Sound Of Silver

This is dance-rock for grown-ups: extraordinary.

Taken end to end, Sound Of Silver is a thrilling, exhilarating ride on a fast machine.

Murphy succeeds by stretching in two directions — finding a new musical center, and showing his humanity beyond the laughs.

'Sound Of Silver' is the album of the year.

It's a straight-up masterpiece, blending indie-rock attitude and clattering dance beats with lethal sardonic humor.

As close to a perfect hybrid of dance and rock music's values as you're likely to ever hear.

Yes, of course, it’s a total homage to his favorite music—but it’s an extraordinarily moving one, both emotionally and physically.

While Sound of Silver still delivers terrific buzzy dance-space jams ... it also contains wispy hints of New Order and Bowie... and Murphy's best song-making efforts to date.

A big, fun, and passionate record that sounds enormous. [#16, p.92]

It's occasionally like a dream collaboration between Bill Hicks and New Order, with Giorgio Moroder producing.

The most extraordinary aspect of the album is that Murphy has managed to simultaneously make his music both more experimental and more thrillingly danceable.

Over and over, these songs reveal how a wisecracking record geek can still achieve rapture. [Mar 2007, p.98]

This is music that hits the head, heart and hips all at once.

Rarely has anyone making such exciting and fashionable music been so unapologetic about being mature, too. [Apr 2007, p.97]

Make no mistake – the beats are still rigid, dabbling in taut funk and squelching electro as much as snotty punk moves and glorious polyrhtyhms. These nine songs, however, ring with a clarity of purpose and a true intent that was previously altogether lacking, presenting a far more cohesive image of Murphy and his many strengths.

The strongest stuff of Mr. Murphy’s career.

Compared to the first LCD Soundsystem album, Sound of Silver is less silly, funnier, less messy, sleeker, less rowdy, more fun, less distanced, more touching.

[A] strong contender for album of the year.

Cleaned up, stripped down, and melding dance music seamlessly with post-punk, Sound Of Silver is as solid as a dance album can get.

As a cohesive album and a personal statement, Sound of Silver is superior in most every way.

I’d be surprised if the genre can produce anything much better than this.

A fantastic consolidation of everything good about LCD. [Apr 2007, p.108]

Not only do the rhythms here sound tighter and more intensely focused, Murphy's presence as a songwriter and frontman is a revelation. [Apr 2007, p.110]

Sure, lots of other people have done this lately, but few do it with Murphy's flair.

Whereas Murphy's wise enough never to let his showing off spoil the fun, he can't avoid investing these songs with heart and soul.

This sounds more like an album and less like a collection of singles and ideas, and the pop and funk elements are a bit more refined than before.

While opening track ‘Get Innocuous’ gently apes his own ‘Losing My Edge’ for the first minute and a half, the rest of the LP gradually moves onwards and upwards; either improving and tightening the previous template, or trying new things altogether.

In the end, the nine songs and fifty-five minutes of Sound Of Silver find LCD Soundsystem really hitting a stride. It's no less playful, but at the same time it's more focused and varied. This is one I'm glad I gave a chance.

Mostly he just wants to make big, fun, Bowie-esque declamations or work out a nervy punk jones.

True, LCD's music is not for everyone, which may have something to do with why their fans love them as they do. If you fall into the latter category, however, Silver is gold.

Turns out there's a functioning soul beneath the smirk. [Apr 2007, p.115]

The lyrics brim with grouchy wit. [24 Mar 2007]

You won’t likely be amazed this time around, but be prepared to be thoroughly satisfied, all the same.

The great thing about this album is the same as was great about the last full length LCD Soundsystem album, and that is its effortless blend and execution of mix.