American Dream
by LCD Soundsystem
  • Record Label: Columbia
  • Release Date: Sep 1, 2017
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 37
  3. Negative: 1 out of 37
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  1. The Wire
    Oct 11, 2017
    30
    His cartoonish vocals remain charmless, his lyrics as tediously self-referential as ever. [Oct 2017, p.57]
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Awards & Rankings

30
#30 Best Album of 2017
59
#59 Most Discussed Album of 2017
40
#40 Most Shared Album of 2017

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 203 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 180 out of 203
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 203
  3. Negative: 12 out of 203
  1. NeutralMilkH
    Sep 1, 2017
    10
    oh baby-9.5/10
    other voices-10/10
    i used to-9.5/10 change yr mind-10/10 how do you sleep-10/10 tonite-9.5/10 call the police-10/10    oh baby-9.5/10
    other voices-10/10
    i used to-9.5/10
    change yr mind-10/10
    how do you sleep-10/10
    tonite-9.5/10
    call the police-10/10
    american dream-10/10
    emotional haircut-9.5/10
    black screen-10/10

    Consensus: 10/10 or 9.8/10, originally I wrote a bigger review describing what makes each of the songs individually great when I accidentally deleted my essay... so I'm just going to do this quick summary instead. This album contains extremely haunting tracks from oh baby to black screen, and also contains amazing dance pieces such as tonite and other voices, let alone outstanding rock tracks such as call the police and emotional haircut. My point is, that this album has an amazing amount of variety for an extremely consistent work. The lyrics tell outstanding stories of love and regret, and ultimately about obsession (especially with the internet and drugs.) James' vocals are truly powerful and I never wanted this album to end despite the fact that it's over an hour long. Please listen to this album, it's too damn good to be passed aside. My favorite lyric: **** the shuffle, put this **** on repeat.    … Full Review »
  2. EludiumQ36
    Sep 3, 2017
    3
    Note that I'm not a core-fan of LCDSS, so this isn't going to be a 9/10 rating like the others. It's very hard to rate music like this, so I'mNote that I'm not a core-fan of LCDSS, so this isn't going to be a 9/10 rating like the others. It's very hard to rate music like this, so I'm just going to rate its effect on me and the likelihood for me to buy it and/or recommend it. I've read several industry pub reviews on the album so I'd have some frame of reference for evaluating. Most, if not all, praise the new effort, but I find it hard to listen to. It uses a lot of noisy, rhythmic drumming with discordant strings so it comes off as audibly offensive. As such, most of this is listen once and forget, you're not going to playlist any of this. Only three tracks - oh baby, call the police and american dream - are even close to radio friendly and at 6+ mins each they'd have to be cut and re-pkg'ed for radio. As with industry pubs, I did detect a lot of musical/rhythm influence from the 80s, and in a few cases the Talking Heads in particular, though I think "oh baby" recalls Spandau Ballet. Also, most if not all these tracks would've sounded better, been more tolerable with a soft female vocalist. Lead singer James Murphy just doesn't have an attractive vocal style at all and his falsetto in "american dream" was just labored. Why not use a female's vocal talent, especially after a 7yr break? Vulture.com noted that Murphy had a stated fear about LCD being overdue for a flop after three sterling studio albums. "American Dreams" might be that flop, won't buy/recommend.… Full Review »
  3. smrtboi2120
    Sep 1, 2017
    10
    A very impressive feat for LCD after all this time. This album fits in perfectly with all their previous work, no problem. That's what is mostA very impressive feat for LCD after all this time. This album fits in perfectly with all their previous work, no problem. That's what is most impressive to me. Sure they try out a few new tricks, but they also give us everything they do best. I can't see how fans wouldn't be pleased with this effort and thensome. I think the intro starts out very strong with "Oh Baby", making it clear they haven't missed a beat after all this time. This album is definitely a grower like most great albums, and it grows fast. On initial listen, I liked the first half better, but on my second listen and after, I really feel like the entire thing is incredibly solid. Really really amazing record, especially for a veteran band as this. They really haven't lost anything and sound as strong and as daring as ever. And as other people have said, they actually have something new to say this time around, with a lot darker tones. A lot of the songs build and pay off, this isn't anything new for LCD or their fans. There's a very distinct drum sound with this album, at least with a few specific songs, that's different than all of their previous work. It's like a hollow drum noise they incorporate a lot. But all their synth work sounds the same, which is a good thing. I'm extremely glad they reunited, they've easily proved it was worth it and it would have been a mistake not to with some of the songs as good as they are on here. "How Do You Sleep" is definitely the most impressive and standout track, especially in terms of summing up the whole record and what it sets out to accomplish or be. Definitely feels like a 9.3-9.5 out of 10 for me.… Full Review »
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