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33⅓ Main Series #116
Sound of Silver
When LCD Soundsystem broke up in 2011, they left behind a small but remarkable catalog of music. On top of the genius singles and a longform composition for Nike, there was a trilogy of full-length albums. During that initial run, LCD Soundsystem-and the project's mastermind, James Murphy-were at the center of several 21st century developments in pop culture: indie music's growing mainstream clout, Brooklyn surpassing Manhattan as an epicenter of creativity in America, the collision and eventual erosion of genre perceptions, and the rapid and profound growth and impact of digital culture. Amidst this storm, Murphy crafted Sound Of Silver, the centerpiece of LCD's work.
At the time of Sound Of Silver's creation and release, Murphy was a man closing in on 40 while fronting a critically-adored band still on the ascent. This album was the first place where he earnestly grappled with questions of aging, of being an artist, and the decisions we make with the time we have left. Anchored by a series of colossal, intense dance-rock songs, Sound Of Silver called upon the rhythms of New York City in order to draw out, dissect, and ultimately rip open these meditations. By the time LCD Soundsystem reunited in 2016, Sound Of Silver had already proven to be a generational touchstone, living on as a document of what it's like to be alive in the 21st century.
At the time of Sound Of Silver's creation and release, Murphy was a man closing in on 40 while fronting a critically-adored band still on the ascent. This album was the first place where he earnestly grappled with questions of aging, of being an artist, and the decisions we make with the time we have left. Anchored by a series of colossal, intense dance-rock songs, Sound Of Silver called upon the rhythms of New York City in order to draw out, dissect, and ultimately rip open these meditations. By the time LCD Soundsystem reunited in 2016, Sound Of Silver had already proven to be a generational touchstone, living on as a document of what it's like to be alive in the 21st century.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
128 pages, Paperback
First published June 16, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
January 6, 2019
While feigning as a piece of criticism, this one reads entirely like a child fawning over his favorite artist. Perhaps my indifference stems from the fact that I disagree wholeheartedly with Murphy as an everyman savior. You don't get to know much about the album either, only that the author deems the artists and the work as THE essential piece of music from the 00s.
August 31, 2019
I was disappointed by this book. 33 1/3 is a great series, and I love Sound of Silver - definitely one of my favourite albums of the last 15 years. But there’s not a lot of insight here, other than that the author REALLY likes the album.
February 20, 2019
Best 33 1/3 I’ve read so far. Had a hard time following some of the denser cultural analysis sections, but overall very well written. Happy to see one of my favorite contemporary-ish albums get this much critical focus.
March 7, 2018
Sound of Silver is definitely one of my top 10 fave albums of all time, so I was hoping that Ryan Leas will do it justice. Well no worries, he does and I like the way he approaches the album.
Rather than a detailed history of recording techniques, Leas focuses Murphy's ideas behind the album. This includes meditations on age, as an New York outsider and James Murphy's role in the New York music scene. Obviously there are some stories behind the songs but the focus is on Murphy's cultural impact when Sound of Silver came out.
This volume is lovingly told and a great companion to the other books in this series, which are about the New York punk scene.
Rather than a detailed history of recording techniques, Leas focuses Murphy's ideas behind the album. This includes meditations on age, as an New York outsider and James Murphy's role in the New York music scene. Obviously there are some stories behind the songs but the focus is on Murphy's cultural impact when Sound of Silver came out.
This volume is lovingly told and a great companion to the other books in this series, which are about the New York punk scene.
May 1, 2024
Millenial angst!!!!! “It makes you feel 20 and 40 at once” is such a good description of All My Friends (and probably LCD in general). A bit repetitive and dense at times but the subject matter does feel made for me so I’ll allow it.
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December 25, 2023it’s christmas, so, as a present from me to me, i’m shelving this book under DNF. i refuse to see the word “coolness” again for the rest of the year
September 29, 2024
I really love LCD Soundsystem, but honestly, this level of mouthfoaming is really too much love (sorry, I had to)
the book doesn’t even spend that much time describing the record itself, if it did then the whole thing probably would’ve been fine. instead the author spends like 40% of the book on different aspects of the band and personal feelings which really bloated the whole thing.
also the last part where the author gripes with „all my friends” not winning online poll for the best song of the millenium? absolutely ridiculous.
the book doesn’t even spend that much time describing the record itself, if it did then the whole thing probably would’ve been fine. instead the author spends like 40% of the book on different aspects of the band and personal feelings which really bloated the whole thing.
also the last part where the author gripes with „all my friends” not winning online poll for the best song of the millenium? absolutely ridiculous.
