Credit: Ron Soltys

James Murphy, voice and brain of LCD Soundsystem, once said, “LCD is like a laboratory for experiments on what a band should be.” The comment seems a little bit pretentious and haughty for its own good, but so far, LCD has made us simultaneously dance and think while impressing critics and gaining street credibility. This is the band that is supposed to build bridges connecting techno and pop. What more could we ask for?

The self-titled debut gem from LCD produced the single “Daft Punk is Playing at My House.” Commercial success was minimal, but it quickly became one of those you-know-it-when-you-hear-it songs. The head bopping energy that characterized the first album led listeners to believe this was a group that was just getting things started, so the bar was set quite high for Sound of Silver.

At first glance, it appears the group is picking up right where it left off. Album opener “Get Innocuous” is heavy and mysterious, but also approachable and thoroughly danceable. But the song just doesn’t have enough substance to warrant its seven plus minutes – it appropriately sets the theme for the rest of the album. Five of the album’s nine tracks exceed six minutes, and it is a problem throughout.

Had there been a little more editing on a few of the longer tracks – particularly the album’s title track – “Sound of Silver” would feasibly have been a stone cold classic. “Time to Get Away” and the first single, “North American Scum,” are the album’s highlights and also two of the shortest songs.

Perhaps Murphy was a little overconfident to think his audience could sit through seven or eight minutes of sustained techno noise. Silver is just interesting enough to make the listener wonder what LCD Soundsytem will evolve into over the span of another album or two, but what this one amounts to is a great album distracted by too much noise.

LCD Soundsystem

Sound of Silver

Released on Capital Records

Stater rating (out of five):

3.5

Contact ALL correspondent Dave Bolger at [email protected].