When LCD Soundsystem released Sound of Silver in 2007, it wasn’t just another dance-punk record. It became a touchstone. A rare album that captured aging, joy, grief, nightlife, loneliness, and hope in a single breath. Critics adored it, fans held it close, and nearly two decades later, it remains one of the most celebrated records of the 2000s.
But behind the acclaim and the year-end lists, the album hides strange stories, quiet dedications, and experimental decisions that shaped its sound. Here are five unknown facts about Sound of Silver and the unexpected life that shaped it.
1. James Murphy literally wrapped the studio in silver.
While recording at Long View Farm in Massachusetts, Murphy felt deeply uncomfortable hearing his own voice played back. As a kind of emotional shield, he covered the entire studio in silver fabric and tin foil while tracking the album. One piece of that original fabric even traveled with him to Los Angeles for the next record, This Is Happening, where he hung it inside Rick Rubin’s Mansion.
2. Several songs quietly grew out of LCD’s 46-minute Nike commission.
In 2006, the band released “45:33,” a six-part composition designed for running. Murphy repurposed melodic threads from that project across Sound of Silver. Most notably, “Someone Great” first appeared on “45:33” as an instrumental before becoming one of the album’s most emotionally important tracks.
3. A hidden dedication reveals the album’s emotional core.
Sound of Silver is dedicated to Dr. George Kamen, a Bulgarian-born pioneer in group therapy who practiced in New York City. Murphy had a deep personal connection to Kamen, and some have suggested that the loss described in “Someone Great” reflects his passing. It adds a quiet depth to a song often experienced as universal grief.
4. The album’s release included a secret charity remix project.
On March 12 2007, the same day the album dropped in the UK, an underground remix version surfaced online in support of a charitable cause. It was never commercially released, barely promoted, and has since become a piece of LCD lore, known mostly by collectors who stumbled across it in real time.
5. Sound of Silver shaped the decade far more than most fans realize.
The album dominated critics’ lists across 2007 and the 2000s, but its individual songs carried their own cultural weight. “All My Friends” was named the second best song of the decade by Pitchfork, while “North American Scum” found unexpected life in movies, video games, and satellite radio. The album’s reach far exceeded dance-punk, embedding itself in film, media, and alt-culture for years after.