LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
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James Murphy claimed that The Fall were like The Beatles to him so obviously I warm to the man as he obviously has impeccable taste in music.
Sound Of Silver was their second album and got the kind of sales that The Fall never had, or Mark E Smith probably wanted. It was also nominated for a Grammy which The Fall never were, an utter disgrace obviously.
I can appreciate dance music but I’m fifty-three and at twenty-three you were not seeing me in Arches in Glasgow strutting my stuff (I can’t strut, and I don’t have stuff) to the latest dance hit so I have never heard this album.
Nine tracks in just under an hour, so lengthy songs but there is a punky element with raw vocals, shouty backing vocals and rough and ready guitars to keep me interested.
Opener Get Innocuous reminds me of early Talking Heads, I particularly like when Nancy Whang’s vocals enter the fray and Time to Get Away is immensely catchy.
North American Scum is the first genuinely great song on this record as the band build to the chorus and the shout back vocals just make me smile and then they come back, and I smile again.
Someone Great we have Dare era Human League, which from me is high praise and at first I was surprised reading online for all of the praise for All My Friends as the piano/synth just annoyed me but by the third listen this song is lodged in my head and I cannot get it out.
Us & Them has some interesting moments with cowbells but could have been cut by several minutes and Watch the Tapes Murphy is on manic form and the band respond back to him.
The title track Murphy is more robotic but the vocal works (Phil Oakley again I’m afraid is what I’m hearing).
The record ends with Murphy showing he could to a turn as a lounge lizard on the achingly beautiful New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down which seriously goes off on one towards the end before a singular piano leads us out.
Not in my collection but I’d certainly buy it now.
8/10
GIVE IT A STREAM: North American Scum
Love this record! In our recent 100 Best Albums project, this record made the cut in both mine and Sam Colt's lists. I put it at 68, and he had it at 60.