American Dream
by LCD Soundsystem
  • Record Label: Columbia
  • Release Date: Sep 1, 2017
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
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  1. 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 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 clearA 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.… Expand
  2. Jaime3001
    Sep 1, 2017
    10
    If You can really see how time has taken its time in James Murphy and his music, but in a good way. Using a lot of themes related to death, age, and change, Murphy has made ANOTHER great LCD Soundsystsem, both musically and lyrically. Even if one has too much high hopes, this album doesn't disapoints in any way.
  3. justachair
    Sep 11, 2017
    9
    James Murphy and company have delivered yet another fantastic record: A genre-bending emotional whirlwind of sweet and sour tracks that glide gracefully through their lengthy runtimes (The album is 68 minutes long) with a wide array of sounds that connect seamlessly and perfectly into beautiful compositions.
    "how do you sleep?", with its aggressive synths, is one of the best songs LCD has    James Murphy and company have delivered yet another fantastic record: A genre-bending emotional whirlwind of sweet and sour tracks that glide gracefully through their lengthy runtimes (The album is 68 minutes long) with a wide array of sounds that connect seamlessly and perfectly into beautiful compositions.
    "how do you sleep?", with its aggressive synths, is one of the best songs LCD has ever produced.    … Expand
  4. stk35054
    Sep 1, 2017
    10
    American Dream fits seamlessly on the shelf of LCD Soundsystem's anthology. Murphy is back again to commentate on all of the things we fail to recognize or fit into the conversation. The knee-jerk rhythms and bouncing bass riffs are nothing short of pleasing. LCD Soundsystem is back in its usual rare form, even if Murphy is "not [as] dangerous now... [as he] used to be."
  5. DavidWasHere
    Nov 5, 2017
    8
    This is a great comeback album. While it is very derivative of the band's old sound, in fact it's a rather safe album than something truly daring for LCD Soundsystem, it's better than most comeback albums. The beats are retro-cool and groovy, the lyrics are as heartfelt and biting as they ever were, and James Murphy hasn't missed a beat with his iconic vocals. There are points where theThis is a great comeback album. While it is very derivative of the band's old sound, in fact it's a rather safe album than something truly daring for LCD Soundsystem, it's better than most comeback albums. The beats are retro-cool and groovy, the lyrics are as heartfelt and biting as they ever were, and James Murphy hasn't missed a beat with his iconic vocals. There are points where the songs are a bit stark with ideas and can run long, cuts like Call the Police, Tonite, and Oh Baby surely make up for them!… Expand
  6. Music_Observer
    Sep 25, 2017
    7
    This reunion album is rightfully fully derived from James Murphy’s singular yet powerful musical strength, which are the spacious and versatile rhythmic drones, and while its successes in sound and some musical cohesiveness separate itself from other timbre driven works, there’s nothing too surprising about the rather insignificant delivery of the other elements, making this more ordinaryThis reunion album is rightfully fully derived from James Murphy’s singular yet powerful musical strength, which are the spacious and versatile rhythmic drones, and while its successes in sound and some musical cohesiveness separate itself from other timbre driven works, there’s nothing too surprising about the rather insignificant delivery of the other elements, making this more ordinary than it could have been. My Score: 132/180 (Solid) = 7.3/10… Expand
  7. CPaccini
    Sep 1, 2017
    9
    Everything James Murphy seemed to be poking fun at in the previous LCD projects has resurfaced on this album but in a much darker and more serious way. Mostly themes like personal relationships are dark realizations masked as fun and beautiful electronic/pop-rock tracks, almost as if Murphy has become less naive with his age. Of course, on top of the dense lyrical content is anEverything James Murphy seemed to be poking fun at in the previous LCD projects has resurfaced on this album but in a much darker and more serious way. Mostly themes like personal relationships are dark realizations masked as fun and beautiful electronic/pop-rock tracks, almost as if Murphy has become less naive with his age. Of course, on top of the dense lyrical content is an immaculately mastered musical experience that we've come to expect from LCD Soundsystem.… Expand
  8. Pericowsky
    Oct 1, 2017
    10
    The least happy album of the band, I must say one of the best records of the year, as Peter Murphy manages to give us those sounds that are needed today. I perceive great influences of Joy Division and Talking Heads.
  9. SergioAllIndie
    Sep 11, 2017
    10
    Why is American Dream a great album? Because it serves as an universal statement for keep going on. If James Murphy has made up his mind around bringing LCD back, we need no more inspiration than that for carry on our own daily struggles. Maybe we wake up feeling as lovesick as Oh Baby reads, and end up the day feeling like we didn´t try hard enough, only finding consolation remembering asWhy is American Dream a great album? Because it serves as an universal statement for keep going on. If James Murphy has made up his mind around bringing LCD back, we need no more inspiration than that for carry on our own daily struggles. Maybe we wake up feeling as lovesick as Oh Baby reads, and end up the day feeling like we didn´t try hard enough, only finding consolation remembering as on Black Screen. But everything that´s between both of them, propels an inner urgency for ironize, dance and sing the heart out of it. Does that seem like a LCD Soundsystem record? You bet!… Expand
  10. 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 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    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.    … Expand
  11. 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'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 findNote 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.… Expand
  12. Ricko
    Apr 1, 2018
    8
    A solid comeback that fits in well with LCD's back catalog which is a huge success when taken in context. Opener "Oh Baby" and its building nature bring "Dance Yrself Clean" to mind. "I Used To" and "How Do You Sleep" are others that hark back to the bands peak moment. There's a fair bit of fresh experimentation to be found as well resulting in a rewarding listening experience. Some of theA solid comeback that fits in well with LCD's back catalog which is a huge success when taken in context. Opener "Oh Baby" and its building nature bring "Dance Yrself Clean" to mind. "I Used To" and "How Do You Sleep" are others that hark back to the bands peak moment. There's a fair bit of fresh experimentation to be found as well resulting in a rewarding listening experience. Some of the best percussion and synth work around is on show here and Murphy's trademark style should bring in a few new fans as well as delighting longtime fans.… Expand
  13. ArchieandErnie
    Sep 1, 2017
    10
    Only heard this album a couple of times so probably a bit premature for a review but this already sounds like an LCD classic. The tracks that stand out so far are obviously the previously released ones that we've all heard, 'Call The Cops', 'American Dream' and 'Tonite' but the opening number 'Oh Baby' could actually be one of my favourite LCD Soundsystem tracks ever. Other standoutOnly heard this album a couple of times so probably a bit premature for a review but this already sounds like an LCD classic. The tracks that stand out so far are obviously the previously released ones that we've all heard, 'Call The Cops', 'American Dream' and 'Tonite' but the opening number 'Oh Baby' could actually be one of my favourite LCD Soundsystem tracks ever. Other standout tracks so far are 'How Do You Sleep?' and the 12 minute Bowie homage, 'Black Screen'. Who'd have thought a comeback album could actually be an artist's best work? James Murphy is a genius.… Expand
  14. YT_Guyyy
    Sep 9, 2017
    8
    I can't really put out an actual review on this. Trust me, I've tried. Every time I try to put sentences together I just think "That's not what I think about this album!". It's just hard to put into words. It's not their best album. I can't see why people believe it is, but to each their own I guess.

