Sound of Silver (2007)

Sound of Silver is the third studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. The album was released jointly by DFA and Capitol Records in the United States on March 20, 2007, and by EMI internationally, first appearing on March 12, 2007, in the UK. Sound of Silver was produced by the DFA and recorded in 2006 at Long View Farm in North Brookfield, Massachusetts and DFA Studios in New York City.

Sound of Silver received acclaim and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. It was followed by the EP A Bunch of Stuff, which consists of covers, alternative versions, and remixes.

Recording

James Murphy recorded Sound of Silver at Long View Farm in Massachusetts, where he had previously worked on LCD Soundsystem's eponymous debut album. Murphy found recording his own vocals uncomfortable, describing the experience as "horrifying". He covered the entire studio in silver fabric and tin foil during the process. For the recording of LCD Soundsystem's next album, This Is Happening, Murphy brought one of the original pieces of silver fabric to the recording studio in Los Angeles and hung it in Rick Rubin's recording den, the Mansion.

Composition

Musically, Sound of Silver has been described as dance-punk, dance-rock, electronica, electronic rock, and indie rock. Several songs incorporate elements from the band's six-part, 46-minute-long 2006 composition "45:33", in particular "Someone Great", which appears on "45:33" as an instrumental. The album is dedicated to "the memory of Dr. George Kamen (1942–2006), one of the great minds of his or any generation".

Release

For several weeks before and after its release, the entire Sound of Silver album was available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The video for "North American Scum" was also uploaded to MySpace on February 8, 2007.

On March 12, 2007, coinciding with the album's official UK release, an underground remix version of Sound of Silver was made available online to support a charitable cause.

Reception

Sound of Silver holds a score of 86 out of 100 on the review aggregation website Metacritic, based on 41 reviews, signifying "universal acclaim". By the end of 2007, Sound of Silver was ranked by Metacritic as the tenth best-reviewed album of the year.

Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian praised the "devastating emotional punch" of "Someone Great" and "All My Friends", describing the album as "dance-rock for grown-ups: extraordinary". Andy Kellman of AllMusic noted that Sound of Silver, compared to LCD Soundsystem, was "less silly, funnier, less messy, sleeker, less rowdy, more fun, less distanced, more touching".

Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Murphy "succeeds by stretching in two directions—finding a new musical center and showing his humanity beyond the laughs." Mark Pytlik of Pitchfork commended Murphy's production and the "deep, spacious, and full-blooded" sound, concluding: "It's an absolute joy to listen to, for every possible reason, not the least of which is because, these days, those epiphanies feel like they're coming fewer and farther between."

Tim Jonze of NME wrote that while "Murphy's wise enough never to let his showing off spoil the fun, he can't avoid investing these songs with heart and soul ... That's what'll keep you hooked long after the beats have worn you out." John Mulvey of Uncut wrote, "Murphy's talent is to proudly flaunt his influences, and to mix them up with belligerence, an exhilarating grasp of rock and dance dynamics, and a powerfully snarky sense of humor." Robert Christgau, writing for MSN Music, remarked that the album featured "one song so irresistible it makes you think the other tracks are songs too, which sometimes they are". He later awarded it a two-star honorable mention rating.

Commercial

James Murphy stated that he wanted the album to be in the top 40 on the U.S. Billboard charts. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 46. As of January 2016, the album had sold approximately 225,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Of those, around 123,000 were physical copies, and about 101,000 were digital copies. The album reached number 28 on the UK charts.

In popular culture

Songs from Sound of Silver have appeared in a variety of films, television shows, and video games. "Someone Great" appeared in episodes of both Paper Girls and Skam. "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down" was featured in the Succession episode "Too Much Birthday", and "North American Scum" appeared in the episode "This Is Not for Tears". "Get Innocuous" was featured in Grand Theft Auto IV, appearing both in game and in a promotional trailer.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

LCD Soundsystem