[3/5] In 2005, LCD Soundsystem's self-titled debut housed the perfect mix of dance-beat percolations, synth-rock exercises and chairman James Murphy's wry ruminations-and this is why Sound Of Silver is merely okay. Tracks like "North American Scum" and "All My Friends" (where his vocal sounds as though he's fronting a Killers tribute act) come off as oh-so-clever exercises celebrated by indie-rock hipster scum. "Us v. Them" is an inferior rewrite of the previous disc's "Yeah," and the closing love/hate confessional "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down," sounds like a John Lennon homage/parody Jimmy Fallon would have pulled out to eat time before the last commercial break on SNL. Not all this Silver is tarnished, though: "Get Innocuous" opens the proceedings with an electro-groove that's mechanical and soulful; the title track is a hybrid of the best parts of A Certain Ratio and Tortoise's dalliances on the Mo' Wax label; and the best track here, the melancholy "Someone Great," couches great lyrical sadness amidst an upbeat synth sequence. (DFA/CAPITOL) Jason Pettigrew
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