RECORDINGS Pop Music

SOUND OF SILVER

LCD Soundsystem

The secret weapon on "Sound of Silver," the near-flawless second album from indie-electronic kings LCD Soundsystem, is . . . sentimentality?

That's not exactly what you'd expect from James Murphy, the 37-year-old mastermind behind the New York group and its affiliated label, DFA. Between those two ventures, Murphy has been as responsible as anyone for getting indie kids to unfold their arms and move their feet, not to mention doing more to improve the image of the cowbell than anyone this side of Will Ferrell. He achieved that on the strength of cheeky dance-floor bangers like "Losing My Edge" and "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House." And while "North American Scum" and "Get Innocuous" will deservedly become regulars at indie dance nights across the country, the best moments on "Sound of Silver" are odes to the '80s with nostalgic lyrics that wouldn't set off the most sensitive irony detector.

Murphy adopts a charming singsong vocal melody on the mournful "Someone Great," which is heavily indebted to synth-pop heroes OMD and, like every song on the album, features an impeccable elemental build as each keyboard line, beat switch and vocal tic arrives right on cue. Even better is "All My Friends," a slow-burn epic built around a hypnotic piano loop, New Orderish guitar riff and lyrics like "I wouldn't trade one stupid decision for another five years of life." It's exhilarating but not exhausting and begs for repeated listens; it's the kind of song Sofia Coppola probably dreams about writing a slow-motion montage around.

Piano ballad album closer "New York I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down" is as lyrically ridiculous as its title suggests, but by that point Murphy has earned it. It's schmaltzy, sure, but comes off as a heartfelt ode to his home town and serves as the perfect cap to one of the year's first great albums.

-- David Malitz

DOWNLOAD THESE: "All My Friends," "Someone Great," "North American Scum"

WAITIN' TO INHALE

Devin the Dude

The syrupy-slow music of obscure Houston rapper Devin the Dude is a guilty pleasure. He's been called the Richard Pryor of hip-hop, and his latest album, "Waitin' to Inhale," is so raunchy it makes Snoop Dogg's brand of commercial pimp-hop seem puritanical."

Waitin' " explores a range of experiences with women -- events comic and tragic -- resulting in a truthful portrait of a man and his libido. But a listener can't really take offense because his gentle slur is irresistible and droll. Behind the bawdy lyrics lurks a subtext of consensual kinkiness rather than blunt misogyny.

Of the album's many funny tunes, "Use ta Be" just might be the funniest. Over a lackadaisical 89 beats per minute, Devin wisecracks about a "hefty heifer" who was once an unattainable high-school crush: "But 150 pounds and 10 years later / I seen her at the grocery store / And she's finally ready to holler at a player."

Like all good comics, he's charmingly self-deprecating. And for a rapper, he does the unthinkable: He bares his soul, admitting to times of being cash-poor and lonely. That hot cheerleader was out of reach, but he's not above accepting her advances 150 pounds later, either.

-- Serena Kim

DOWNLOAD THESE: "Somebody Else's Wife," "Nothin' to Roll With," "Use ta Be"