Silver is golden

In the last stanza of "Watch The Tapes," the seventh track from LCD Soundsystem's Sound Of Silver, James Murphy sings: "Hey, the rock writer told me to tell you/ 'though you're great and you're brave/ you still lack that which makes you a star.'" Judging by Silver's quality, the rock writer is going to have to eat his words. Even better than LCD Soundsystem's terrific 2005 debut, this album is, to my ears, the first unambiguous album of the year contender -- and this in what's proving to be a very strong year for indie rock. \nLike the self-titled debut, Silver offers up analog dance tracks that are the aural equivalent of a well-tailored suit (or little black dress) -- songs whose crisp percussion and funky bass-lines (and, yes, handclaps and cowbell) will make you feel cool, even when doing something as mundane as walking to class. But the difference is that the band has injected a surprising amount of emotional heft behind them -- making Silver an unusual blend of heart and hips. Indeed, anyone throwing Silver into the stereo as a party soundtrack might be a bit disappointed to find that, while seven of its nine tracks are floor burners, "Someone Great" and "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" are actually quite sad. The latter is a piano ballad mourning the lost charms of a now gentrified, sanitized New York, while "Someone Great," with its quirky (but tender) instrumentation and vivid lyrics, is a stunningly beautiful elegy to a late friend. \nNot that things are generally all that serious -- in "Time To Get Away," "Us V Them" and "Watch The Tapes," Murphy plays the disco curmudgeon to great effect, sniping and grumbling while the beats compel him to have fun in spite of himself. "All My Friends" and "Sound Of Silver" build on the aging hipster theme introduced with LCD Soundsystem's celebrated single "Losing My Edge" -- but express a sense of contentment with growing older in counterpoint to "Edge's" neurosis. And "North American Scum," besides being an absolute stone-cold killer dance track, is a wry response to European anti-Americanism that could well become an anthem for many a backpacker. All this with plenty of "woo-oo's" and breaks that'll have you throwing your arms up in the air in spite of yourself. In the end, there's no fighting the system.