June 20, 2024
I wanted more from this, though I’m not sure what. There was a lot of repetition in the analysis, and perhaps that was a play on LCD’s songs, which use repetition, except theirs typically builds to a satisfying payoff. This book failed to do that.
July 27, 2025
Feeding into my LCD soundsystem obsession
February 7, 2017
I loved this book.
It shifted my "favorite" label from LCD's THIS IS HAPPENING to SOUND OF SILVER.
And while I understand that this book might push away some audiences, as it does feel very specific in its target audience, it functions beyond that. It discusses that age group and the generation in a deeper level than I ever expected.
Leas nails our culture in so many ways, and I found myself highlighting portion after portion to read later and re-digest his words. The cultural observations, to me, are spot on, and this is what elevated this work beyond an straightforward exploration of the album.
And in that regard, when it comes to the album itself, it is definitely the weaker portion of the book. Many of Leas observations are wonderful, and he makes some excellent points about the album's themes and the reasons that this album is LCD's most important work to date. However, many of the ideas are often repeated--almost verbatim--throughout the book, and at times I thought to myself, "Yes. I agree. You said that. But what else is there?" So, for this reason, I can see why this 33 1/3 volume may fall a bit short for some.
For me, though, I forgave those small slights because of how perfectly Leas captured the culture of SOUND OF SILVER's time and projected us into the now. Music is in a weird place--the whole of pop culture is for that matter--and Leas opens up that discussion wonderfully here.
It shifted my "favorite" label from LCD's THIS IS HAPPENING to SOUND OF SILVER.
And while I understand that this book might push away some audiences, as it does feel very specific in its target audience, it functions beyond that. It discusses that age group and the generation in a deeper level than I ever expected.
Leas nails our culture in so many ways, and I found myself highlighting portion after portion to read later and re-digest his words. The cultural observations, to me, are spot on, and this is what elevated this work beyond an straightforward exploration of the album.
And in that regard, when it comes to the album itself, it is definitely the weaker portion of the book. Many of Leas observations are wonderful, and he makes some excellent points about the album's themes and the reasons that this album is LCD's most important work to date. However, many of the ideas are often repeated--almost verbatim--throughout the book, and at times I thought to myself, "Yes. I agree. You said that. But what else is there?" So, for this reason, I can see why this 33 1/3 volume may fall a bit short for some.
For me, though, I forgave those small slights because of how perfectly Leas captured the culture of SOUND OF SILVER's time and projected us into the now. Music is in a weird place--the whole of pop culture is for that matter--and Leas opens up that discussion wonderfully here.
December 23, 2025
I learnt precisely one fact I didn't know from the volume: that James Murphy put up silver ... well, something, on the walls of the studio where this album was made. (A fact also quoted on Wikipedia). I also learnt the theory that, just maybe, "Someone Great" is about a miscarriage. But, then again...
Otherwise, Leas spent what felt like around a third of the book rhapsodising on the concept of "cool" (despite acknowledging every rock writer loves chunky be-stubbled Murphy because he looks just like them!), another third surveying "nostalgia", and a middle third devoted almost entirely to discussing "Losing My Edge"... a song that isn't even on the album.
Yes, this guy can write, and yes, he was THERE - both before and after the reunion! oh my - but the problem he doesn't have a hell of a lot to say. So a bit like the music he's talking about it's all flash and spin and repetition. And bullshit, which the music is anything but.
With no new sources and only a few flimsy idea to thread together for this desperate race to meet a deadline, well, this is the result. A passionate yet pointless paean. Read Leas' two earlier articles on LCD he ripped off for this, and save the 12 bucks for a 12-inch of All My Friends.
Otherwise, Leas spent what felt like around a third of the book rhapsodising on the concept of "cool" (despite acknowledging every rock writer loves chunky be-stubbled Murphy because he looks just like them!), another third surveying "nostalgia", and a middle third devoted almost entirely to discussing "Losing My Edge"... a song that isn't even on the album.
