EASE DOWN THE ROAD

Reviewing an LCD Soundsystem album isn’t that hard of a thing to do for a “music snob.” After all, LCD honcho James Murphy – despite what he wants you to think on his sophomore album, Sound of Silver – is one of the biggest music snobs you’re likely to find. Need proof? Listen to his anthem-worthy “Losing My Edge,” now available for mass consumption via the bonus disc of the first LCD album.

Just as soon as I left my teen years behind I accepted it: I was, as so many had called me for so long, a “music snob.” What this actually means seems unclear, but to me it only means that when in a situation that calls for the discussion of music a “music snob” is more likely to articulately verbalize the reasons they like or dislike this or that record than his or her peers are. Basically, it just means that you think about music a whole lot more than the average Creed fan and usually go on and on about it long after anyone is listening. As the chief snob returns for his second album, a world of very modern music aficionados sit wringing their hands, waiting patiently for some new protocol of cool. While Silver isn’t the uncompromising artistic statement the first album was, it is still very great in its own way. It’s probably even better, depending on what you look for in a LCD album (dance/electronic fans will likely be let down, while rock fans will be more likely to press “repeat”).

Sure, Silver starts out as a disco-meets-electronica album with its Another Green World-friendly opener, “Get Innocuous!,” but don’t be fooled: Murphy has designs on rock gods this time out. Need proof? Skip to “North American Scum,” the “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House” of the album. Luckily for fans of that song, much of Sound of Silver resembles the more organic-meets-modern (in a dance hall with rock kids) aspects of Murphy’s first effort. Needless to say, LCD’s “Daft Punk” and “Never As Tired As When I’m Waking Up” turned out to be more than genre experiments.

Murphy’s vocals flop back and forth between trodden shouts and an early-era Brian Eno impression. The elements of his music are playful and modern, but also witty and rock star-ready. His writing ability, while not at all ground-breaking or poetic, functions well over his processed beats, ambient fills and punk-approved riffs and rants.

Murphy is still the same guy who once sang about Can and Neu! like they were Britney and Christina, but there’s something very contradictory about him these days, and I’m not just talking about the crotch photo in Silver’s liner notes. First, Murphy started pleading with fans to buy his album via interviews, not because he wanted his music to be heard, but because he admitted wanting to have his album chart in the Top 40 during its first week. You might think this new fascination with mainstream attention and notoriety would affect Murphy’s album in a negative way but, quite the contrary, Sound of Silver turns out to be a very creative piece of work.

On his contradictory sophomore album Murphy creates, yes, more accessible songs, but he manages to keep his approach sweetly pretentious and his production complex. He’s singing this time around, and for the most part he’s moved more towards experimental rock and further away from the electronic sound he made his name with. As far as ditching electronic elements go, that can never, ever be a bad thing. Look at your watch; Sound of Silver is without a doubt the sound of right now.