    It's a pretty good affair from the group, but the production is overblown and the    I can't really put out an actual review on this. Trust me, I've tried. Every time I try to put sentences together I just think "That's not what I think about this album!". It's just hard to put into words. It's not their best album. I can't see why people believe it is, but to each their own I guess.

    It's a pretty good affair from the group, but the production is overblown and the lyrics are slightly mediocre at points. That's really all I can say. Read the other reviews if you want a proper review. Listen to their other stuff or something. I don't really give a ****. I'm done.    … Expand
  15. notverygood
    Sep 6, 2017
    7
    I think that american dream is a pretty good album, it's certainly a good reunion album after breaking up, however, I just can't help but feel that it fell short of my expectations and I would argue that it's significantly worse than LCD Soundsystem's last two albums, Sound of Silver and This Is Happening, which are complete masterpieces.

    For me, the highlights are: 'oh baby', 'black    I think that american dream is a pretty good album, it's certainly a good reunion album after breaking up, however, I just can't help but feel that it fell short of my expectations and I would argue that it's significantly worse than LCD Soundsystem's last two albums, Sound of Silver and This Is Happening, which are complete masterpieces.

    For me, the highlights are: 'oh baby', 'black screen' and of course the brilliant 'how do you sleep?' (I find it extremely bothersome that James Murphy decided that the song titles wouldn't be capitalised, but hey, that's just me) otherwise, the other tracks are all pretty decent but don't do that much for me. Even though I don't really think that any of the songs on here are bad and it's a very consistent album for a 7, I don't think that there's a song with the same anthemic qualities as 'Home', 'Losing My Edge' or 'All My Friends' that I'll always come back to as there has been on every other LCD record thus far.

    I think that it's worthy of a 7/10 as there are definitely some good moments, we see Murphy's brilliant ability to take 70s and 80s classics and reimagine them for a modern audience with some poignant, witty lyrics. Ultimately though, the album just falls short of the same magic of Sound of Silver and This Is Happening. I'm sure that in typical LCD fashion the songs will sound better live and they will be shown in a new light. Although I have to say, it does make me a bit sad to see this album rated higher than This Is Happening and Sound of Silver which it, in my opinion, pales in comparison to.

