Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem

James Murphy makes good music; it’s as simple as that. His eponymous debut album, (I say ‘his’, because you get the impression that the rest of the people named on the album simply do as he tells them) was a refreshingly mature electronic album to be treasured, and his (their?) follow up does not disappoint, in fact, it thrills.



Sound of Silver begins in the same vein as the last album, with many tracks displaying Murphy’s appreciation for other bands and artists. Opener Get Innocuous! is very Bowie-esque in terms of vocals and the same can be said of eight minute long electronic opera Us V Them. Other tracks like Watch the Tapes and Time to Get Away have more in common with the new wave funky guitar styles of which Murphy is so fond.

It may seem as if LCD Soundsystem simply create music in the style of their favourite bands, put it all on an album and expect to get lauded for it, however there is more to it than this. All their songs contain something which makes the song specifically ‘LCD’, whether it be the simple repetition of drums and a bass line (as many of their tracks do) or spurts of noise from obscure instruments mid-track (cowbells on Time to Get Away or kalimbas on Us V Them). These are all things we have seen on the band’s previous album, however on Sound of Silver there are two tracks which jump up above anything they have done before.

Someone Great is the fourth track of the album. A story builds up over undulating electro whirls and rhythmic synth chords about an unspecified tragedy with Murphy’s tantalizingly ambiguous lyrics leading you on. You find yourself getting emotionally attached to the narrator and lyrics like ‘the worst is all the lovely weather/ I’m stunned it’s not raining’ stick in your head hours after listening. Many critics I have read who have reviewed the album say this is the favourite track on it, however for this listener, the next track All My Friends is really something special. Murphy narrates feelings about a life without regrets and growing up over repeating piano, bass and drums. The lyrics are poignant and precise ‘I wouldn’t change one stupid decision for another five years of life’ and the closing refrain ‘if I could see all my friends tonight’ is both euphoric and haunting.

There are other tracks on the album. North American Scum was the first single released from the album and while Murphy screeching the punky refrain is a far cry from the lyrics of the previous two tracks I described, it is an exceedingly catchy song about the Atlantic divide and also showcases evidence of LCD ‘the band’ with Nancy Whang’s very effective backing vocals.

Sound of Silver is a dance album with meaning, and although all the tracks can not live up to the two that make up the middle of the album, there is not a weak track on the album. It is a thoroughly enjoyable listen, as well as thought provoking, and while it is not a masterpiece, it certainly contains a couple.

James Murphy makes good music and he will never disappoint.

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Article first published as Music Review: LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver on Blogcritics.

Anachronism

Born on a different cloud
I wish I was.

The gleaming suits
phonetically pleasing
hat covered hair
blue eyes.

Blue Eyes
ritualized.
Running, writing, singing,
never stopping.

Stagnating
fifty years on.

Science Fiction today is written in the past...

Over the past couple of months I have read alot of science fiction novels, more than I have done in the past. Although it was not a genre I considered to be one of my favourites, I was always interested by it. I remember going through the sci-fi section in the library and being fascinated by these bulky volumes with strange, obscure images on the front cover, although I never bothered to delve into one.

The first novels I read were arguably the first science fiction novels ever written; The War of the Worlds and The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. My first and overriding feeling after reading both these books was one of pure admiration for Wells' vivid imagination. How one man has created so many staple ideas of science fiction in one lifetime is astounding. Indeed in just these two short novels Wells' explores the themes of alien invasions, earth being taken over by martians, humanity being destroyed and humanity destroying and human experimentation.

It seems to me that science fiction has not moved very far since the 1890s when these two books were published and I would suggest that the vast majority of sci-fi novels written since have simply been an expansion or a different take on the ideas presented by Wells.

Something similiar can be said of another novel I read, I Am Legend. I Am Legend is a psychological examination of the last man on earth (or so he thinks) and his struggle to survive against hoarding sub-humans, something between a vampire and a zombie, who try to kill him. I am aware that Richard Matheson (author of I Am Legend) did not invent vampires or zombies however he was the first to put them into a dystopian earth where the majority of humanity has been wiped out. It is this idea which has been replicated in books and films countless times, and while the tune may be slightly different, the song is always the same.

Authors like H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and Richard Matheson seem to have taken all the fundamental science fiction ideas and used them first. Now what science fiction authors write are just imitations of these ideas. However this is not just the case in sci-fi, but seemingly in all literature. There seems to be very little that has not been done, very few new ideas, and it is rare to come across something that is completley original.

NB. I want to make it clear that just because something is not completley original, does not mean it can not be enjoyed. I am not that pretentious.

The Best Of British

Akala raps over a sample of Reckoner by Radiohead. Best British hip hop artist combines with the best British rock band. Enjoy.

This Is Music

Most bands/artists have not made real music for a long time.

One look at the charts will tell you that the music industry is in dire straits, and has become a business run by the money-grabbing hands of shiny businessmen. While this can not be avoided, it is this process which unfortunately keeps the world turning, it has led to the large majority of music that is made, to be made with the sole aim of making money, which really defeats the purpose of the music being made at all (except, of course, for those ocherous businessmen).

LCD Soundsystem's Losing My Edge perfectly illustrates how music should be made: bands and artists should not make music so the most number of people will by their albums to keep their labels happy, it should be made for themselves. It should have meaning, it should have emotion, and it should have soul, not just a hook that everyone goes around singing and they can't work out why.

There is very little music being made today that fits into the description I have just given. However when I was travelling home on the N3 night bus yesterday I was reminded of one of the most genuine and heartfelt albums made for a very long time.



I've been a fan of Bon Iver for a long time - seeing him perform live in Hyde Park in June 2009 was one of the best live performances i've seen, physically or on video. When Justin Vernon went into a little cabin in Wisconsin what was produced was an interlude and eight of the most emotional, soulful and real songs. One listen to his album For Emma, Forever Ago and you know that this music was done for no-one but himself, there's was no dreams of money or world tours, he just wanted to tell people who wanted to listen how he felt. It is real, and should be treasured.