LCD Soundsystem - "Sound of Silver" (Capitol)

A perfect mixture of past & present, LCD Soundsystem's latest - Sound Of Silver - is this year's very best punk/disco/indie rock combination. The album's nine tracks are all instantly appealing, the perfect combination of groove and irony and sonic hoopla.

Band leader James Murphy takes a refreshing low-key approach to the band, its' words & deeds. On "North American Scum," he cops to Americans' rather low standing in world citizenship these days ("...and for those of you who still think we're from England - we're not - no... but in the end, make the same mistakes all over again!"). All the other tracks truly sine as well, including the stunning opening track "Get Innocuous" (one of my favorite song titles ever), and the ultra new-wavey "Watch The Tapes." Murphy has certainly listened to his share of Roxy Music (ENO), and Lou Reed albums, but the result of these influences are not the all-too-common-these-days mimicry, but the right kind of familiarity.

Murphy's also a master mixer and producer. Sound Of Silver sounds warm and inviting, unlike much of the current crop of disco hybrid recordings. It'll work on or off the dance floor, and that's pretty high praise for a project like this.

Written by Dan Reed

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