    Murphy hasn't 'lost his edge' (thankfully, can you imagine all the hack journalists who were just waiting to use this line, had the album been as bad as some other indie efforts this year, I'm looking at you Arcade Fire) but american dream is arguably his worst album.    … Expand
  16. mikeoley13
    Sep 1, 2017
    9
    I'm not going to say it's perfect, but it's damn close. If Sound of Silver is LCD's perfect party album, then this is its brooding darker brother. James clearly went through some **** during the bands 5 year hiatus, and he has poured his soul out onto this record. I was worried about this release and couldn't be happier that the band went in a new direction yet still maintaining all theI'm not going to say it's perfect, but it's damn close. If Sound of Silver is LCD's perfect party album, then this is its brooding darker brother. James clearly went through some **** during the bands 5 year hiatus, and he has poured his soul out onto this record. I was worried about this release and couldn't be happier that the band went in a new direction yet still maintaining all the good qualities that make them special.

    Highlights: Oh Baby, Other Voices, I Used To, Tonite, American Dream and How Do You Sleep? How Do You Sleep? might be the best thing James has ever created. If you're a fan then you should be welcome this addition to their existing catalog. If you're new, there's a lot of interesting ideas going on in this album that may catch your attention. If you're a lover of synths then go to listen to this album NOW.    … Expand
  17. mellonhead
    Oct 2, 2019
    7
    american dream isn't a bad album, but it pales in comparison to their best work. There are some genuinely good songs, but a lot of the time you just get pretentious songs without the quality to make up for it, or far less interesting This is Happening knockoffs [See: oh baby]. It's an album whose flaws only become more apparent after each listen. Again, it's not bad, but they ride a lot onamerican dream isn't a bad album, but it pales in comparison to their best work. There are some genuinely good songs, but a lot of the time you just get pretentious songs without the quality to make up for it, or far less interesting This is Happening knockoffs [See: oh baby]. It's an album whose flaws only become more apparent after each listen. Again, it's not bad, but they ride a lot on their name, style, and the "hey we can still make music!" factor.
    Grade: B
    FAVORITES: other voices, how do you sleep?, tonite, call the police, emotional haircut, black screen
    LEAST FAVORITES: oh baby (?), change yr mind, the album cover (I had to mention - it sucks)    … Expand
  18. pugowner
    Apr 24, 2018
    9
    LCD Soundsystem had no reason to come back and bless us, but thank god they did
  19. AxiomaticJS
    Nov 5, 2017
    10
    This album is somewhere between an evolution and a revolution of the LCD SS style and aesthetic, simultaneously more mature, melancholy, sentimental, and raw. Its a master at work, years of experience both musically and existentially intersecting for what I would argue is LCD SS strongest album in their entire catalog. 4 songs on the album are absolutely phenomenal (Oh Baby, How Do YouThis album is somewhere between an evolution and a revolution of the LCD SS style and aesthetic, simultaneously more mature, melancholy, sentimental, and raw. Its a master at work, years of experience both musically and existentially intersecting for what I would argue is LCD SS strongest album in their entire catalog. 4 songs on the album are absolutely phenomenal (Oh Baby, How Do You Sleep, American Dream, and Black Screen) not only in their musical styling and crafting, but in their raw and honest expression. The remaining songs are good LCD songs in of themselves and would warrant a 7.5-8 rating but the above tracks tip this album into timeless territory.… Expand
  20. MariellyDewa
    Dec 12, 2017
    10
    eu fui ouvir esse album sem esperança de ser bom e não é que é bom mesmo?? o unico defeito é essa capa horrivel (provavelmente uma das piores do ano).
  21. All_ButTrU4
    Oct 11, 2021
    8
    Quite possibly their weakest release since self titled it still commands as an impressive album by a veteran band in full control of their sound. Murphy's lyrics are still as funny and observational as ever and the production feels nostalgic and forward thinking all at once. Favourites: emotional haircut,call the police, other voices

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. Magnet
    Oct 17, 2017
    90
    American Dream is, in purely sonic terms, their richest, most viscerally pleasurable record yet, rife with layered, polyrhythmic percussion and an encyclopedic array of synth textures. [No. 147, p.56]
  2. The Wire
    Oct 11, 2017
    30
    His cartoonish vocals remain charmless, his lyrics as tediously self-referential as ever. [Oct 2017, p.57]
  3. Record Collector
    Sep 14, 2017
    100
    Old sweetens the deal, with tracks as good as anything from previous releases. However it’s New that intrigues, confuses, saddens and ultimately tempts you back with its sheer vulnerability--this is far deeper than the cash grab landfill this reunion could’ve spawned.
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