By Matt Hunziker

The Daily Cardinal

For any artist, the tendency to move toward a more polished approach carries the threat of glossing over all the charming imperfections that make their work human. From LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, who made his name with slapstick party bangers like “Disco Infiltrator” and “Daft Punk is Playing at My House,” on his 2005 self-titled debut, the idea of a straight-laced dance album might inspire as much apprehension as anticipation.

Putting those fears to rest, Sound of Silver proves that Murphy’s dance music craftsmanship is at least as strong as his sense of humor, which along with his lyrical ties to Jonathon Richman, is still very much intact.

Sound of Silver’s contrast with Murphy’s previous album is immediate, as “Get Innocuous!” gradually builds from a syncopated robot groove to a kind of Krautrock take on the Talking Heads. “Time to Get Away” and “North American Scum” most closely recall the punchy exuberance of LCD Soundsystem. The staccato production and clipped delivery of the former come across like a funkier “Disco Infiltrator” with an amped-up chorus. “North American Scum,” the album’s lead off single, works as a kind of sequel to “Daft Punk is Playing at My House,” with Murphy sympathizing with the North American kids who aren’t allowed to party as hard as their European counterparts, dropping the occasional political couplet: “Some fat American Christians might disagree here in North America/But New York’s the only place where we keep them off the street.”

The largest upgrade on Sound of Silver is that Murphy is much more adept with slower, warmer songs than in the past. The fantastic “Someone Great” seems to come out of nowhere, a forlorn and introspective electro-pop gem that gets better with each listen. An understated Murphy muses over his new focus on day to day details (“The worst is all the lonely weather/I’m stunned it’s not raining”) in the wake of a loss. The gorgeously melancholy song matches up with the best work of electro-pop kingpins the Junior Boys, but the keen lyrical insight is Murphy’s own. “All My Friends” follows in similar vein, simultaneously mourning and celebrating lost time over a single repeating piano chord as every builds to a crescendo seven minutes in the making.

Murphy’s dance instincts kick back in toward the end of the album, with two sprawling tracks that begin similarly but diverge into completely different territories. “Us Vs. Them” stretches out into a cowbell-heavy dance track that sounds fairly non-descript next to the rest of the album, while Sound of Silver turns up the electronics and makes a stronger bid at matching the infectiousness of “Get Innocuous!”

“New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down” parallels “The Great Release,” from the self-titled debut, with its slow piano center but Murphy brings all his talents to bare much better this time around, with a simple but moving melody that brings the album to a fitting close. This difference highlights the strength of Sound of Silver, with Murphy finding the compelling middle ground between his record-geek humor and introspection, between his talent for overstated dance tracks and melodic pop. Where he goes next is anyone’s guess.