Yes, this guy can write, and yes, he was THERE - both before and after the reunion! oh my - but the problem he doesn't have a hell of a lot to say. So a bit like the music he's talking about it's all flash and spin and repetition. And bullshit, which the music is anything but.
With no new sources and only a few flimsy idea to thread together for this desperate race to meet a deadline, well, this is the result. A passionate yet pointless paean. Read Leas' two earlier articles on LCD he ripped off for this, and save the 12 bucks for a 12-inch of All My Friends.
November 20, 2023
Brooklynite tells us about his favorite LCD Soundsystem album in the most uninspiring terms. With half the book talking about “Losing My Edge,” a song off LCD’s debut full-length album, I felt that I too was losing something.
May 7, 2024
Even just thinking about this album makes me want to feel like a teenager, the excitement associated with finding something I could dedicate my attention to, something I could finally geek out about, even if my friends didn't have a shared interest.
Sound of Silver wasn't that for me, it came out when I was in college. "North American Scum" was on heavy rotation via the Columbus radio station CD101. LCD Soundsystem was one of their darlings, but the song didn't quite grab me so I didn't hear the full album until much later.
I was at a party while in design school and some amazing nerd made the playlist. Drunk and in the company of new and old friends I first heard "Dance Yrself Clean," and I thought I was in the perfect state at the perfect time to hear such a perfect song. After that party I dove head first into Sound of Silver and haven't looked back. I cried to Shut Up And Play The Hits whenever I found out about its existence, late to the party.
But this album is so instrumentally simple it's the exact kind of music I would have loved to have loved as a teenager. Hearing "Get Innocuous!" makes me feel nostalgic for a teenage love I didn't actually have with this album.
Ryan Leas does a great job of describing the circumstances around James Murphy's music, the wave of quitting the band only to announce more shows 5 years later, his connection to New York and the rock/punk bands of the early 2000's (The Strokes, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and their connection to a gentrifying Manhattan and the resultant new bands that started popping up in Williamsburg (The National, TV On The Radio et al). This is one of the better volumes in the series.
Sound of Silver wasn't that for me, it came out when I was in college. "North American Scum" was on heavy rotation via the Columbus radio station CD101. LCD Soundsystem was one of their darlings, but the song didn't quite grab me so I didn't hear the full album until much later.
I was at a party while in design school and some amazing nerd made the playlist. Drunk and in the company of new and old friends I first heard "Dance Yrself Clean," and I thought I was in the perfect state at the perfect time to hear such a perfect song. After that party I dove head first into Sound of Silver and haven't looked back. I cried to Shut Up And Play The Hits whenever I found out about its existence, late to the party.
But this album is so instrumentally simple it's the exact kind of music I would have loved to have loved as a teenager. Hearing "Get Innocuous!" makes me feel nostalgic for a teenage love I didn't actually have with this album.
Ryan Leas does a great job of describing the circumstances around James Murphy's music, the wave of quitting the band only to announce more shows 5 years later, his connection to New York and the rock/punk bands of the early 2000's (The Strokes, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and their connection to a gentrifying Manhattan and the resultant new bands that started popping up in Williamsburg (The National, TV On The Radio et al). This is one of the better volumes in the series.
April 17, 2022
What is music criticism that isn’t critical? But then again, what fan of LCD would pick up this book collection hoping to see their favs torn apart?
Therefore it feels right that this be truly fan service, for those like myself that enjoy LCD Soundsystem as a band, James Murphy as an artist creative genius, and the album Sound of Silver as capturing the voice and feelings of a generation.
Where these essays succeed are when they’re putting Murphy on a deserved pedestal, putting the lyrical and musical references in context, and making New York City a main character, muse, and every changing scene to be recorded in history.
The moments where the writer makes the music about him, his super-fandom, his moment, and how he “was there” at the end and then the beginning again are annoying… but perhaps that reading experience can make us all more self-aware and less insufferable to others. In a sense, Murphy did it first - we all just follow his lead.
Therefore it feels right that this be truly fan service, for those like myself that enjoy LCD Soundsystem as a band, James Murphy as an artist creative genius, and the album Sound of Silver as capturing the voice and feelings of a generation.
