The Ramones became the first punk rock band in 1974, and disco died five years later at a baseball game. These two events would seem to be unrelated.

Punk was the antithesis of disco: It was minimalist, loud and angry. Disco, on the other hand, featured sweeping string arrangements and smooth vocals. It was also more often about love than getting pissed.

Somehow, in that five-year period, nobody thought to combine the two genres. It would seem obvious for an ambitious musician to try mixing components of two styles that were so starkly different.

But "dance-punk" didn't make its way into existence until this decade, and LCD Soundsystem -- a project of producer James Murphy -- has become one of the pioneers of the genre. On LCD Soundsystem's new album, Sound of Silver, Murphy pushes the genre to new limits.

On LCD Soundsystem's self-titled debut there was a more single-oriented focus, but on Sound of Silver, Murphy tests the boundaries. Most of the songs clock in at more than six minutes long, but they rarely drag thanks to Murphy's manipulation of tempo and dynamics.

The percussion is fantastic from start to finish, and the melodic patterns keep things interesting. Murphy has always loved using auxiliary percussion -- like the cowbell and company on "Time To Get Away" -- and he branches out vocally as well, using an a cappella intro on the title track.

Electronica can often feel sterile and cold like a steel table in a doctor's office, but Sound of Silver never does. Even when Murphy's vocals are distant and airy, they always feel warm and heartfelt, like a friend's letter from the other side of the world.

And while his vocals aren't perfectly polished, they are adequate enough to showcase his clever lyrics, such as on lead single "North American Scum."

With a Lou Reed delivery, Murphy defends his continent's turf wryly, singing, "For those of you who think we're from England, we're not."

He slyly pledges his allegiance to North America (and more specifically, to New York) while shunning the people responsible for making "North American" a dirty word -- both the name-callers and their targets.

But Murphy doesn't limit himself to cracking jokes and biting back; he also shows his ability to write an evocative narrative with songs like "Someone Great," a moody post-breakup tale, and "All My Friends," a sobering epic.

Beyond the diversity of the subject matter, the song styles on Sound of Silver range from the garage feel of "Watch the Tapes" to the gorgeous balladic closer, "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down."

While the former features catchy harmonies and a danceable beat, the latter features just Murphy's vocals and a piano.

But after a dramatic build, a wall of crunching guitars and crashing drums brings the album to a theatrical finish.

It's not quite Queen; rather, it's understated -- an anomaly for both disco and punk.

With Sound of Silver, LCD Soundsystem doesn't just take two genres and combine them; it also breaks new ground in the process.

Grade: A