I mean) / And so its time to get away, Its time to get away from you / I'm dying to get away, I'm dying to get away”

“And it keeps coming / Till the day it stops”

Every single song resonates. Everyone that has experienced their twenties will resonate with this. Everyone that has lived in the city. And then the final track, ‘New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down;’ honestly, you could interchange this with any city, especially considering the past few months we’ve all had. A man in love with his city (“New york, you're perfect / Don't please don't change a thing”) but also a man that has realised the realities of the city (“Like a rat in a cage / Pulling minimum wage”).

The album was originally released a month ahead of time on the band’s MySpace page (it falls into that very small sliver of the history of music marketing). And as amazing as this record is, it’s hardly even sold a quarter of a million records in the US despite the critical acclaim. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album, but it’s so much more than that. A good example of how sometimes it’s difficult to pigeonhole a record by genre. I’m glad I discovered this 7 years ago. I’ll continue listening to it for as long as I have ears.

#rs500albums