Where these essays succeed are when they’re putting Murphy on a deserved pedestal, putting the lyrical and musical references in context, and making New York City a main character, muse, and every changing scene to be recorded in history.
The moments where the writer makes the music about him, his super-fandom, his moment, and how he “was there” at the end and then the beginning again are annoying… but perhaps that reading experience can make us all more self-aware and less insufferable to others. In a sense, Murphy did it first - we all just follow his lead.
November 7, 2023
Great write up, but I’m not sure if I’m rating this four stars because it was that good or if it’s because this record is so fundamental to my own being. I feel like this could describe most 33 1/3 books, but this book really gets at the heart of what makes this record so great and why it’s basically a part of my personality. Also like most 33 1/3 books, reading this feels like talking about one of your favorite records with someone who knows everything about it: even if you don’t learn anything you didn’t know before or that blows you out of the water, it’s still a great experience. This is definitely going to live on my shelf next to my CD of this record that I’ve had since I was in high school.
The only place I’ll diverge from the book is that I don’t think highschoolers should listen to LCD Soundsystem. They can’t be exposed to that level of hard-earned cynicism at such a young age. It sets a bad example.
The only place I’ll diverge from the book is that I don’t think highschoolers should listen to LCD Soundsystem. They can’t be exposed to that level of hard-earned cynicism at such a young age. It sets a bad example.
August 26, 2023
Of the 6 or 7 33 1/3 books I have read which range from good (DJ Shadow, which was mostly from direct interviews) to terrible (meat is murder,
the book is a long story which references the Smiths' classic) to one difficult to categorize (the Replacements Let It Be is not about the
album so much as it is about the writer learning to love the Replacements and other great bands and the evolution of the writer into the singer-songwriter of the Decemberists.... This one is pretty near the top. It has a lot of good analysis and reflection and, thankfully, includes no fiction.
I have been doing music marathons where I pick a band I like and listen to its full discography using the library and youtube for help as well
as, in this case, the three-dvd set of Shut Up and Play the Hits. This book was a perfect companion to those projects.
the book is a long story which references the Smiths' classic) to one difficult to categorize (the Replacements Let It Be is not about the
album so much as it is about the writer learning to love the Replacements and other great bands and the evolution of the writer into the singer-songwriter of the Decemberists.... This one is pretty near the top. It has a lot of good analysis and reflection and, thankfully, includes no fiction.
I have been doing music marathons where I pick a band I like and listen to its full discography using the library and youtube for help as well
as, in this case, the three-dvd set of Shut Up and Play the Hits. This book was a perfect companion to those projects.
July 23, 2018
I'm a fan of the 33 1/3 series with essays about selected albums, and the latest one I read was LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver (2016) by Ryan Leas. Writers take different approaches and in this one Leas mostly analyzes his own personal connection with the band, but also ruminates on their early retirement and return to recording as well as their relationship to nostalgia and New York City in particular. I mostly enjoyed it, but I can see how other readers might have been upset at the lack of journalistic details about the recording of the album as well as a lack of discussion on how the songs were written let alone little actual quotes from the band and its mastermind James Murphy. But I can over look those defects and join in on the recent nostalgia of a band that I think defined the 00s and the fight for relevance in the modern age.
August 30, 2017
Whoever said that writing about music is akin to dancing about architecture, most likely had this book in mind. Sound of Silver is one of those great albums that will always be with us, its status will grow and grow and as such it deserves far better than Ryan Leas scatter-thought prose. Leas latches onto an idea (Sound of Silver is a record about ageing) and refuses to let go. He comes across as a bit 'young' in places, all his reference points seem to be from the past decade. Oh well, maybe someday SoS will get the book it deserves.
March 19, 2021
This is an enjoyable and engaging read. It helps of course if you at least like the subject matter (you’ll struggle to love the album quite as much as Leas does) and you might need to forgive him for the fact that he mentions ‘Losing My Edge’ more times than any song on Sound of Silver apart from ‘All My Friends’.
I always thought that I liked the album so much (and LCD’s output in general) partly because I’m the same age as James Murphy and so have the same frame of reference. It’s refreshing to read this and realise that Leas is little more than half our age but he gets it too.
