The Liars’ new self-titled album (Aug. 20, Mute) is supposed to be the members’ attempt at recording a “real” rock album.
The New York (by way of L.A.) trio began their career with the dance-punk indebted They Threw Us in a Trench and Stuck a Monument On Top and then released two albums full of experimental, emotional and difficult material that established Liars as the sort of band critics worship. When listening to experimental records, critics tend to block out the droning guitar or bizarre chants, preferring to focus instead on a voice that whispers, “Even if you don’t understand it, give this record an absurdly high rating; it will make you cooler.”
Perhaps as a response to such critical snobbery, Liars has taken its sonic experiments and applied them to more traditional sound structures, creating a package that should satisfy everyone. Make no mistake, Liars is not the second coming of U2, but it is a creative, inspiring and gifted group that is not afraid to experiment.
Thrashing drums and bass give way to a falsetto vocal and even some Beach Boys-style harmonies in “Plaster Casts of Everything,” as lead singer Angus Andrew chants lyrics at selected points for emphasis. Though Andrew only delivers about four lines of text throughout the three-minute song, they function as mini-hooks that interact with the music to add depth to the song in unconventional ways.
Repeating hooks allows the instruments room to breathe, which may not sound like a good recipe for a “real” rock album that would appeal to pop music fans. It may even come off as snobby, but the members of Liars have never been shy about doing things their way. Overall, the band is capable of many moments of musical majesty that more than outweigh the occasional over-indulgence.
Some of the sore spots on the album, like “Leather Prowler” and “What Would They Know,” feature difficult-to-understand vocals and focus mainly on a repeated guitar riff. The absence of clear vocals in favor of poorly conceived instrumentals thwarts the band’s attempts to create a more accessible album in favor of musical insanity.
When the band cuts lose, it feels as though it is putting its own distinct stamp on the time-honored tradition of a bunch of guys in a garage playing music they dig as loud as they can.
Some highlights include the blistering guitar on “Clear Islands;” the amazing rhythm section thumping throughout, the slow-pounding “Pure Unevil;” and “Freakout,” the closest thing the album has to a pure pop song, full of warm guitars accompanying a deadpan vocal.
MTV used to release compilation albums every few years under the title “Return of the Rock,” but such a label could easily be applied to the band’s latest. Liars offers a number of possibilities for modern rock beyond emo, alternative, heavy metal and classic-rock by putting its own spin on prior traditions to create something bizarre, engaging and undeniably vital.