I always thought that I liked the album so much (and LCD’s output in general) partly because I’m the same age as James Murphy and so have the same frame of reference. It’s refreshing to read this and realise that Leas is little more than half our age but he gets it too.
October 29, 2025
1.5/5 stars.
overall had the same issues with this one as i did with the MBV 33 1/2 book. less substance in this one than in the MBV one though. dude seems to really hate the strokes, interpol and bands from that scene; which is fine but unless it has to do with a rivalry or band to band drama, it feels kinda distasteful. felt all over the place and guy seemed to really only want to talk about All of My Friends.
idk not for me.
also minor beef but if hes such a huge lcd fan, he should know someone great isnt some vague mystery. its about the death of murphy’s therapist.
overall had the same issues with this one as i did with the MBV 33 1/2 book. less substance in this one than in the MBV one though. dude seems to really hate the strokes, interpol and bands from that scene; which is fine but unless it has to do with a rivalry or band to band drama, it feels kinda distasteful. felt all over the place and guy seemed to really only want to talk about All of My Friends.
idk not for me.
also minor beef but if hes such a huge lcd fan, he should know someone great isnt some vague mystery. its about the death of murphy’s therapist.
March 19, 2018
I like LCD Soundsystem a lot. I also like reading the words and thoughts of someone else who likes LCD Soundsystem just as much as I do. Ryan Leas has somehow done the impossible: making me appreciate the album Sound Of Silver and James Murphy more than I did before I read this essay/book thing. While we 100% DEFINITELY DO NOT AGREE on what the worst songs on this album are or some interpretations of lyrics, this book is a great deep dive of not only the album but the band itself.
June 11, 2020
I hate to say that I was generally disappointed with this, but Ryan spreads a few central ideas over a lot of pages, resulting in a slog at times. I really like Ryan's writing (especially for Stereogum), but these observations and analysis seem to fit better in a few pieces over time, rather than as a full-length deconstruction of an iconic album (which, if I understand, was the original genesis for this book).
November 28, 2018
a nice little addition to the series, a bit lightweight but a nice exploration of the myth of james murphy and the milieu he speaks to. was tempted to plump for 4 stars, but the fact that i read it on a particularly notable morning, and forgot to log it, even though it's been at the front of my shelf for three months, perhaps says more about the "lightweight" aspect than I dare admit
August 7, 2019
This book had its moments. The chapter on nostalgia was pretty engaging (needed more sophisticated engagement with notions of nostalgia to be truly satisfying), and the readings of All My Friends and Something Great were insightful. However, the rest felt like bloat and indulgent fawning over James Murphy as creative genius, which he is, but it did t need to be so... gushing.
July 21, 2021
For a book ostensibly about "Sound of Silver," Leas sure does spend a decent chunk of time obsessively dissecting the song "Losing My Edge," which predates "Silver" by five years and is unrelated to the album at hand except as a device to explain the mythos of LCD Soundsystem. I found his discussions of nostalgia and coolness to be pretty interesting though.
February 15, 2022
L take on page 54 (technically page 64)
i wish the author had gone more into the process of actually making the album rather than spending the whole time just praising it as "the defining album of its time" or whatever. i enjoyed it and am thankful i received it as a gift (and this is my first 33 1/3 book) so i wasn't really sure what to expect but i was a little disappointed
i wish the author had gone more into the process of actually making the album rather than spending the whole time just praising it as "the defining album of its time" or whatever. i enjoyed it and am thankful i received it as a gift (and this is my first 33 1/3 book) so i wasn't really sure what to expect but i was a little disappointed
March 29, 2023
I love this album and agree with a lot of the points that Ryan Leas' raises about it but I can't help but feel like a lot of it is just retreading the same points and it kind of feels like you have to be in on the joke for a lot of it. The whole book reads like "James Murphy is old and he's cool and he's from New York, but he's not old or cool or from New York, you know?"
May 21, 2017
not bad. far more general than i'd anticipated, while still being appealing to a very narrow readership.
May 26, 2017
my first 33 1/3. looking forward to checking out some more from the series. Had a lot of fun reading about my favorite band in long(er) form, but it wasn't anything exceptional
dnf-partial-read
December 22, 2022It didn't take me long to hate this book. Quit at page 33.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews